Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous wasn’t the disaster we’d feared. Sure, some of the animation was clearly done on a budget and there was the odd cringeworthy piece of dialogue, but at least the core dinosaur action was fun. Plus, while I’d been worried that it’d be too childish and lacking high stakes, there were more than a couple of intense dino attack sequences.
It wasn’t perfect, but I enjoyed it and definitely want more. In fact, judging by the show’s surprising ending, a second season would really kick things into high gear.
You see, Camp Cretaceous took place parallel to the events of 2015’s Jurassic World, during which the dinosaurs broke free from their enclosures and ran amok. The Camp Cretaceous characters were on the other side of the island as this happened and were trying to make it across the park and onto the ships evacuating the frightened park guests.
Unfortunately, though, they failed, arriving at the dock to see that the ships had left without them. Now, they’ll have to stay alive on the dinosaur-infested Isla Nublar until help reaches them (or they can figure out a way off). It’s a cool twist ending, and EP Scott Kreamer has explained that he had to clear it with Colin Trevorrow, Frank Marshall and Steven Spielberg, saying:
“That is the conceit of the show, that when the U.N. quarantine is put into place, six kids got left behind and we get to find out what happens to them. This is considered canon. The director of Jurassic World, Colin Trevorrow, was very involved, continuously—as far as story, as far as canon, and as far as designs. All sorts of things. Everything that’s onscreen was approved by Colin, and Frank Marshall, and Steven Spielberg. So yes, this is considered full canon.”
Presumably, the kids won’t stay there for too long as there was no sign of them three years later during the events of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom when the island was destroyed in a volcanic eruption. Still, it’ll be neat seeing them try to avoid the many ravenous predators and other prehistoric dangers.
“It’s an interesting idea of, you know, ‘We’re abandoned here. It’s just the six of us. Now, how do we survive?’ There are so many stories you can tell—how to get off the island, how to survive on the island. Are they the only ones left on the island? There are many ways that the story can possibly go, with what’s going to happen next with our campers,” said Kreamer.
Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous hasn’t been renewed by Netflix yet for a second season, but the positive reaction means it’ll likely happen soon. Stay tuned.