(MENAFN- EIN Presswire)
The secret of the teenage T. rex find held while an award-winning documentary crew, renowned palaeontologists, several of the world's foremost natural history museums, and top animators partnered to present the kids' discovery in dramatic cinematic fashion
Giant Screen Films (GSF), a leading producer of large-format documentaries, was embedded with expedition and had cameras rolling as the fossil's diagnostic features were unearthed, including the eureka moment when Dr. Lyson confirmed the boys had found a Tyrant King
“Helping these kids experience the thrill of their discovery and to be inspired by science is incredibly rewarding to me personally,” said Dr. Lyson, who was himself mentored by leading palaeontologists visiting the area when he was very young.
This is the kind of story that documentary filmmakers dream of capturing” - T-REX co-director/writer David ClarkMARMARTH, NORTH DAKOTA, UNITED STATES, June 4, 2024 /EINPresswire / -- Three keen-eyed young fossil hunters made the discovery of a lifetime when they found a rare teenage Tyrannosaurus rex that could rewrite history, scientists and filmmakers announce today.
The boys -- brothers Liam and Jessin Fisher, 7 and 10 years old at the time, and their 9-year-old cousin, Kaiden Madsen -- spotted a large fossilized leg bone on a walk in North Dakota badlands on July 31, 2022.
Believing it to be a duckbill dinosaur, they sent a photo to family friend and Marmarth native Dr. Tyler Lyson, lead palaeontologist at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, who organized an excavation that began 11 months later with the boys and a sister, Emalynn Fisher, on his team of experts and volunteers.
Brushing off a tooth soon after arriving, Dr. Lyson realized the boys had found a notorious T-REX -- a very rare juvenile. It was unearthed in 11 days after an estimated 67 million years in that spot.
Giant plaster jackets containing the“Teen Rex” are now at the Denver Museum, where the public can follow its preparation.
The secret of the find held as an award-winning documentary crew, renowned palaeontologists, several of the world's foremost natural history museums, and top animators partnered to present the kids' discovery in dramatic cinematic fashion.
Giant Screen Films (GSF), a leading large-format documentary producer, was embedded with the expedition and had cameras rolling as the fossil's diagnostic features were unearthed, including the moment Dr. Lyson confirmed that the kids had found a T-REX.
As a result, audiences can experience the adventure of the discovery and excavation in T-REX, an immersive large screen documentary narrated by Jurrasic Park actor Sir Sam Neill.
With hat tips to famous specimens, landmark discoveries, and wild cinematic T-REX depictions over the last century, GSF's documentary intercuts the remarkable expedition with cutting edge computer graphics that bring the iconic T-REX-from hatchling to hulking adult-to life.
'Juvenile rex specimens are extremely rare,” said Dr. Lyson, who found his first dinosaur in the same area at age 6. He credits his own career to the mentorship of palaeontologists who invited him to join their work in the Badlands.
“This find is significant to researchers because the 'Teen Rex' specimen may help answer questions about how the king of dinosaurs grew up,” he said.
The size of the specimen's tibia (shin bone), compared to the size for a full grown adult's tibia, suggests that it was 13 to 15 years old when it died.
Palaeontologists also estimate that“Teen Rex” likely weighed around 3,500 pounds (1,632 kg), measured roughly 25 feet (7.6 m) from nose to tail, and stood about 10 feet (3 m) in height-about two-thirds the size of a full grown adult.
“It's remarkable to consider how T-REX might have grown from a kitten-sized hatchling into the 40-foot, 8,000 pound adult predator we are familiar with,” said renowned T-REX authority Dr. Thomas Holtz of the University of Maryland.
He continued,“scientists can really only speculate on how 'Teen rex' might have lived and behaved, so discoveries like this one have the potential to provide important new information about those earlier life stages, when fastest growth likely occurred.”
The experience was especially exciting for Jessin, a dinosaur aficionado and aspiring palaeontologist who dressed up as his hero, Dr. Lyson, for Halloween a few years ago.
The boys will help officially open the“Teen Rex Prep Lab” and attend the film's premiere at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science June 21. A hometown area screening is also planned for the boys' Marmarth classmates, including some early skeptics.
With Dr. Holtz as lead advisor, T-REX filmmakers collaborated with palaeontologists, eight prominent natural history museums, and award-winning visual effects artists to create scientifically-accurate models of T-REX and the prehistoric ecosystem of Hell Creek, a highly studied rock formation in the Upper Midwest containing fossil remains from the dinosaurs' final days.
Supported by leading museums worldwide, the documentary features cameos of SUE, perhaps the most well-known T-REX specimen ever found (Field Museum, Chicago); T-REX WYREX (Houston Museum of Natural History); T-REX THOMAS (Los Angeles Natural History Museum) and HORRIDUS the Triceratops (Melbourne Museum).
“We never could have planned the inspiring story that unfolded in front of the cameras,' said producer and writer Andy Wood.“Kids finding any large dinosaur is remarkable, but as the shoot progressed, the team realized that we were witnessing something even more rare-a truly historic T-REX discovery. It's been a real thrill.”
"This is more than just a documentary-it's a chance for families to experience the thrill of discovery through the eyes of these young explorers in a format that makes you feel like you're right there with them,” says co-director/writer David Clark.
“This is the kind of story that documentary filmmakers dream of capturing.”
“Beyond fostering an appreciation of the fun of science, the film sends a message about getting outside and exploring,” said Dr. Lyson.“That's a really important message that we want to come through-one that I think is just baked into this story.”
Full media kit:
The fossil was collected on land under the jurisdiction of the US Bureau of Land Management, permit ND2023-00084.
T-REX is a Giant Screen Films and D3D Cinema production, in partnership with:
Field Museum, Chicago
Denver Museum of Nature & Science
Houston Museum of Natural Science
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
in association with
Cincinnati Museum Center
Cleveland Museum of Natural History
Museums Victoria, Australia, and
New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science
Giant Screen Films
Based in Evanston, Illinois, GSF is one of the world's leading and most active large-format film producers. It has often partnered with the National Science Foundation and pioneered large-format films that push the medium's boundaries. Through immersive sight and sound technologies, GSF's productions challenge imaginations of children and adults, offering inspiring perspective on the world and an unforgettable theater experience. Meaningful educational collaborations and partnerships extend each film's impact far beyond the theatre.
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