Warning: SPOILERS for Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous Season 5
Now that Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous has ended, it’s startling that Netflix’s animated spinoff was never mentioned in Jurassic World Dominion, but there are reasons why that decision was ultimately made. In Camp Cretaceous season 5, the teenage Campers dubbed “the Nublar Six” fight to stop the plans of Mantah Corp’s CEO, Daniel Kon (Andrew Kishino), who is also the father of Kenji (Ryan Potter). Mantah Corp sold their technology to remotely control dinosaurs to Dr. Lewis Dodgson (voiced by Andrew Harrington) and BioSyn. The Nublar Six made one last stand to protect the Mantah Corp Island’s dinosaurs and finally get rescued.
Camp Cretaceous ingeniously tied into the Jurassic World movies throughout its five-season run on Netflix. Camp Cretaceous season 1 happened before, during, and immediately after the events of Jurassic World in 2015, while season 2 showed the aftermath of the Campers surviving on Isla Nublar after the dinosaurs took over the island. Camp Cretaceous season 3 jumped ahead six months to line up with the prologue of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, when the Mosasaurus escaped the island. After finally getting away from Isla Nublar, the teenage heroes were marooned on Mantah Corp Island at the start of Camp Cretaceous season 4. The final two seasons of Camp Cretaceous actually set up several key plot points for Jurassic World Dominion, including answering how Dodgson (Cambell Scott) had the Barbasol shaving cream can his younger self gave to the late Dennis Nedry (Wayne Knight) in Jurassic Park back in 1993.
For audiences who have followed the adventures of the Nublar Six, it was disappointing that there was no mention of Camp Cretaceous in Jurassic World Dominion. However, it’s not surprising. In-universe, Dominion happens four years after the end of Fallen Kingdom, which is also when the epilogue of Camp Cretaceous takes place. The Nublar Six’s ordeal has long since been behind them and some of the kids are now of college age. In addition, because many of the Camp Cretaceous cast don’t resemble their animated characters in real life, it would have been difficult to have them cameo in Jurassic World Dominion. Ultimately, Biosyn using Mantah Corp’s dinosaur controlling tech wasn’t significantly important to the movie’s main story, but more of a backdrop. Finally, Dominion‘s focus was on Jurassic Park‘s legacy characters like Alan Grant (Sam Neill) meeting Jurassic World‘s main heroes like Owen Grady (Chris Pratt). While they all knew of each other, none of them had any knowledge of or interaction with Camp Cretaceous‘ Nublar Six.
Camp Cretaceous Completes The Jurassic World Saga
However, Camp Cretaceous truly completes the Jurassic World saga. The adventures of Darius (Paul-Mikél Williams), Brooklynn (Jenna Ortega), Sammy (Raini Rodriguez), Yasmina (Kausar Mohammed), Ben (Sean Giambrone), and Kenji is the best long-form story the Jurassic franchise has ever told. Camp Cretaceous deepened the saga’s understanding and regard for dinosaurs, as the kids gradually went from fearing the prehistoric beasts to caring and taking responsibility for the dinos as their protectors. Intriguing cameos by Dr. Henry Wu (voiced by Greg Chun) and Lewis Dodgson revealed new aspects of those Jurassic Park legacy characters. Numerous Easter eggs and smart references to the Jurassic movies also allowed Camp Cretaceous to make use of iconic dinos like the Spinosaurus and the original T-Rex while also introducing beloved new dinosaurs like Bumpy, Ben’s pet ankylosaurus.
While Camp Cretaceous isn’t necessary to understand the events of the Jurassic World movies, Netflix’s animated series enriches the entire saga. The Nublar Six are easily the best young characters in the franchise, impeccably voiced by the stellar cast. Camp Cretaceous also communicates the core Jurassic theme – a genuine love of and respect for dinosaurs – that has gotten lost in the Jurassic World movies, especially Dominion, which wasn’t really about the dinosaurs as much as saving the world from BioSyn’s prehistoric insect plague. Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous may be a supplement to the movies but the show also proudly stands on its own as a worthy achievement, even if Jurassic World Dominion never mentioned the Nublar Six existed.
All episodes of Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous are available to stream on Netflix.
