First and foremost, this totally isn’t an April Fool’s joke. It seems that die-hard fans of the Jurassic Park novel almost got one of the book’s most tense scenes but, sadly, it was cut before filming started.
The scene was shared via AintItCool.com from the Jurassic Time YouTube channel, and shows what was planned to adapt the river raft scene from the book. In it, Alan, Lex, and Tim have to sneak past a sleeping Tyrannosaur that’s deep in a much needed post-meal nap. Grant manages to inflate a raft and the three are off on a river adventure to less toothy shores. Although only a storyboard, the tension still remains (likely due to our countless viewings of the film) where we’re left wishing the T-Rex doesn’t wake up. However, because it’s Jurassic Park, no one ever gets an easy win and the Tyrannosaur wakes up after some baffling shit-talking by Lex.
The T-Rex gives chase gives swim? but is thwarted by its one true enemy, the falling tree. Grant and the kids are then in the clear to continue their adventure.
All research into this scene being cut seems to mention cost as the main factor, which is certainly understandable. Combining digital and practical effects in the scale of a T-Rex for a water based scene would have been incredibly expensive and immensely difficult to pull off. Still, probably not as difficult as the river-rafting levels of the Sega Genesis game. This thing was a nightmare.
What are your thoughts on the storyboard scene? Wish it was in the film? Going to send this to the “THE BOOK WAS SO MUCH BETTER” people in your life? Let’s discuss in the comments below!
Images: Jurassic Time | Universal Pictures
