Recently James Gurney, a famous illustrator has written a blog post on substack, about why there is no Dinotopia. His illustrated book about humans living with Dinosaurs. Perhaps the world is not ready for a story on Man and Dinosaurs to co-exist together.

https://jamesgurney.substack.com/p/why-cant-they-make-a-movie-out-of

It’s not easy to create an adaptation of the first two books that preserves the utopian appeal of the world, but also introduces enough conflict to make it work as a three-act drama for adults. If you make it too sweet, it feels corny or preachy; but if you give it too much edge, it feels wrong for Dinotopia.

James Gurney

I always like the world James Gurney presented in his books. but adapting the books into a movie would require a re write. I feel that he is presenting the world rather than telling a story in that world.

Looking at James Gurney background he sounds more like a documentary filmmaker recording what he sees in his imagination through the characters.

Dinotopia presents some formidable challenges to movie or TV adaptation. It lacks a three-act structure. It’s episodic and sprawling, without any strong conflict or peril for the main characters. The illustrated books are not focused on the characters, but on what they see.

James Gurney

TV Series

Now Dinotooia had a TV Mini series by James described it as going into someone else imagination than his own.

But it didn’t have much resemblance to the books, as it was set in another century with all different characters. I saw it only once, at a neighbor’s house, because we didn’t own a TV or any way to play videocassettes. I felt a mixture of emotions: grateful and honored that my books were given such a lavish treatment, but totally detached, as if I was trying to enter someone else’s imaginary world.

The lasting impact of Dinotopia

Now I have only watched a bit of Dinotopia as a kid but it had an impression on me as the anti Jurassic park where humans an dinosaurs lived together rather than getting eaten. It feels more like a world one would like to go to rather than escape from.

Perhaps Dinotopia should be remade as a interactive game for consoles and PC as you can explore the world freely, in an open world environment and not be constrained by three act storytelling.

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