A New Generation May Be About To Get Their Hearts Broken By The Ending Of 'Dinosaurs', But That May Not Be A Bad Thing

On the surface, Dinosaurs, running from 1991 to 1994, was a fun comedy series focusing on the Sinclairs, a family of anthropomorphic Dinosaurs finding their place in the new, modern world brought about by dinosaurs becoming civilised. Scratch the surface, however, and the show is packed with social commentary and lessons that still hold up Today, all leading up to the surprisingly bleak finale, remembered as one of the saddest TV finales of all time.

Lessons To Be Learned

Dinosaurs dealt with many topics that were not often seen on television at the time, as according to the show creators, Michael Jacobs and Bob Young, it was easy to hide these tough topics behind the puppet characters, particularly the adorable Baby Sinclair.

Once Baby became popular and quotable, earning Dinosaurs high ratings, Network Executives left Jacobs and young alone to do just about anything they wanted with the show. Through the lens of the Dinosaur world, the show managed to tackle topics such as homosexuality, Sexual harassment, animal rights, and body image.

For example, in the episode 'I Never Ate For My Father', Robbie's preference to a herbivore diet, as opposed to the carnivorous ways of the rest of the family, is used as a metaphor for drug use.

A Generation Gap

Many of the show's most important teaching moments come from episodes in which conflict arises between the traditional beliefs and ideas of Earl Sinclair, and the more progressive ideas of his eldest son, Robbie.

Earl is a proud carnivore. While Robbie initially has no problem eating meat-based meals that his Mother, Fran, cooks for him, the episode 'I Never Ate For My Father' has him struggle with the idea of killing his own food, and deciding he does not want to eat those smaller than him just because the 'food chain' says so. The episode starts an ongoing plotline of Robbie championing the rights of so called 'lesser' creatures, and worrying for the future of the planet.

In the episode 'Endangered Species', Robbie befriends a pair of Endangered Graptolites, originally intended to be his parents anniversary dinner. The pair discuss the future of the planet with Robbie, convincing him that their will not always be enough food or space for everyone if the dinosaurs continue to kill and eat and expand thoughtlessly. When he brings up these ideas at School, Robbie is dismissed as a new age radical, but as the series ultimate ending proves, Robbie was right.

A Cautionary Tale

A string of episodes featuring questionable actions from Earl's employers, the WESAYSO corporation, culminate in the tragic events of Dinosaurs series finale, 'Changing Nature'. The dinosaurs gather to witness the annual migration of the Bunch Beetles, only to realise that the beetles are dead, after WESAYSO destroyed their Home to build a factory. With the beetles gone, the fast growing vines that they used to eat begin to engulf the dinosaur's homes. Various attempts to solve the issue through unnatural means only make things worse, eventually plunging the planet into an ice age set to last for thousands of years.

After an impassioned speech from Earl about how they should have taken better care of the planet, the series ends on a chilling shot of the Sinclair's home becoming slowly buried in snow, symbolising the extinction of the dinosaurs.

Now the series is available on Disney +, it is being discovered by a new generation of fans. Understandably, some parents may be tempted to skip the dark finale if watching with children. However, this would be a disservice to the most important lesson Dinosaurs tried to teach.

As heartbreaking as it is, the show's final message is clear, and it is one that both children and adults could stand to carry with them. If we don't start taking better care of our planet, we're just a few mistakes away from going the way of the dinosaurs.