Walking with Dinosaurs – The Movie (2013) is an animated adventure film about a young dinosaur named Patchi who was born among a herd of Pachyrhinosaurus. It is a coming of age story that shows Patchi summoning his inner strength to become the leader he was born to be.
Where to watch or stream Walking with Dinosaurs?
You can watch the movie on Amazon, Google Play, and YouTube. It is not currently available on Netflix, Hulu or Disney Plus. Read our recommendations below for alternative dinosaur related movies on these streaming services.
What is the movie about?
Walking with Dinosaurs is an educational family film that was produced by BBC Earth and named after their 1999 award-winning TV documentary series. Unlike the documentary, the movie is fully computer animated and voiced-over by actors. The movie is set in North America in the late Cretaceous period, following the lives of three Pachyrhinosaurus siblings called Patchi, Scowler and Juniper from infancy to adulthood, as they fight to defend their herd from Gorgon, a frightening Gorgosaurus hunter.
Although the movie did not become a box-office hit, it is widely applauded for its paleontological accuracy, referencing the latest discoveries including the existence of feathered dinosaurs and how dinosaurs lived in herd preyed on each other.
The background scenes were filmed in Alaska (US) and New Zealand.
How long is the movie?
The movie is 87 minutes long.
Is Walking with Dinosaurs suitable for young kids?
Walking with Dinosaurs is rated U, which means it is suitable for audiences aged four and above. The story has a similar vibe to The Lion King, whereby a young leader grows up to take his rightful place and assumes responsibilities to protect his kingdom.
The movie is a fantastic opportunity to explore the following themes (both positive and negative) with your children:
- Strength and power
- Determination
- Pride and arrogance
- Sibling rivalry
- Destiny
- Love and forgiveness
- Animal migration
Walking with Dinosaurs – The Original BBC TV series (1999)
Walking with Dinosaurs (The Movie) is actually based (very loosely) on a six-part nature documentary series produced by BBC with the same name that won multiple FASTA, Emmy and Peabody awards. This highly successful series was subsequently turned into a franchise with several TV specials, spin-offs and even theatre shows.
Each episodes is about 30 minutes long.
If this six-part Walking with Dinosaurs – TV series (1999) is what you are after, then you can try watching it for free on the internet’s archive here or on Amazon
Child-friendly remake
We would caution that the documentary is rated PG because it contains scenes of violence which may not be suitable for younger kids.
A re-edited version called Prehistoric Planet was made where more graphic content such as dinosaurs eating each other were removed and some scripts were re-written to suit a younger audience. You can watch Prehistoric Planet on Amazon or watch some of the highlight reels by BBC Earth Kids here:
Walking with Dinosaurs BBC Earth Kids Highlights:
- Biggest Dinosaurs of Them All (5 minutes)
- One of the Largest Animals Ever! (3 minutes)
- How Dinosaurs Shaped the Landscape (3 minutes)