'Walking with Dinosaurs' Will Stomp Into Summer

Walking with Dinosaurs was an ambitious series when it premiered on the BBC in 1999; at the time, Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) was still a new technology, and creating lifelike dinosaurs was the province of big-budget blockbusters like Jurassic Park, not public television. However, the show took the U.K. by storm (and did quite well in the U.S., where it aired on the Discovery Channel), proving there was a real appetite for learning about these extinct beasts. Now, the series returns a quarter century later; to a world where CGI is an industry staple and 25 years' worth of scientific discoveries to alter its original perspective.

For those who are not dinosaur-obsessed, the last few years have been something of "a golden age of paleontology," transforming our understanding of dinosaurs, with ~50 new species identified per year and details about dinosaur biology and behavior uncovered. The new series takes all of the latest discoveries into account, as well as the proliferation of new species of dinosaurs, and mixes them with a level of CGI normally only found on HBO fantasy fare.

As part of the press release, PBS Chief Programming Executive Sylvia Bugg said, "Twenty-five years ago, Walking with Dinosaurs changed how we viewed the prehistoric world. With this exciting reimagining, we're proud to partner with the BBC and invite viewers to witness the awe-inspiring lives of these incredible creatures once again. With groundbreaking science and state-of-the-art visual effects, the dramatic life stories of these ancient giants will be seen like never before.”