I watched this way back as a little kid when VHS tapes were still around. Until I rediscovered it about thirty years later, I could have sworn it was a fever dream. I couldn't even remember its name until I accidentally stumbled upon it here.
Anyway, the story goes like this: a trio of dinosaur loving kids are zapped inside their television set and wind up trapped in the world of their favorite cartoon, simply named "Dinosaurs". There, they must battle a tribe of cavemen named the Rockies led by the evil Allosaurus despot, Mr. Big, before they can find a way back home by retrieving a fuse stolen by the villains.
First of all, the three child actors were pretty lousy and campy with their performances. The cartoon heroes weren't much better: Rex and Tops were apathetic at first and Forry was annoying at times, but they did come through in the end helping the kids get back home. Even so, I found Mr. Big with his deep, intimidating voice and his gang of cave people to be more charming.
The dinosaur puppets and suits looked fairly good, but their jittery movements and barely functioning mouths and eyes mitigated their effect, especially when compared to those used in Jim Henson's "Dinosaurs" broadcasted around the same time period.
There were other redeeming qualities though. Some of the practical effects and cinematography were remarkably good at times, such as the bar brawl or the final battle against Mr. Big. Speaking of which, the bar scenery and a few pieces of scenery the kids pass during their journey were pretty cool looking. The cartoon introduction near the beginning also had a catchy theme song, and its animation looked like an interesting mix of Ren and Stimpy and the Flintstones.
Overall, this wasn't the worst dinosaur film, and the sheer level of cheesiness makes it surprisingly endearing. But chances are, most kids would only give this a single watch, even if they were big dinosaur fans.
