WARNING: The following contains spoilers for the first season of Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous, now streaming on Netflix.
Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous does a very clever job of connecting to the 2015 film from Colin Trevorrow, revealing exactly when the dinosaurs such as the Indominus Rex went on rampages on the other side of Isla Nublar.However, as much as it sets up plot threads for the sequel, Fallen Kingdom, there are also some nods paid to the original trilogy that Steven Spielberg kicked off in 1993.
THE ORIGINAL DOCTORS GET SHOUT OUTS
Darius is the lead in this animated series, and he's quite the dino-geek thanks to his dad. Darius is seen relaying news to him by reading Dr. Alan Grant's blog, and there's also a glimpse of Dr. Ellie Sattle's Facebook page on paleobotany.
As fans are aware, Alan was played by Sam Neill and Ellie was played by Laura Dern in the first film and 2001's Jurassic Park III. They were the experts on the species and the heroes that survived the first breakout at Isla Nublar. It's nice to see this homage because the characters will be involved in the next film, Dominion, as so many creatures are roaming free in the world now after being taken from this abandoned island.
THE SPY'S FLORAL KIT
Sammy was asked to be a spy for Mantah Corp because her ranch is in debt. However, her family doesn't know she's accepted the offer of corporate espionage, working to steal dinosaur DNA for rivals to Simon Masrani's company. It's a schtick seen in the past with Alessandro Nivola's Billy in the third film when he tried to steal an egg, but it also goes back to Wayne Knight's Nedry from the first movie.
Nedry, a computer programmer, was hired to steal embryos for rivals, but he was eaten by a Dilophosaurus as he tried to escape. He's known for his ridiculous floral shirt, and eagle-eyed viewers can spot Sammy wearing similar floral decor, foreshadowing she's there to steal as well, although she's more sympathetic than the greedy guys from the original films.
NOTHING WORKS AT ALL
The teens initially notice that while Masrani has spent a lot of money on tech to enhance the experience of the park, the workers don't have the proper equipment. Even their handlers, Roxie and Dave, admit as much, paying tribute to John Hammond making the same mistake in the first film when he cut costs.
It gets worse when the dinos break free and everyone tries to find ways to communicate, with the teens often found saying that nothing works, especially the walkie-talkies. They're forced to rely on cell phones, but dropping signals and dying batteries are the banes of their existence. It's a sly nod but proves Masrani was just as much a frugal capitalist as his predecessor.
THE VEHICULAR CHASE
While the new movies have chases with armored tanks or Chris Pratt's Owen on a motorbike, the most iconic ones involve jeeps. It happens in the first movie, as well as The Lost World: Jurassic Park, with a T-Rex as the usual pursuer. Here, though, it's updated when the teens jump into a van to outrun the Indominus Rex in a similar fashion.
The action style is almost the same as the jeep chases, and the same vibe is present when the Pteranodons come hunting the kids. It's every bit as intense and chilling, recapturing the magic of the Spielberg movies, with the vehicles trying to outrun creatures that can shred them to pieces.
THE DINOSAUR FOOTPRINT
Every episode begins with a large footprint in the mud, filled with water, but it quakes a ripple effect similar to whenever the T-Rex was close by in the original trilogy. This signifies terror, as well as the sheer size of the beast, with the stomps and shockwaves through the terrain letting viewers know danger's in close proximity. Clearly, this series wants to honor the T-Rex, as it was the first sinister form of intimidation in the franchise.
Then, when the Indominus Rex appears, the way it hauntingly enters the frame is also similar to when the T-Rex got out its enclosure in the first film. It paints a harrowing and very foreboding aesthetic, reminding fans that the T-Rex was the signature villain decades ago and should be remembered as such, even as the series moves onto other dinos.
Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous is executive produced by Steven Spielberg, Frank Marshall, Colin Trevorrow, Scott Kreamer and Lane Lueras, with Zack Stentz serving as a consulting producer. The series is streaming now on Netflix.