Jurassic World: Chaos Theory Explained

Jurassic World: Chaos Theory is an American science fiction action-adventure animated television series on Netflix and is the second television series in the Jurassic Park franchise. It serves as a direct sequel to Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous (2020–2022), and takes place between the events of the films (2018) and Jurassic World Dominion (2022). Aaron Hammersley and Scott Kreamer serve as showrunners and executive produce the series along with Steven Spielberg, Colin Trevorrow, and Frank Marshall. It features Paul-Mikél Williams, Sean Giambrone, Kausar Mohammed and Raini Rodriguez reprising their voice roles from Camp Cretaceous, with Darren Barnet and Kiersten Kelly joining the main cast.

The first season premiered on May 24, 2024,^{[1] [2]} followed by a second season on October 17, 2024.

Premise

Six years after Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous, members of "The Nublar Six" reunite and find themselves on an adventure to unravel a conspiracy that threatens dinosaurs and humankind alike and learn the truth about what happened to one of their own.^[3]

Voice cast and characters

Main

• Paul-Mikél Williams as Darius Bowman, a member of the Nublar Six and a dinosaur fanatic who aids the Department of Prehistoric Wildlife (DPW) in capturing and protecting dinosaurs
• Darren Barnet as Kenji Kon, a member of the Nublar Six and Darius' adoptive brother who is a skilled climbing instructor.^[4] Barnet replaces Ryan Potter who previously voiced the character on Camp Cretaceous.
• Sean Giambrone as Ben Pincus, a member of the Nublar Six who became a conspiracy theorist after discovering that his friends are in danger and attempts to bring them back together
• Kausar Mohammed as Yasmina "Yaz" Fadoula, a member of the Nublar Six who is recovering from severe PTSD while attending college following her encounters with dinosaurs on Isla Nublar
• Raini Rodriguez as Sammy Gutierrez, a member of the Nublar Six and Yaz's girlfriend who runs her family's ranch
• Kiersten Kelly as Brooklynn (season 2; recurring season 1), a member of the Nublar Six and Kenji's ex-girlfriend who is presumed to have been killed by an Allosaurus under suspicious circumstances while conducting an investigation. Kelly replaces Jenna Ortega who previously voiced the character on Camp Cretaceous.

Recurring

• Sumalee Montano as The Handler (season 1; guest season 2), a woman hired to kill the Nublar Six using a trio of Atrociraptors under her control
• Eugene Cordero as Mateo (season 1), a DPW truck driver who aids the Nublar Six
• Steve Blum as Jensen (season 1; guest season 2), a corrupt DPW officer who illegally transports dinosaurs to sell on the black market
  • Blum also voices Carl (guest season 1), Sammy's ill tempered neighbor, who has a strong hatred for dinosaurs
• Philip Anthony-Rodriguez as Dudley Cabrera (season 1), a corrupt DPW regional director
• Carmen Moore as Ronnie (season 2; guest season 1), a DPW sergeant, paleo-vet, and Darius' former boss. She is revealed to be the person who saved Brooklynn's life on the night of the attack.
• Anaiya Asomugha as Zayna Mballo (season 2), a teenage girl who lives on a rice farm with her parents in Senegal
• Cherise Boothe as Aminata Mballo (season 2), Zayna's mother who runs their family farm
• Dichen Lachman as Soyona Santos / The Broker (season 2), the leader of an illegal dinosaur trafficking ring who runs international black market operations that involve cloning and weaponizing dinosaurs. Lachman reprises her role from Jurassic World Dominion.

Guest

• Benjamin Flores Jr. as Brandon Bowman (season 1), Darius' older brother. Flores reprises his role from Camp Cretaceous.
• Alan Trinca as Mike (season 1), a DPW trainee and Ronnie's partner
• Brock Powell as Mo (season 1), a gas station attendant in Texas
• Andrew Kishino as Daniel Kon, Kenji's estranged father and the former president of Mantah Corp who was placed under house arrest after his crimes were exposed by the Nublar Six. Kishino reprises his role from Camp Cretaceous.
• Luis Bermudez as Bobby Nublar (season 1), the proprietor of a dinosaur-themed roadside attraction
• Chris Jai Alex as Jared (season 1), a corrupt DPW officer working with Jensen
• Stephen Fu as Captain Lang (season 2), the ship captain of a cargo ship who smuggles dinosaurs out of North America for the Broker
• Gideon Emery as Sullivan (season 2), the first mate onboard Lang's ship
• Skyler Gisondo as Earnest (season 2), the leader of Dinosaur Liberation Now (DLN), a group of vigilantes who set captive dinosaurs free
• Samba Schutte as Ousmane Mballo (season 2), Zayna's father, who works away from his family's farm
• Ike Amadi as Dr. Sarr (season 2), the head of a secret dinosaur cloning facility in Senegal who works for the Broker

Notable dinosaurs that appear in the series include a blind-eyed Allosaurus that is responsible for Brooklynn's suspected death; the quartet of trained Atrociraptors Ghost, Panthera, Tiger, and Red who were first introduced in Jurassic World Dominion; Major, a Majungasaurus held captive on Captain Lang's cargo ship; Geba, a Gallimimus who lives on the Mballo family farm; Gordon, a one-legged Compsognathus under Ronnie's care, and a blind leucistic Baryonyx with a hyperacute sense of hearing created by Dr. Sarr. Additionally, Bumpy, an Ankylosaurus with an asymmetrical face who befriended Ben, and Big Eatie, a mother Tyrannosaurus rex from Mantah Corp Island, were first introduced in Camp Cretaceous.

Episodes

Season 2 (2024)

Production

Development

As Camp Cretaceous finished production, executives at DreamWorks Animation Television and Netflix were interested in developing a follow-up. While Camp Cretaceous showrunner Scott Kreamer initially turned down the offer, he decided to work on a second series after he and co-showrunner Aaron Hammersley were given "an early rundown" of the film Jurassic World Dominion (2022), which inspired him to create a direct sequel starring older versions of the Camp Cretaceous cast in the vein of the later Harry Potter films.^{[5] [6]} After deciding to work on the series, they reunited with story editor Bethany Armstrong Johnson to conceive the story for the series.

In November 2023, at Netflix's Geeked Week virtual event, the follow up titled Jurassic World: Chaos Theory was announced. In June 2024, Netflix announced a second season of the series.

Writing

The series is set shortly before the events of Jurassic World Dominion. Kreamer was intrigued by the world depicted in the film, in which dinosaurs have established themselves on the mainland, and wanted to explore "what does that look like for an everyday person?" The producers also wanted to emphasize the characters now being older and "at that uncertain age where one is trying to figure out who they are and where they fit in the world," while facing their trauma, the proliferation of dinosaurs on the mainland, and a recent loss. The writers also made the show a conspiracy thriller in contrast to the more adventurous tone of Camp Cretaceous.

The series starts with the assumed death of Brooklynn, which the showrunners wrote into the story in response to criticism that Camp Cretaceous didn't put its main characters in enough danger. The series introduces holographic immersion technology that serves as "a great way to expose people to their fears [of dinosaurs] without having to face them up close and personal". The main intention of including this aspect was to explore Yaz's post-traumatic stress disorder from her time on Isla Nublar and how she copes with it as dinosaurs enter the mainland. The showrunners also established Yaz as having studied psychology because they liked the idea of her using the immersion technology to "help herself and others".

Casting

In November 2023, alongside the announcement of the series, Paul-Mikél Williams was confirmed to reprise his role from Camp Cretaceous as Darius Bowman. In March 2024, it was announced that Sean Giambrone would reprise his role as Ben Pincus. In April, it was announced that Raini Rodriguez and Kausar Mohammed would be reprising their roles as Sammy Gutierrez and Yasmina "Yaz" Fadoula respectively, with Darren Barnet replacing Ryan Potter as Kenji Kon. The showrunners originally wanted Jenna Ortega to reprise her role as Brooklynn, but she was unable to commit due to scheduling issues and was replaced by Kiersten Kelly.

Animation

Animation services were provided by CGCG in Taipei, Taiwan. Production on a single episode took place over 17 months, with 12 weeks of animation. Visual inspirations for the series include conspiracy thrillers such as The Parallax View and All the President's Men, seeking to "evoke a similar uneasy vibe, putting the main characters at a disadvantage as they try to figure out what's coming next before it's too late".

Release

Jurassic World: Chaos Theory premiered on May 24, 2024 on Netflix.^[2] The second season premiered on October 17, 2024.^{[7] [8]}

Reception

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 7.9/10, based on 6 critic reviews for the first season.^[9]

Notes and References

1. Web site: 'Jurassic World: Chaos Theory': First Look At Netflix's 'Camp Cretaceous' Animated Sequel Series . . November 9, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231222213547/https://deadline.com/2023/11/jurassic-world-chaos-theory-trailer-camp-cretaceous-sequel-netflix-1235597240/ . December 22, 2023 . live . Petski . Denise . December 18, 2023 . en-US .
2. Web site: Netflix Teases a Ferocious New Chapter in 'Jurassic World: Chaos Theory' . . March 28, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240329015706/https://www.animationmagazine.net/2024/03/netflix-teases-a-ferocious-new-chapter-in-jurassic-world-chaos-theory/ . March 29, 2024 . live . Milligan . Mercedes . March 28, 2024 .
3. Web site: Jurassic World: Chaos Theory Showrunners on Why Jenna Ortega Isn't Back as Brooklynn for New Series. IGN. Jim. Vejvoda. May 16, 2024. May 18, 2024. May 18, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240518152635/https://www.ign.com/articles/jurassic-world-chaos-theory-clip-jenna-ortega-brooklynn-dead. live.
4. Web site: Trailer: 'Jurassic World: Chaos Theory' Roars to Netflix Debut in May . . April 30, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240506151849/https://www.animationmagazine.net/2024/04/trailer-jurassic-world-chaos-theory-roars-to-netflix-debut-in-may/ . May 6, 2024 . live . Milligan . Mercedes . April 30, 2024 .
5. Web site: 'Jurassic World: Chaos Theory' trailer reveals 'Camp Cretaceous' stars . EW.com . https://web.archive.org/web/20240516215615/https://ew.com/jurassic-world-chaos-theory-trailer-exclusive-paul-mikel-williams-darius-sean-giambrone-ben-8621071 . May 16, 2024 . live . May 19, 2024 . en .
6. Web site: The Return of the Nublar Six: 'Jurassic Park: Chaos Theory' Heightens the Stakes for the DreamWorks Animation Franchise . . https://web.archive.org/web/20240520104214/https://www.animationmagazine.net/2024/05/the-return-of-the-nublar-six-jurassic-park-chaos-theory-heightens-the-stakes-for-the-dreamworks-animation-franchise/ . May 20, 2024 . live . Zahed . Ramin . May 17, 2024 . May 19, 2024 .
7. Web site: 'Jurassic World: Chaos Theory' Season 2 Set For Fall; Netflix Releases First Look Photos . . June 6, 2024 . Campione . Katie . June 6, 2024 .
8. Web site: Darius Has a Giant Problem in New 'Jurassic World: Chaos Theory' Season 2 Trailer. Collider. July 28, 2024. Massoto. Erick. July 28, 2024.
9. jurassic_world_chaos_theory. tv. Jurassic World: Chaos Theory. 1. June 3, 2024. y.