Ever since the word ‘dinosaur’ was first invented in 1842, the human race has been intrigued and fascinated by this large and diverse group of animals.  Dinosaurs have been featured in a number of popular and scientific mediums throughout this time, including books, TV show, comics, and movies.  In the modern age of digital media, many young people have their first contact with dinosaurs through watching fictional or documentary DVDs.  Whether they are watching animated television series like The Flintstones, fictional movies such as Jurassic Park, or educational documentaries by the BBC about different dinosaur species;  the medium of DVD is one of the most likely ways that the children and adults of today are learning about and being entertained by the dinosaurs of the past.

There are multiple reasons for the popularity of dinosaurs in modern society, as they appeal to both our emotional and intellectual curiosity.  Dinosaurs are like monsters in a number of ways, yet because they are extinct and very much out of harms way, people can form a safe emotional attachment to them.  Their seemingly unwavering appeal to our collective imagination is surely one of the leading inspirations behind fictional dinosaur characters, as they provide people with a way to live out the past in a way that is thrilling yet detached and safe.  People all over the world watch Jurassic Park DVDs and other direct to DVD movies like The Land Before Time as a way to vicariously experience these animals that played such a large role in the history of the planet.

Other documentary based DVDs like the BBC series, Walking with Dinosaurs and the 2001 series When Dinosaurs Roamed America, offer humans a more intellectual kind of thrill.  The nature of scientific exploration and classification is appealing to a number of adult viewers, who watch dinosaur DVDs to learn something new as well as being entertained.  Some of the most notable and popular dinosaur DVDs that have been produced are the TV show Dinosaurs, the movie Jurassic Park, the the recent CGI documentary from 2009, Animal Armageddon.  For as long as dinosaurs keep playing such an important role in our collective imaginations, both fictional and documentary DVDs will continue to be produced and watched by people from all over the world.