Jurassic War (TV series)

Did You Know?

• The DVD menu in Russia featured a 35-second hip hop remix of the series' theme song on loop.
• The series was released on Video CD in Malaysia with Indonesian subtitles by Dragon AV.
• In 2005, the rights were reserved by Insomnia World Sales.

Plot

On the continent of Gonduwa, elves and dinosaurs live in tribes. The wizard Ferox, learning that archmage Terra is critically ill, uses black magic to brainwash the elves. To lift the curse, Niu must find the Papo Spring on the legendary Guria Island. Guided by a map from Terra, she travels with the clumsy guardian spirit Imp and the silent boy Zar. Niu collects sacred elemental relics from dinosaur tribes, but Ferox steals them, sparking war among the tribes. Niu eventually defeats Ferox, locates the Papo Spring, and restores peace to Gonduwa.

Characters

Niu, voiced by Deok-hee Choi, is the daughter of Elf chieftain Zilia. She is arrogant and bossy due to her royal blood, prone to sulking and emotional swings, yet cheerful and tomboyish. She has a spiritual connection with nature and uses magic, but must learn humility and respect to save her tribe. Imp, voiced by Seon-ju Lee, is a cowardly, clumsy dinosaur and Zilia's guardian spirit.

He laments having to follow Niu's orders unconditionally but remains faithful. Kind-hearted and indecisive, he can transform but is not in perfect form, which discourages him. Zar, voiced by Yoon Sung-hae, is an amnesiac warrior and heir to the Canus tribe. Originally talkative, amnesia has rendered him nearly mute.

He gets along with Imp and secretly likes Niu, hiding his feelings through silence. He is a genius martial artist who acts as bodyguard for Niu and Imp. Ferox, voiced by Park Ji-hoon, is an elf wizard who tried to brainwash the Elf tribe. After being defeated, he seeks the Papo Spring with the Demon tribe to conquer the world.

Cruel and mean-spirited, he constantly harasses the trio but is sometimes stupid enough to fall for his own tricks. Unable to learn white magic due to his innate character, he secretly studied black magic, whose side effects aged him.

Production

Jurassic War was loosely based on Jurassic War 2, a 2001 real-time strategy game with role-playing elements. It was produced between 2001 and 2002 by RG Prince France and Raon Pictures, with direction by Lee Ki-young and Regis Ghezelbash. A total of 2.5 billion won was invested by Raon, RG Prince France, WizardSoft, and YB Partner; WizardSoft contributed 12% and RG Prince France 25%, while Raon handled production.

Broadcast

The series aired on Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation on Wednesdays at 4:30 pm from September 11 to December 4, 2002, and on Thursdays at 4:30 pm from May 28 to August 20, 2003. It received positive reviews. After the third episode, Raon Pictures introduced the series to American distributor Moonlight and AB Production, who secured contracts for U.S. and Canadian television distribution. It also aired on Arirang TV and Tooniverse.