Walking with Dinosaurs: The Arena Spectacular is due to hit American theaters this summer. Featuring puppets, mannequins and mechanized creatures, the show gives attendees the chance to get a glimpse into the long-gone days of these giant reptiles.
A total of 20 life-sized dinosaurs, representing 10 separate species, will take part in the show. The largest of these is the Brachiosaurus, which stands 36 feet high, and stretches 56 feet from nose to tail. Up to three people are needed to operate each mechanical dinosaur.
More than eight million people have seen the show in 217 cities. Producers of the show spent 20 million dollars producing a mufti-sensory experience. From start to finish, the show will cover 200 million years of history.
"Watch them walk. Hear the roar. Be there as they fight for survival and supremacy. From the ripple of their skin to the glint in their eye, you will know the dinosaurs really are back!" show officials wrote on their website.
The show last toured in 2007. A feathered Tyrannosaurus rex will be the star of this return journey to North America. One of the big updates to the show over its first tour eight years ago is the addition of more feathers and bird-like features. This reflects new knowledge gained in the last few years about similarities between birds and the ancient reptiles. Some dinosaurs may have been covered in a feather-like substance informally called "dinofuzz."
Since Jurassic Park, many people have grown used to the idea of velociraptors and other bird-like species. But, this new show will present audience members with more "traditional" species like Tyrannosaurs, possessing avian features. This presents the idea that in terms of genes and time, T-rex was more closely related to sparrows than the stegosaurus.
"We've decided to bring them up-to-date. I've been going on about feathers for some years now. And now we've finally taken the leap and we're applying the feathers to the dinosaurs we're fairly confident had feathers, Philip Millar, from the show, told the Associated Press.
Walking with Dinosaurs: the Arena Spectacular has announced 22 dates in the United States and Canada. The tour starts in Cleveland, with a show at Quicken Loans Arena on 9 July. New York City is visited by the dinosaurs a week later, at the Barclays Center. Walking with Dinosaurs ends its tour with three California dates. San Jose hosts the show for three days beginning on Christmas, who move to Sacramento for the first four days of the new year. Salt Lake City ends the show, with the last performance scheduled for 11 January 2015.
