When Dinosaurs Roamed America

When Dinosaurs Roamed America (shortened to When Dinosaurs Roamed outside of the U.S.) is a two-hour American television program (produced in the style of a traditional nature documentary) that first aired on the Discovery Channel in 2001. It was directed by Pierre de Lespinois and narrated by actor John Goodman. The featured dinosaurs were designed by Paleo-artist and art director Mark Dubeau, and noted for creating dinosaurs for many other Discovery Channel and National Geographic specials. The dinosaur animation was accomplished by animator Don Waller at Meteor Studios, in Montreal, Canada. The music was composed by Christopher Franke (ex-member from Tangerine Dream).

When Dinosaurs Roamed America premiered to 5 million viewers.

Synopsis

Late Triassic segment (220 million years ago)

• Coelophysis
• Rutiodon
• Desmatosuchus
• Icarosaurus
• Traversodon
• Mammal (live-acted by an Eastern Quoll)
• Locust

The program starts in the Late Triassic, near modern-day New York City. The narrator explains how the Permian Mass Extinction led to new forms of life, including, eventually, the most extraordinary creatures ever to walk the planet, the dinosaurs. The camera tracks a Coelophysis through the woods. The program depicts Coelophysis as preying on mainly small animals, such as insects and Icarosaurus. It encounters other, large non-dinosaurian archosaurs such as Rutiodon and Desmatosuchus. The quick Coelophysis is portrayed as a very successful inhabitant of this world.

Early Jurassic segment (200 million years ago)

• "Syntarsus"
• Anchisaurus
• Dilophosaurus

The program moves on to the Early Jurassic of Pennsylvania, showing a pack of "Syntarsus". These dinosaurs, closely related to Coelophysis, are hunting the primitive herbivorous dinosaur Anchisaurus, only to be driven away by a Dilophosaurus, which kills the Anchisaurus to feed its young. The narrator then explains Syntarsus and Dilophosaurus will become the gigantic carnivores such as Allosaurus and Tyrannosaurus, while Anchisaurus will become the sauropods.

Late Jurassic segment (150 million years ago)

• Ceratosaurus
• Allosaurus
• Apatosaurus (or is it Brontosaurus)