5 Crazy-Awesome Popcorn Recipes For Movie Nights!

These impressive recipes would make Rex and Mimos proud! Start chomping while watching Dinosaur Island!

1. Cookies and Cream Popcorn - Yes, and ah YES!

Click here for recipe details

2. Peanut Butter Cup Popcorn - Peanut Butter goes with everything! We mean EVERYTHING!

 Click here for recipe details

3. Funfetti Popcorn! Sparkletastic!!

Click here for recipe details

4. Caramel Nutella Popcorn - Yes, we said...Caramel NUTELLA Popcorn!

Click here for recipe details

5. Cinnamon Bun Popcorn - Oh sooo good!

Click here for recipe details

Genius. The End.

Until Next time...

Dinosaur Island

Real-Life Dinosaur Island Locations You Can Visit

It’s always been a dream of ours to visit our favourite movie locations. And while there are some on our bucket list that might be a little far fetched (we’re looking at you, Never Land), there are others that are only a plane ride away!

Today we’re highlighting the magical real-life places where the real Dinosaur Island took place. These are not your ordinary holiday destinations!

Imagine staying overnight at the tree house where the lovely Kate lives,  swimming at the same beach Lucas wakes up on, or glimpsing the amazing landscape where the Pterodactyl’s take flight.  

Dinosaur Island was primarily filmed in Vanuatu and the Australian, World Heritage listed - Blue Mountains region.

Vanuatu is a South Pacific island nation made up of more than 80 islands, some of them active volcanoes. According to the Happy Planet Index, Vanuatu is considered the “Happiest Place on Earth.”

Iririki Island in the heart of Port Vila, Vanuatu

The Blue Mountains is a World Heritage region in the State of New South Wales. It borders on Sydney's metropolitan area, with its foothills starting about 50 kilometres (31 mi) west of Sydney.. The Blue Mountains are a popular destination for Rock Climbers, Mountain Bikers and Hikers as well as canyoning and other adventure sports.

The Blue Mountains are famous for the "Three Sisters" rock formation

La Maison Du Banian, Efate Island, Vanuatu

In the film: Kate lives in the tree house.

This enchanting tree house, 10km from Vanuatu’s capital, Port Vila, is an architectural wonder that seamlessly blends island living with the natural environment. The house is built in and around a giant banyan tree and is furnished with home comforts made exclusively from natural materials and fibre. Take a swing in a hanging bamboo chair and climb a ladder to the loft bedroom, where you’ll wake to birdsong under a canopy of natangora leaf. Feast on a breakfast smorgasbord of fruit and freshly laid eggs, courtesy of the rainforest garden and its resident chickens.

La Maison Du Maison - Vanuatu

Kate has made her home in the Tree House 

Mele Cascades - Port Vila, Vanuatu 

In the film: Kate and Lucas walk through the Mele Cascades to reach the Bernissatensus.

Mele Bay is an exquisite stretch of water of purest blue, speckled with many natural and man made reefs or coral atolls. The tourist attractions are clustered around Mele Village, the largest village in Vanuatu. The Cascade Waterfalls is an accessible, 50-metre high waterfall with naturally eroded rock swimming ponds, set amidst jungle-like rainforest.

Mele Cascades - Vanuatu

Lucas and Kate travel through Mele Cascades to reach the waterfalls

Kakula Island, Vanuatu

Purpose-built and envisaged as an exclusive celebrity retreat in 2005. Kakula Island is is a 5-minute boat ride from the northern coast of Efate, Vanuatu. Basking in the gleaming waters of the Pacific, just off the north coast of the Vanuatu capital, Efate, Kakula Island is one of its brightest stars. Situated 15 minutes from the mainland and only 50 minutes drive from Vanuatu’s international airport, Kakula offers over one and a quarter miles of private white sand beach, lush foliage and crystal clear waters. And guess what, if you have a spare $6.92 Million you can buy it for yourself as its currently for sale!

Kakula Island, Vanuatu

Lucas finds himself stranded on Kakula Island

The Carrington Hotel - Blue Mountains, Australia

In the film: The press conference takes place in the Ballroom of the Carrington Hotel

There are few places that can match the romance, elegance and charm of The Carrington Hotel - that's why the Hotel has been attracting visitors for well over a century. The historic Carrington Hotel is located in the heart of Katoomba's shopping district in the Blue Mountains.

The Carrington Hotel - Katoomba

The Press Conference shot in the Ballroom of The Carrington Hotel

Jamison Valley - Blue Mountains, Australia

In the film: The Pterosaurs take flight over the Jamison Valley

The Jamison Valley forms part of the Coxs River canyon system in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, Australia. It is situated approximately 100 kilometres west of Sydney, capital of New South Wales, and a few kilometres south of Katoomba, the main town in the Blue Mountains. The Jamison Valley is a popular place for bushwalking and camping.

The Jamison Valley - Blue Mountains, Australia

Pterosaurs flying over the Jamison Valley

Until next time…
Dinosaur Island

Spikey Stegosaurus Craft Fun Activity

With its spikey back, the Stegosaurus is one of our all time favourite dinosaurs.
This handprint dinosaur craft was inspired by the Stegosaurus. It is a fantastic dinosaur, kid-friendly craft activity that is very simple to set up and complete.

"Head for the herd!..."

All you need is our template, some finger paint, and some tiny hands ready to have some crafty fun!

What you will need:

• Paper
• Finger paint
• Paint brush (optional)
• Dinosaur Template - Download and print from the facebook post.

How to:

• Print out dinosaur template
• Have your child paint the dinosaur whatever color they like
• Coat your child's hand in paint and press their handprint along the dinosaur's back so that their fingers stick up off the dinosaur like spikes on a Stegosaurus.

Here is a completed Stegosaur from one of our fans!



Crafty fun!

 

Until next time...

Dinosaur Island


12 Things you Didn't Know About Dinosaur Island

Do you know these amazing behind-the-scenes facts? You’ll have to read on to find out:

1. We love Kate Rasmussen's English accent in the film. Kate was coached by the famous voice coach, Barbara Berkery - known for her work in the Academy Award winning,The Kings Speech.

Kate Rasmussen plays Katherine Rose Thompson

2. Dinosaur Island was renamed Journey to Dinosaur Island for the UK release and remained in the top DVD charts for several weeks even beating out Frozen!

Journey to Dinosaur Island in the UK charts

3. One of our favourite places on Dinosaur Island is the Treehouse. Can you believe the Treehouse is an actual place you can stay! it is located near Port Vila, Vanuatu and is named "La Maison Du Banian."

La Maison Du Banian featured heavily in Dinosaur Island

4. A range of Mimos' movements were inspired by the Director's adopted cat, Lucky.

Everyone loves Mimos

5. Dinosaur Island will be the first film ever screened at Tana Cine, Vanuatu's newly built cinema.

An architectural drawing of the new Cinema at the Tana Russet Plaza, Vanuatu.
Photo courtesy: Tana Cine

6. Gloria, one of the school children in the film is the Director's daughter.

Isabella Drummond plays the role of Gloria

7. Production in Vanuatu was halted due to Cyclone Vania which made landfall in 2011. Cyclone Pam hit Vanuatu in 2015 leaving mass destruction across all of the islands.

Cyclone Vania hits the seafront in Downtown Port Vila, Vanuatu

8. Australian Idol winner Kate De Arougo sings the credit title track, Its True.

Kate DeArougo won Australian Idol in 2005

9. The world famous Hollywood Producer, Paul Mason (Scent of a woman, Amytville Horror etc.) told Matt Drummond to make Dinosaur Island as a film not a TV series as originally planned.

Paul Mason at the Academy Awards

10. There are over 800 Visual Effects shots in the entire film with some shots taking over 3 days to render.

Green screen - Before and after 

11. The Director, Matt Drummond is an Emmy Award Winning Visual Effects Artist. Matt has been nominated 3 times and won the Emmy in 2014 for Outstanding Graphic Design & Art Direction for his work on the History Channel Documentary, Big History.

Matt Drummond wins the Emmy for Outstanding Graphic Design & Art Direction.

12. Darius Williams who plays Lucas Winton in the film is fluent in French and takes acting instruction from the prestigious NIDA school in Australia.

"Hello...Is anyone there?"

Until next time...

Dinosaur Island

GUANLONG IN PHOTOSHOP CONTROVERSY...

Guanlong has sparked controversy in recent days by appearing unusually muscular in his recent Dinosaur Island publicity shots for PQ Magazine. Stills from the set of Dinosaur Island reveal the actor’s physique looking much less than defined.

Guanlong on the set of Dinosaur Island

Critics have been quick to point out the differences from the publicity shots to the on set images. An anonymous source shared the photo comparison, where it clearly shows Guanlong’s abs and legs significantly altered.

Before and After images: PQ Photo Shoot

Dinosaur Island has repeatedly reached out to Guanlong’s rep for comment, and as yet has received no response on the issue. Fellow Dinosaur Island cast member, Mimos, who has a known reputation for repeating everything he hears, was quoted as saying, “... It was the Raptor's who leaked the images, they have always had a problem with Guanlong, he is a name dropper, always referring to his cousin, Rex...”

The Raptors on the set of Dinosaur Island

As for Guanlong, the actor himself revealed he had been working out extensively with a personal trainer over the past few weeks. Apparently the fitness regime had been undertaken in preparation for the upcoming release of Dinosaur Island in Australia on Feb 14 and was unwilling to comment further on whether the images had been retouched.

Until next time...
Dinosaur Island

WHERE IS ARTIE THE ARTHROPLEURA?

Questions are being raised as to the location and well being of Artie (Arthropleura), one of the stars of Dinosaur Island.  

Middle: Artie (Arthropleura) on the set of Dinosaur Island 

The star was notably absent from the Prehistoric Quarterly shoot which launched the worldwide publicity tour for the upcoming release of the film.  

Artie plays "Baby Arthropleura" in the film and has carved out a successful career as a character actor in several productions, particularly in the documentary field. 

Artie's agent when previously questioned why Artie had managed to break into the industry when so many other Arthropleura's had not succeeded, stated that "...The problem with Arthropleura's on set, is their size, they can run up to 3 metres in length and it can be difficult for Directors to keep them in frame..." 

Artie (Arthopleura) featured in earlier Dinosaur Island stills

It is suspected that Artie's small stature is what had won him the role in the heavily anticipated Children's feature, Dinosaur Island.

We emailed Kate Rasmussen who played the role of Kate Thompson, about the mystery and she responded, "The last time I saw him was at the treehouse, he seemed like his usual quiet self..."

The Treehouse

Early reports filtering out of the production claim that no stunt double had been found for Artie, and that as a result he had been offered additional compensation in the form of "hazard pay." This has yet to be confirmed. 

Artie was last seen at The Beach Bar a well known beach side hangout, popular with locals and tourists in Mele Bay, Vanuatu.

Image courtesy of: vanuatubeachbar.com

No conclusions have yet been made and given what we already know about the introverted actor, it’s not entirely out of character for him to shun a public event.

Artie's co-star Darius Williams was not available for comment.

We will continue to investigate and report on this seemingly disturbing development.

Until next time...
Dinosaur Island

DINOSAUR ISLAND CAST GOES ON PUBLICITY TOUR AHEAD OF WORLDWIDE RELEASE

With just over a couple of weeks until the theatrical release of Dinosaur Island in Pakistan and 4 weeks until the release in Australia, the world promotional tour kicked off in style with a photo shoot for PQ Magazine (Promo images coming soon). 

PQ Magazine - Photo Shoot (Mimos)

PQ Magazine - Photo Shoot (Rex)

The Dinosaur Island cast now have a good idea, at just how life-changing their careers may be after the film starts rolling out across the globe. One of the stars, Rex appeared at the Atrium Cinema Complex in Downtown Karachi ahead of the January 30 release, to help publicise the upcoming blockbuster. 

Atrium Cinemas - Karachi, Pakistan (Rex)

The worldwide tour will continue with other cast members; Lucas (Darius Williams), Kate (Kate Rasmussen), Mimos, Baby Bird, Guanlong and the Raptors. 

When asked why Artie (Arthropleura) was absent from the tour, producers were suspiciously tight lipped about a slew of rumoured, "on set" injuries sustained while filming scenes in Vanuatu. 
No further comments were forthcoming.

*Make sure to check Screening Times for Dinosaur Island in Pakistan at Atrium and Nueplex Cinemas for updated showing times:
Atrium Cinemas
Nueplex Cinemas


Until next time...
Dinosaur Island

AND THE WINNER IS...

Our first Dinosaur Island competition has come to an end, and we're thrilled to announce the winner! We were blown away by the number of participants, and thank everyone who took part...However, there can only be one official winner.

So, without further ado, we’re excited to bring you the winner of the first Dinosaur Island competition: Sho_ _ _ _ from New Hampshire - Congratulations!!!

We hope to post upcoming pics of the winner alongside the prize in the next few weeks.
Stay tuned for more exciting competitions and giveaways in the near future.

Until next time...
Dinosaur Island.