Honestly, if you go looking for The Adventures of Jurassic Pet expecting a $200 million Spielberg masterpiece, you’re gonna have a bad time. It’s not that. It never tried to be that. Released back in 2019 and directed by Ryan Bellgardt, this movie is a specific kind of indie creature feature that leans hard into the "boy and his dog" trope, except the dog is a CGI Spinosaurus named Albert.
It's weird. It’s low-budget. But it’s got heart.
Most people stumble upon this movie on streaming services like Vudu or Hulu while looking for something to keep the kids quiet for 80 minutes. What they find is a story about Chris, played by Kyler Charles Beck, who discovers a mysterious egg that hatches into a dinosaur. Naturally, a mad scientist type—played with delightful scenery-chewing energy by David Fletcher-Hall—wants the creature for his own nefarious experiments. It's a classic setup. You've seen it in E.T., you've seen it in Free Willy, and you've seen it in Mac and Me.
What Really Happens in The Adventures of Jurassic Pet
The plot kicks off when Chris gets a strange clock from an antique shop. Inside? A prehistoric egg. When Albert hatches, he’s actually pretty cute, even if the visual effects reveal the limitations of the film's budget. The core of the movie isn't the science; it's the friendship. Chris has to hide Albert from his mom and the authorities while trying to find a way to get the little guy back to where he belongs.
Things get messy.
The antagonist, Marcus, runs a shadowy organization and views Albert as a biological breakthrough rather than a living being. This sets up the standard chase sequences that define the middle act. It’s simple storytelling. It doesn't try to reinvent the wheel, and that’s probably why it found enough of an audience to spawn sequels like The Adventures of Jurassic Pet: Chapter 1 (which is confusingly a sequel, not a prequel).
The "Albert" Factor: CGI vs. Practicality
Let’s talk about the dinosaur. Albert is a Spinosaurus. In reality, a Spinosaurus was a massive, semi-aquatic predator that would likely eat a teenager without a second thought. Here, he’s basically a golden retriever with scales.
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The VFX team at Boiling Point Media handled the creature work. For an independent film, the lighting on the 3D models often hits better than you’d expect, even if the integration with the live-action actors feels a bit "floaty" at times. You have to appreciate the hustle. Making a feature-length film with a digital lead character on a fraction of a Hollywood budget is a massive technical hurdle. They used a lot of clever framing to hide the seams.
Why Kids Are Obsessed With This Series
There is a specific window of childhood—roughly ages 5 to 9—where "dinosaur" is a personality trait. The Adventures of Jurassic Pet hits that demographic right in the bullseye. It treats the dinosaur as a peer, not a monster.
- Relatability: Chris is an underdog. Kids love an underdog.
- The Secret: Every child dreams of having a secret pet that grown-ups don't know about.
- Low Stakes (Mostly): While there is "danger," it never feels truly traumatizing. It’s "afternoon Disney Channel" levels of peril.
If you’re a parent, you’ve probably noticed the sequels popping up. Jurassic Pet 2 (The Lost Kingdom) continues the saga with new kids and higher stakes. The franchise has essentially become a staple of the "family-friendly" bargain bin that actually delivers what it promises: a dinosaur on screen for most of the runtime.
The Reality of the "Jurassic" Brand Confusion
Here is something most people get wrong. This movie has zero connection to the Jurassic Park or Jurassic World franchise. None. It’s what the industry calls a "mockbuster" or a "companion film."
Studios like Lionsgate (who handled the home video distribution) know that if you put "Jurassic" in the title and a dinosaur on the cover, people will click. It’s savvy marketing. However, calling it a ripoff is a bit harsh. While it borrows the naming convention, the tone is much closer to The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl than it is to a Michael Crichton techno-thriller.
Critical Reception vs. Reality
If you look at Rotten Tomatoes or IMDb, the scores for The Adventures of Jurassic Pet are... well, they aren't great. Critics look at the wooden acting from some of the supporting cast and the predictable script and they pounce. But critics aren't the target audience.
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If you’re seven years old, you don't care about "pacing issues" or "derivative subplots." You care that the dinosaur just ate a bunch of snacks and escaped a cage. From a technical standpoint, the cinematography by Michael S. Ojeda is surprisingly clean. It looks like a real movie, not a home video. That counts for something in the world of direct-to-video releases.
Breaking Down the Sequel: Chapter 1
Wait, why is the second movie called Chapter 1? This confuses everyone. Released a few years later, The Adventures of Jurassic Pet: Chapter 1 (2023) is essentially a soft reboot/sequel. It introduces Wendy and Curtis, who have to save a new dinosaur from a new set of bad guys.
It follows the exact same blueprint:
- Kids find a dinosaur.
- Adults are oblivious or evil.
- Shenanigans ensue in a small town.
- A climactic rescue mission involving bikes or walking.
The formula works. It’s cheap to produce and has a guaranteed audience on streaming platforms. In a world where big-budget movies are often too loud or too long, there’s a strange comfort in a 84-minute movie about a kid and a Spinosaurus.
Technical Limitations and Creative Solutions
Making these movies requires a lot of "fix it in post" energy. You'll notice that the dinosaur often interacts with inanimate objects—pillows, boxes, or the floor—rather than the actors' hands. This is a classic trick to save on expensive interaction physics in the CGI software. When Chris "touches" Albert, the camera often cuts away or shows it from an angle where the hands don't actually have to displace the dinosaur's skin.
It’s a masterclass in "budget filmmaking 101."
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Actionable Insights for Fans and Parents
If you’re planning to dive into The Adventures of Jurassic Pet universe, keep these points in mind to manage expectations:
Watch Order Matters (Sorta)
You can actually watch them in any order. The continuity is loose. If your kid likes the first one, they will definitely like the second one because it is, for all intents and purposes, the same movie with different actors.
Check the Rating
Both films are rated PG. There’s some mild "action violence," but it’s mostly slapstick. The bad guys are bumbling rather than terrifying. It’s safe for the little ones, though some of the "science" talk might bore them.
Where to Stream
As of now, these films rotate through various free-with-ads services like Tubi, Pluto TV, and the Roku Channel. Don't pay $20 for a 4K Blu-ray unless you have a die-hard dino fan in the house.
Alternative Recommendations
If the CGI in Jurassic Pet is too distracting, check out Prehistoric Beast or the older Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend. If you want something with a similar "indie heart," look for the works of the same production team, as they specialize in these types of creature features.
The reality is that The Adventures of Jurassic Pet serves a very specific purpose. It’s a bridge for kids who are too old for Barney but too young for the carnage of Jurassic World. It’s a harmless, imaginative romp that proves you don’t need a billion dollars to tell a story about a kid and their prehistoric best friend.
Next time you see that goofy Spinosaurus on a thumbnail, you'll know exactly what you're getting into: a low-budget adventure with a surprising amount of soul.
Next Steps for Discovery
- Verify Availability: Check your local streaming apps like Tubi or Vudu, as these titles frequently move between "Free to Watch" and "Rent" status.
- Parental Guidance: If your child is sensitive to "men in suits chasing kids," screen the first 15 minutes of Marcus's introduction to gauge their reaction.
- Deep Dive into Indie VFX: Look up Boiling Point Media’s behind-the-scenes clips on YouTube to see how they rendered Albert on a budget—it’s a great educational tool for kids interested in filmmaking.