DinoSquad explained

Genre:
Developer:Jeffrey Scott
Voices:Benjamin Beck
Dana Donlan
Nils Haaland
Ian Eli Lee
Moira Mangiameli
Vincent Michael
Kelcey Watson
Country:United States
Language:English
Num Seasons:2
Num Episodes:26
Executive Producer:Andy Heyward
Michael Maliani
Editor:Robert Brousseau
Jo Martin
Theme Music Composer:Ron Wasserman
Composer:Ron Wasserman
Runtime:22 minutes
Company:DIC Entertainment Corporation
Network:CBS (KEWLopolis)

DinoSquad is an American animated television series that was produced by DIC Entertainment and aired on the KEWLopolis block on CBS from November 3, 2007[2] [3] – December 6, 2008.

The show was about five teenagers, each with the power to turn into a respective dinosaur. They use this power to fight the evil Victor Veloci, who is intent on returning the world to the age of dinosaurs by turning humans and animals into new mutant dinosaurs and accelerating global warming. The series is also used to help teach viewers about many life lessons, such as how to deal with bullies, the effect humans have on the environment, and responsibility.

This show, along with Sushi Pack, were the final two series produced by DIC before their acquisition with Cookie Jar Entertainment, who produced the second and final season of DinoSquad until the series ended its run in 2008. Cookie Jar (along with most of the DiC library) would be acquired by DHX Media (now known as WildBrain) in 2012.

Show summary

On a school field trip to the tide pools, five teenagers, Max, Rodger, Caruso, Fiona, and Buzz, leap into the ocean to save a dog, Rump, from a shark attack. However, Victor Veloci, the owner of a biogenetics company called Raptor Dyne and a shapeshifting Velociraptor disguised as a human, releases a substance called primordial ooze into the tide pools with the goal of reverting every living thing back to their early evolutions. The ooze mutates the DNA of the five teenagers, giving them the ability to turn into dinosaurs. Their mysterious science teacher, Ms. Moynihan reveals herself as another shapeshifting Velociraptor and telepathically shows the teens that when the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs hit the Earth, she and Victor survived, trapped in a cave. Over millions of years, their DNA mutated and gave them shapeshifting powers, and they integrated themselves into society, keeping their identities secret. Victor Veloci ultimately seeks to take advantage of global warming and return the earth to the Mesozoic era under the belief that dinosaurs are superior. Ms. Moynihan believes that humans are superior because they gained dominance, evolved reason and love rather than brute force and does what she can to hinder Victor from the shadows. Victor seeks to capture the Dino Squad in their dinosaur forms because they are perfectly formed dinosaurs rather than temporary mutations, however, he doesn't know that they have human forms, and so he continuously mutates wild animals into dinosaurs with his primordial ooze to draw them out and try to capture them. Besides their world-saving duties, Max, Rodger, Caruso, Fiona, and Buzz also need to deal with high school and typical teenage drama. To turn animals and other living things back to normal from the primordial ooze, they use the DNA Chiller, which causes the mutant DNA to come out from freezing, and then using the Spiller to vacuum it out. Veloci's plans are always thwarted and thus the return to the age of the dinosaurs was not meant to be. Dino Squad is set in Kittery Point, Maine.

Season 2 episodes began airing online on August 4, 2008, before airing on CBS on September 13.

Characters

Dino Squad members

Supporting characters

One-time characters

Raptor Dyne

Development

The series was first announced as a programme for DIC and CBS' Saturday-morning Cartoon block (which would be named to KEWLopolis later on) in April 2007, under the name of I Was a High School Dinosaur.[4] [5]

Episodes

Season 2 (2008)

Broadcast history

The series originally aired on CBS on the KEWLopolis block until being removed during the blocks rebranding to Cookie Jar TV in 2009.

The series later reaired on the Syndicated Cookie Jar Kids Network block,[6] and on This TV's Cookie Jar Toons block from 2011 until the block's end in 2013.

Home media and streaming releases

From April 2009 until July 2010, NCircle Entertainment released 5 DVDs of the series, each containing 3 episodes (except for the last volume, which has 4).

DVD/VHS nameEpisodesRelease date
Go Dino!The Beginning
Growth Potential
T-Rex Transformation
April 14, 2009
Raptor Attack! Tangled Web
Zoom In On Zoom
Who'll Stop the Rain
April 14, 2009
Prehistoric Problems!The Lost World Wide Web
Headline Nuisance
Who Let The Dog Out
August 18, 2009
Mutant Mayhem!A Mole Lotta Trouble
Pet Peeve
The Not So Great Outdoors
February 2, 2010
Fire & Ice!Bully 4 U
Fire & Ice
One Percent Inspiration
Howa Loa Can You Goa
July 13, 2010

The series was also available to stream on Netflix from September 2014 until January 1, 2018, and is currently available to stream through Kid Genius and CONtv. In Australia, the series is available on Stan.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 10 Worst Superhero Shows, Ranked According to IMDB . 8 April 2022.
  2. News: Bynum. Aaron H.. CBS & DiC Establish KEWLopolis, Saturdays. April 1, 2011. Animation Insider. August 24, 2007. March 21, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120321221323/http://www.animationinsider.net/article.php?articleID=1460. dead.
  3. News: Ball. Ryan. Dino, Sushi Join CBS Menu. April 1, 2011. Animation Magazine. November 1, 2007.
  4. Web site: Breaking News - CBS and Dic Entertainment Present CBS's 2007-08 Children's Programming Slate . TheFutonCritic.com . 2022-05-05.
  5. Web site: 'Shortcake', 'Care Bears' return to TV. The Hollywood Reporter. 12 April 2007.
  6. Web site: Network A. Ascent Media. 2010-03-11.