Prehistoric Planet

For other uses, see Prehistoric Planet (disambiguation).

Prehistoric Planet is a nature documentary television series about dinosaurs, that premiered on Apple TV+ beginning May 23, 2022. It is produced by the BBC Studios Natural History Unit, with Jon Favreau as showrunner, visual effects by The Moving Picture Company, and narration by natural historian Sir David Attenborough.^[1] The documentary follows dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals recreated with computer-generated imagery, living around the globe in the Late Cretaceous period 66 million years ago (Maastrichtian), just before the non-avian dinosaurs' extinction. It set out to depict prehistoric life using current palaeontological research by including accurately feathered dinosaurs, and speculative animal behaviour.^[2]

Prehistoric Planet
Genre	Nature documentary
Narrated by	Sir David Attenborough
Theme music composer	Hans Zimmer Andrew James Christie
Composers	Hans Zimmer Anže Rozman Kara Talve
Country of origin	United States United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	10
Production
Executive producers	Jon Favreau Mike Gunton
Running time	37–46 minutes
Production companies	BBC Studios Natural History Unit Golem Creations
Original release
Network	Apple TV+
Release	May 23, 2022 (2022-05-23) – May 26, 2023 (2023-05-26)

Hans Zimmer, Kara Talve, and Anže Rozman composed the soundtrack. It is the first major dinosaur-focused documentary series produced by the BBC since Planet Dinosaur in 2011, and the third overall.^[3][4][5] Prehistoric Planet received critical acclaim for its visual effects, depiction of dinosaurs, and Attenborough's narration.

Plot

A documentary that follows dinosaurs recreated with computer-generated imagery living around the globe in the final part of the Cretaceous period, 66 million years ago. It set out to depict dinosaurs using current palaeontological research such as feathered dinosaurs like dromaeosaurs and small, feathered dinosaurs.

Production

According to palaeontologist and consultant Steve Brusatte, the series had been in development "a decade" prior to its trailer release.^[6] On May 8, 2019, it was first reported by Deadline that Apple had ordered a new documentary series by BBC Studios titled Prehistoric Planet, to be executively produced by Jon Favreau.^[7] An original score was composed by Kara Talve, Anže Rozman and Hans Zimmer.^[8]

The series uses up-to-date palaeontological research to depict its animals of the Cretaceous with scientific rigour; for example, feathered dinosaurs are featured in the series, such as juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex.^[8] Palaeozoologist Darren Naish was the lead consultant for the depictions of prehistoric life in the series.^[9] The storyboarding (using scripts and synopses by BBC NHU), concept art and creature designs were created by Jellyfish Pictures,^[10] while computer-generated imagery was developed by The Moving Picture Company and intended to be photorealistic, as with their previous productions The Jungle Book (2016) and The Lion King (2019).^[2]

After its release, the series consultants other than Darren Naish were revealed to be Steve Brusatte, Alexander Farnsworth, Kiersten Formoso, Michael Habib, Scott Hartman, John R. Hutchinson, Luke Muscutt, Peter Skelton, Robert Spicer, Paul Valdes and Mark Witton.^[11] David Krentz, the director of Dinosaur Revolution and character designer on Disney's Dinosaur, was also revealed to have been involved in the creature development and design.^[12]

In March 2023, Apple renewed the series for a second season, which began airing on May 22, 2023.^[13] A spin-off, called Prehistoric Planet Immersive which features Apple Vision Pro, began airing on February 2, 2024.^[14] A sequel series about the Pleistocene megafauna, called Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age and narrated by Tom Hiddleston with computer-generated imagery handled by Framestore, will begin airing on November 26, 2025.^[15]

Marketing

A first sneak peek was posted to the official Apple TV+ YouTube channel on April 2, 2022, along with a trailer, with a May 23 airdate set for the first episode.^[16] A ten-second teaser was released on April 19, 2022, followed by an official trailer the following day.^[17] A second trailer was released on May 19, 2022, in the lead up to the show's premiere.^[18]

The teaser of the second season was uploaded to the official Apple TV+ YouTube channel on April 18, 2023.^[19] The official trailer was released on May 2, 2023.^[20]

Episodes

Season	Episodes		Originally released
			First released	Last released
1	5		May 23, 2022 (2022-05-23)	May 27, 2022 (2022-05-27)
2	5		May 22, 2023 (2023-05-22)	May 26, 2023 (2023-05-26)

Season 1 (2022)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
1	1	"Coasts"	Adam Valdez	Paul D. Stewart	May 23, 2022 (2022-05-23)
A father Tyrannosaurus and his offspring swim across a perilous seaway to feed on a dead protostegid turtle. Baby Alcione take their first flight through a gauntlet of predatory Barbaridactylus, while other species of pterosaurs congregate on the shores below. Dozens of Tuarangisaurus travel to a bay in search of gastroliths. A male Mosasaurus is cleaned by reef denizens and defends his territory from a younger rival. Scaphitid ammonites perform an elaborate mating display. A pregnant Tuarangisaurus is targeted by a Kaikaifilu and protected by her pod, after which she gives birth to a healthy baby.
2	2	"Deserts"	Andrew R. Jones, Adam Valdez	Dom Walter	May 24, 2022 (2022-05-24)
Several male Dreadnoughtus clash for the right to mate. A pair of lizards hunt for flies among a group of sleeping Tarbosaurus, but are interrupted by a pair of Velociraptor. A Mononykus forages for termites and investigates new food options after a rainstorm. Several species of Asian dinosaurs congregate around a watering hole. Male Barbaridactylus compete for females atop a remote plateau. A herd of Secernosaurus brave the harsh gypsum dunes in search of nourishment.
3	3	"Freshwater"	Andrew R. Jones	Paul Thompson	May 25, 2022 (2022-05-25)
A trio of Velociraptor hunt juvenile pterosaurs near a waterfall. An old, battle-scarred male Tyrannosaurus nurses his wounds and encounters a three-year younger female. A Deinocheirus seeks relief from biting flies by scratching his body on a tree. A female Quetzalcoatlus builds and guards her nest. A mother Masiakasaurus and her family hunt crabs but one of her hatchlings is ambushed by a Beelzebufo. Some elasmosaurs enter an estuary in search of fish.
4	4	"Ice Worlds"	Adam Valdez	Simon Bell	May 26, 2022 (2022-05-26)
A pack of Dromaeosaurus stalks a herd of Edmontosaurus as they cross a freezing river. Male Ornithomimus raid rivals' nests to bolster their own. A herd of Olorotitan raise their offspring on fertile volcanic fields but contend with biting mosquitoes. A troodontid flushes out Cimolodon[21] by spreading a forest fire. A juvenile Antarctopelta scours the forest for a new winter den. A Pachyrhinosaurus herd stands off against a pack of Nanuqsaurus.
5	5	"Forests"	Andrew R. Jones, Adam Valdez	Matthew Wright	May 27, 2022 (2022-05-27)
Austroposeidon herds level trees in search of fresh foliage. A herd of Triceratops journey through a cave to find an underground clay lick. A male Carnotaurus sets the stage for an elaborate display. A female Qianzhousaurus hunts a flock of Corythoraptor in an autumn storm. A family of Edmontosaurus evade a forest fire, while an Atrociraptor and an ankylosaur reap their rewards. A group of juvenile Therizinosaurus attempt to climb a tree and feed on honey from a beehive. A Hatzegopteryx is shown preying on juvenile Zalmoxes.

Season 2 (2023)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
6	1	"Islands"	Andrew R. Jones	Paul D. Stewart	May 22, 2023 (2023-05-22)
After a tropical storm, two Zalmoxes find themselves in a rafting event. Several Hatzegopteryx ambush a herd of Tethyshadros. A female Majungasaurus hunts Simosuchus. Nearby, a mother Adalatherium raises her offspring in a burrow, hoping to keep them safe from predators like Masiakasaurus and Madtsoia. A pack of Imperobator pursue a Morrosaurus onto a frozen lake. A male Hatzegopteryx attempts to attract a mate.
7	2	"Badlands"	Andrew R. Jones, Adam Valdez	Nick Lyon	May 23, 2023 (2023-05-23)
Several female Isisaurus traverse the Deccan Traps to reach their nesting site. A mixed herd of sauropods and Prenocephale navigate a maze of canyons, but are ambushed by a pack of Velociraptor and a trio of Tarbosaurus. A colony of male Corythoraptor protect their eggs from the scorching sun by day and a female Kuru kulla at night, who has offspring of her own. A pair of juvenile Tarchia locate a desert oasis, but contend with an adult. Several Isisaurus hatchlings fall prey to Rajasaurus in an attempt to reach their ancestral home.
8	3	"Swamps"	Krzysztof Szczepanski	Alec Ginns	May 24, 2023 (2023-05-24)
Pterosaur hatchlings take flight to leave their island sanctuary, but are targeted by Shamosuchus. Several Austroraptor hunt garfish and contend with the best fishing spots. A male Beelzebufo tries to attract a mate while a herd of Rapetosaurus take a mudbath in his pond. A male Pachycephalosaurus must put an upstart youngster in his place. Two Tyrannosaurus brothers hunt Edmontosaurus under the cover of darkness.
9	4	"Oceans"	Adam Valdez	Amber Cherry Eames	May 25, 2023 (2023-05-25)
A female Phosphorosaurus hunts lanternfish under the ocean's moonlit surface. A group of Hesperornis hunt for fish until they themselves are hunted by a Xiphactinus. Nostoceras hatchlings are at the mercy of tides and juvenile Pyroraptor. A Mosasaurus hunts a group of Tuarangisaurus. The young Nostoceras that survived find themselves among Baculites and Diplomoceras in their new seagrass meadow home. A pod of Morturneria sift the muddy seabed of Antarctica in search of food.
10	5	"North America"	Andrew R. Jones	Paul Thompson	May 26, 2023 (2023-05-26)
A Tyrannosaurus and two Quetzalcoatlus fight over an Alamosaurus carcass. A shoal of Sphenodiscus are ambushed by a Globidens, intent on surplus killing them. At an evaporating lake, juvenile Pectinodon hunt flies while their father hunts Styginetta. Male Triceratops fight and display for the right to mate. A female Nanuqsaurus hunts Ornithomimus to feed herself and her offspring.

Immersive (2024)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
1	1	"Pterosaur Beach"	Andrew R. Jones	Unknown	February 2, 2024 (2024-02-02)
2	2	"Triceratops Forest"	Andrew R. Jones	Unknown	April 19, 2024 (2024-04-19)

Reception

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 8.4/10, based on 31 reviews for the first season. The website's critics consensus reads, "Marrying state of the art visual effects with equally immersive narration by David Attenborough, Prehistoric Planet wondrously brings viewers back to the age of dinosaurs."^[22] The second season has an approval rating of 83% with an average rating of 7/10, based on 6 reviews.^[23] On Metacritic, the series has a weighted average score of 85 out of 100, based on 8 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".^[24]

Accolades

Year	Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result	Ref.
2022	Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards	Best Streaming Docuseries or Non-Fiction Series	Prehistoric Planet	Nominated	[25]
	Television Critics Association Awards	Outstanding Achievement in News and Information		Nominated	[26][27]
	Cinema Eye Honours	Outstanding Anthology Series		Nominated	[28]
	Hollywood Music in Media Awards	Original Song/Score — Documentary Series - TV/Digital	Anze Rozman, Kara Talve, Hans Zimmer	Won	[29][30]
	Televisual Bulldog Awards	Best VFX	Prehistoric Planet	Won	[31]
	Broadcast Tech Innovation Awards	Best VFX Project	MPC	Won	[32]
2023	Annie Awards	Best Animated Special Production	Prehistoric Planet	Nominated	[33]
		Outstanding Achievement for Animated Effects in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production	"Coasts"	Nominated
	Visual Effects Society Awards	Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode	"Ice Worlds" – Lindsay McFarlane, Fay Hancocks, Elliot Newman, Kirstin Hall	Nominated	[34][35]
		Outstanding Virtual Cinematography in a CG Project	Daniel Fotheringham, Krzysztof Szczepanski, Wei-Chuan Hsu, Claire Hill	Nominated
	Critics' Choice Real TV Awards	Best Animal/Nature Show	Prehistoric Planet	Nominated	[36]
2024	Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards	Outstanding Music Composition for a Documentary Series or Special (Original Dramatic Score)	Hans Zimmer, Anže Rozman, Kara Talve (for "Badlands")	Nominated	[37]
	Astra Creative Arts TV Awards	Best Streaming Nonfiction Series	Prehistoric Planet	Nominated	[38]