16 Best Dinosaur Movies and Documentaries
Gentle giants, sweet friends, vicious monsters, deadly dragons: even the earliest film depictions of dinosaurs bear witness to our complex relationship with Earth’s prehistoric thunder lizards. Windsor McCay’s mischievous Gertie the Dinosaur (1914) may be stubborn, but she’s unlikely to eat you, and she might even dance if you ask nicely.
Griffith’s Brute Force , also from 1914, doesn’t bother with the distinction between the ages of dinosaurs and humans, a recurring display of willful ignorance. Who doesn’t want to ride a dinosaur? Buster Keaton’s Three Ages introduced more cavemen to the world of dinosaurs, while 1925’s The Lost World truly brought them to the screen. (The latter distinguished between the friendlier-looking vegetarian dinosaurs and their carnivorous cousins, a conceit that was maintained in Jurassic Park and beyond.) There’s a great deal of variety in the dinosaur-in-movie genre, with films featuring dinosaur cops, robot dinosaurs, and any number of completely fictional dinosaur-like creatures. Ahead of the release of Jurassic World: Resurgence , the seventh film in this decidedly not-extinct franchise, let’s take a look at other cinematic depictions of dinosaurs that don’t have “Jurassic” in their titles.
The Lost World (1925)
Not the first dinosaur movie in cinema history, but the first to be completely stunning in terms of story and special effects, with stop-motion animation from Willis O’Brien, who would work even greater magic eight years later with King Kong . In the film, which is closely based on the novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (who has a cameo), Professor Challenger (Wallace Beery) and company travel to a South American plateau cut off from the rest of the world and the passage of time, preserving a wide range of dinosaurs from the Cretaceous and Jurassic periods (pteranodons, brontosauruses, tyrannosaurs, allosauruses and a triceratops or two coexist on the nearly inaccessible plateau alongside ancient human species). As with Kong , the real trouble begins when scientists try to return the specimen to a modern city; in this case, London. You can stream the 1925 version of The Lost World on Tubi , Kanopy, and MGM+, or rent it on Prime Video .
Walking with Dinosaurs (1999, 2025)
Even 25 years later, the original Walking with Dinosaurs remains the gold standard of dinosaur documentaries, its main innovation being that it relies on the formula established for live-action nature shows to let us observe long-extinct (computer-generated) creatures in the wild. While much of the science has been replaced (and some was speculative even at the time), the series remains watchable because of the way it creates narratives around individual dinosaurs. (Take the second episode, which follows a female diplodocus from hatching on.) The result is something more gripping and compelling than the average dinosaur documentary, with expensive visuals that hold up reasonably well. The 2025 reboot uses a similar format, but splits time between digital reconstructions and modern-day segments with paleontologists. The results are mixed: It’s nice to see real scientists get screen time, but the cuts between past and present take you out of the narrative. Still, advances in technology since 1999 make the live-action dinosaur segments even more stunning. You can buy the original Walking with Dinosaurs on Prime Video here , and find the new series here .
The Land Before Time (1988)
The focus of Don Bluth’s gorgeously animated journey to the time of dinosaurs isn’t on terrifying, or even awe-inspiring, but on reimagining the prehistoric world from a child’s perspective. Sweet but not without its moments of tragedy, it’s a brisk and charming journey into the past. The series (with 13 sequels and a short-lived TV show) declines quickly in quality, so you could be forgiven for simply watching this one and calling it a day. You can rent The Land Before Time on Prime Video .
Prehistoric Planet (2022-2023, ten parts)
The indefatigable David Attenborough (96 at the time of filming) hasn’t slowed down one bit, with two films out this year and a new series, Blue Planet. The natural historian’s late brother, actor/director Richard Attenborough is probably best known to modern audiences as Jurassic Park ’s John Hammond, which gives David’s dinosaur-themed projects an extra edge, especially with Jurassic Park/World returning to cinemas. He’s in fine form in this effects-heavy Apple TV+ series, narrating a series of vignettes about the creatures (large and small) that roamed Earth during the Late Cretaceous Period, some 66 million years ago. It was the BBC’s first major dinosaur series in more than a decade, and it provides a much-welcome update on both the science (check out those feathered velociraptors) and the visual effects. You can stream Prehistoric Planet on Apple TV+ .
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953)
Stepping as far away from documentary as possible, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms stars Rhedosaurus, a completely fictional dinosaur born almost entirely from the imagination of the great special effects pioneer Ray Harryhausen. Based on a Ray Bradbury short story, its success helped inspire a wave of 1950s monster movies, but The Beast (for all its urban action) is far more serious than most of its later imitators, at least making nods to scientific accuracy and treating its atomic blast origin story as more than just a formality. You can grab The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms on Prime Video .
Planet of the Dinosaurs (2011, six parts)
While the film mostly focuses on the late Cretaceous period, Planet Dinosaur jumps around in time (which is 75 million years, give or take, when it comes to dinosaurs), highlighting ancient life in different parts of the globe and creating a sense of place by examining the various dinosaurs living in different places on Earth and their (very roughly) modern equivalents. Dozens of species appear on screen, with segments focusing on far-flung locations like Egypt, Madagascar, Svalbard, and Oklahoma. You can buy Planet Dinosaur on Prime Video .
The Good Dinosaur (2015)
The film opens with the asteroid that would have formed the Chicxulub crater and marked the end of the age of dinosaurs safely flying past Earth. From there, an alternate history unfolds, imagining a world where land-dwelling dinosaurs are stranded, telling the story of an Apatosaurus named Arlo who meets a human friend on his way home. Pixar’s beautiful animation and photorealistic sets are highlights, but the real joy is in exploring the idea of humans and dinosaurs interacting — one of the great “what ifs” of geological history and the entire raison d’être of the Jurassic Park / World series. It’s far from the best film in the Pixar canon, but it’s far better than its reputation as the studio’s first flop. You can stream The Good Dinosaur on Disney+ or rent it on Prime Video .
Dinosaur 13 (2014)
What’s new about “Dinosaur 13” is that it eschews the big picture, so to speak, in favor of focusing on one specific fossil: in this case, “Sue,” the largest, most complete Tyrannosaurus rex fossil ever found before its 1990 discovery in the South Dakota Badlands. Unlike the earlier documentary, “13” is more interested in the complexities of archaeological research than just the science: the fossil was confiscated by the federal government shortly after its discovery, leading to a decade-long battle involving the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the FBI, and the owner of the land where Sue was found. It’s a fascinating look at the moment when scientific discovery collides with politics and culture. You can stream “Dinosaur 13” on Tubi and Prime Video with ads .
Gwangi Valley (1969)
This weird Western finds the crew of a struggling rodeo show circa 1900, led by TJ (Gila Golan), hoping for a breakthrough; they find it, sort of, when they stumble upon a tiny horse that a paleontologist, rather fortunately, confirms belongs to a long (long) extinct species: Eohippus, to be precise, thought to have been extinct since the early Eocene, some 50 million years ago. Deciding that there might be more such wonders in the mysterious valley, TJ and company set out in search of wonders, encountering, among other things, a Cretaceous pteranodon and a styracosaurus, as well as Gwangi himself, a vicious Jurassic allosaurus. It’s all incredibly silly, but very entertaining, and Ray Harryhausen is at the peak of his dinosaur animation powers. You can stream The Valley of Gwangi on Prime Video .
Nova: Dinosaur Apocalypse (2022)
Another David Attenborough collaboration, the Nova special looks at the events surrounding the asteroid impact that (likely) helped wipe out the dinosaurs. This very recent special (just last month) features the latest scientific research, focusing on well-preserved fossils that speak directly to the impact and provide new clues about one of the most fateful days in Earth’s history. You can stream Dinosaur Apocalypse on PBS or buy it on Prime Video .
Journey to the Beginning of Time (1955)
A charming travelogue by legendary Czech director Karel Zeman, this film combines life-size models with puppetry and stop-motion animation to follow a group of children as they embark on a journey down a literal “river of time,” sending them back through natural history until they eventually encounter (and are menaced by) various dinosaurs, including a stegosaurus and a very impressive terror bird, the phorusrhacosis (please don’t ask me to pronounce that). The film was intended to be educational as well as entertaining, and uses the best science of the time. A re-dubbed, partially re-shot American version is available on YouTube, but it’s nowhere near as good as the original version. You can stream Journey to the Beginning of Time on The Criterion Channel .
Dinosaur (2000)
Its story of an orphaned iguanodon adopted by lemurs is fairly typical Disney fare, and its mix of tragedy and cuteness can often be jarring, but Dinosaur is still an impressively animated adventure that vividly imagines a late Cretaceous world populated by friendly ankylosaurs, styracosaurs, and brachiosaurs, all hunted by fearsome carnotaurus and our old friends the velociraptors. Disney expected big things from this film, but Walking with Dinosaurs beat it to the punch by a year, and it ended up barely making a profit after its DVD release. You can stream Dinosaur on Disney+ or rent it on Prime Video .
Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008)
The 1959 version is fine, but this slightly sentimental remake from Brendan Fraser is pretty delightful, especially since it’s clearly aimed at kids. Fraser plays volcanologist Trevor Anderson, who ends up stuck watching his nephew (Josh Hutcherson) explore the idea that Verne’s famous novel wasn’t so much a work of fiction as a travel journal about the author’s journey into the hollow earth. From there, it’s all bright, colorful action, but with the surprisingly sweet center that Fraser brings to these kinds of movies. Plus, the climactic showdown makes T. rex movies even better, bringing an even bigger, newly discovered Giganotosaurus to the forefront. You can rent Journey to the Center of the Earth on Prime Video .
The Lost World (2001)
Another adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle’s adventures (there have been several, not counting the unrelated Jurassic Park sequel), this BBC family version is broadly faithful to Doyle’s tale of a modern(ish) expedition to an isolated plateau inhabited by an isolated community of creatures that have long since gone extinct elsewhere. The lengthy film (it’s sometimes aired as a miniseries) develops its characters quite well, includes some genuinely gripping scenes, and cleverly expands on Doyle’s thesis that we should, as much as possible, leave nature to do its thing without human interference. The great Bob Hoskins plays Professor Challenger, and he’s joined by James Fox, Peter Falk, Matthew Rhys, Tom Ward, and Elaine Cassidy. You can stream The Lost World on Prime Video.
Life on Our Planet (2023)
Steven Spielberg has created this high-quality nature series, narrated by Morgan Freeman, covering the history of life on Earth from the very beginning, using a mix of CGI and live action. It’s not all dinosaurs, of course, but given their long reign, it’s no surprise that they figure heavily here: of the eight episodes, they feature prominently in half, their coming dominance first hinted at in the third episode. As with many of these prestige projects, scientific rigour gives way to a general sense of awe – but it’s very effective in these terms, and the live-action footage blends almost seamlessly with the digital recreations. You can stream A Life on Our Planet onNetflix .
Tammy and the T-Rex (1994)
Is Tammy and the T-Rex a cinematic masterpiece? Uh, no. But does it have dinosaurs in it? … also no, technically not. It’s a cheesy cult horror comedy about a giant robot T-Rex that was made because writer/director Stuart Raffill had access to an animatronic dinosaur for a couple of weeks . Denise Crosby plays cheerleader Tammy, whose new boyfriend Michael (Paul Walker, in his first starring role) has trouble with the bullies – to the point that they throw him into an actual lion’s den at the animal park, where he’s promptly mauled. Enter Terry Kiser as mad scientist Dr. Gunther Wachenstein, who, like the director of the movie we’re watching, has an impressive robot T-Rex (for some reason) that needs a brain. Once Michael has a dinosaur body, he gets into a bloody fight, but is only saved by the power of love and a well-timed striptease. I’m not sure any of it is terribly scientific, but the titular dinosaur is pretty impressive, especially considering the film’s very low budget. You can stream Tammy and the T-Rex on Peacock and Kanopy.