The Ballad of Big Al (2000) (TV)

Writers:

Kate Bartlett (written by) and
Michael Olmert (written by)

Release Date:

25 December 2000 (UK)

Genre:

Documentary | Short

Plot:

This new, extra chapter of "Walking with Dinosaurs" (1999) focuses on an allosaurus later discovered in 1999 affectionately called "Big Al"...

Plot Keywords:

Dinosaur | Allosaurus | Dinosaur Bone

Awards:

Won 2 Primetime Emmys. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Kenneth Branagh	...	Narrator (UK version) (voice)
Avery Brooks	...	Narrator (US version) (voice)

Writing credits
Kate Bartlett		(written by) and
Michael Olmert		(written by)

Produced by
Tim Haines	....	animation producer
Mick Kaczorowski	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Ben Bartlett

Film Editing by
Andrew Wilks

Makeup Department
Shaune Harrison	....	sculptor

Production Management
Anna Mishcon	....	production manager
Jackie Williamson	....	unit manager

Art Department
Josh Weston	....	sculptor

Sound Department
Ashley Bates	....	sound editor
Victor Chainey	....	sound editor
Michael Danks	....	sound editor
Simon Gotel	....	sound editor
Michael Keinath	....	sound re-recording mixer
Dave Lezynski	....	sound editor
Joel Reidy	....	sound editor
Andrew Sherriff	....	sound editor

Special Effects by
Jamie Campbell	....	physical effects
Richard Gregory	....	animatronic designer
Jez Harris	....	animatronics supervisor
Lindsay Harris	....	animatronic designer
Stuart Leach	....	animatronic designer
Jason Reed	....	animatronic designer
Tristan Schoonraad	....	animatronic designer
Ty Senior	....	animatronic designer
Colin Shulver	....	key animatronic advisor
Colin Shulver	....	key animatronic designer
Carl Wilson	....	animatronic designer

Visual Effects by
Avtar Bains	....	digital artist
David Booth	....	visual effects supervisor
Will Braithwaite	....	software development
Adam Burnett	....	technical director
Alex Burt	....	animator: Framestore CFC
Darren Byford	....	technical director
Peter Clayton	....	animator
Ben Cronin	....	digital artist
Michael Davis	....	visual effects coordinator
Richard Dexter	....	animator
Theo Facey	....	technical director
Jane Gratkowski	....	technical director
Timothy Greenwood	....	visual effects supervisor (as Tim Greenwood)
Scott Griffin	....	visual effects line producer
Karen Halliwell	....	technical director
Rebekah Hay	....	post production producers
Daren Horley	....	digital artist
Daren Horley	....	dinosaur skin designer
Wayne Howe	....	animator
Sophie Lodge	....	animator
Andy Lomas	....	software development
Martin Macrae	....	dinosaur skin designer
Virgil Manning	....	animation supervisor
David Marsh	....	CG model supervisor: Framestore
Mike Milne	....	director of computer animation
Alex Parkinson	....	software development
Sirio Quintavalle	....	digital artist
Sharon Reed	....	computer animation executive producer
George Roper	....	digital artist
Carlos M. Rosas	....	supervising animator
Pedro Sabrosa	....	digital artist
William Sargent	....	computer animation executive producer
Jane Thomason	....	visual effects coordinator
Sean Varney	....	3D scanning
Fiona Walkinshaw	....	post production producers
Angus Wilson	....	digital artist
Kate Windibank	....	digital artist

Camera and Electrical Department
John Howarth	....	camera operator
Tim Platten	....	camera operator: macro photography
Peter Thorn	....	assistant camera

Editorial Department
Greg Smith	....	additional editor

Other crew
Brent Breithaupt	....	scientific advisor
Adam Britton	....	scientific advisor
Paul Bybee	....	scientific advisor
Ken Carpenter	....	scientific advisor
Paul Chambers	....	researcher
Dan Chure	....	scientific advisor
Alexandria Freeman	....	researcher
Vanessa Fry	....	production secretary
Rebecca Hanna	....	scientific advisor
Paul Ralph	....	production coordinator

Production Companies

• BS Asahi
• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
• Discovery Channel
• Pro 7
• TV Asahi

Distributors

• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
• Discovery Channel
• Warner Bros

Special Effects

• Framestore

Other Companies

• Adelphoi  sound design
• Crawley Creatures and Associates  animatronics

Also Known As:

Runtime:

USA:29 min

Country:

UK

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

UK:PG | Finland:K-7

Filming Locations:

Arizona, USA

Company:

BS Asahi

Trivia:

The Allosaurus got a complete visual make-over for this special. They look much different from their original appearance in the second episode of "Walking with Dinosaurs" (1999).

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The plates of the dead Stegosaurus noticeably bend sideways. Since they are made of bone, this is quite unrealistic.

Movie Connections:

Spin off from "Walking with Dinosaurs" (1999)

Excellent follow-up

This sequel of sorts does the original series proud, with Kenneth Branagh as narrator. As with _Walking With Dinosaurs (1999) (TV)_, the dinos are mostly CGI, with the use of puppetry for close ups.

The advancement of Tim Haines' skill is obvious, with freer moving cameras, highlighted by Al's Fifth Year, in which a pack of allosaurs break up a diplodicus herd to get at a sick member. It's truly exciting, with a rousing score by Ben Bartlett, and excellent motion camerawork.

The discovery of Big Al, the "star" of the show, in 1999 couldn't have come at a better time, coinciding with the debut of _Walking With Dinosaurs (1999) (TV)_ in the U.K. - a follow-up was an obvious choice, especially since Allosaurs made their presence felt in the chapter "Time of the Titans" as well as "Spirits of the Ice Forest". This also gave viewers a chance to see more of Brachiosaurus, which only made a brief cameo in the original series, as well as some dinos not seen, like Apatosaurus.

Later in 2001 will see the debut of Walking with Prehistoric Creatures, and with the high video and aural quality of the Allosaurus special, it's warmly welcomed.

The DVD features an excellent documentary on the discovery of Big Al, and at a retail price of $19.99, getting both Allosaurus and the documentary is a real steal.