Series overview ĭinotopia began as an illustrated children's book called Dinotopia: A Land Apart from Time. He called the series 'Dinotopia': a portmanteau of 'dinosaur' and 'utopia'.

Rather than digital tools, Gurney used ' plein-air studies, thumbnail sketches, models photographed in costume and original cardboard or clay maquettes' to create 150 oil paintings for his 2007 Dinotopia book. He later decided to create an imaginary island based on these paintings. These were originally done as art prints for collectors. This inspired him to imagine his own, so he painted 'Waterfall City' and 'Dinosaur parade'. Gurney's assignments for National Geographic required him to work with archaeologists to envision and paint ancient cities that no one alive today has ever seen. Since its original publication, over twenty Dinotopia books have been published by various authors to expand the series.Ī live-action television miniseries, a short-lived live-action TV series, a 2005 animated film, and several video games have also been released. The first book was published in 1992 and has 'appeared in 18 languages in more than 30 countries and sold two million copies.' Dinotopia: A Land Apart from Time and Dinotopia: The World Beneath both won Hugo awards for best original artwork. It is set in the titular Dinotopia, an isolated island inhabited by shipwrecked humans and sapient dinosaurs who have learned to coexist peacefully as a single symbiotic society. Dinotopia is a series of illustrated fantasy books, created by author and illustrator James Gurney.

Dinotopia by James Gurney