Valley of the Dinosaurs

I personally liked "Valley of the Dinosaurs", and for the record, the Butler family did *not* arrive in a plane as a previous poster wrote, but in a rubber raft while on a trip down the Amazon (I believe). A whirlpool sucked them into a land that time forgot--not that different from the live-action "Land of the Lost", which I also liked.

"VOTD" was to me, underrated because it was very educational as well as adventurous. I learned a thing or two about submarines, paddleboats, air pressure, as well as expanding sticks of wood that could split a cliff! I think somebody from H-B actually did some reasearch!

The Butler family, along with Garak's family, was always barely staying ahead of the dinosaurs that wanted to, say we say, feast on them (at least the carnivores, that is). I enjoyed the ways how they could get out of their predicaments. I recalled that me and my mother enjoyed the cartoon very much when I was around ten. Yes, Garak's family, for a "backward caveman's", spoke English, but so what? It was a fun show to watch! And before Daria Morgendoffer, there was Katie Butler. Now, *there* was a girl who could hang with Daria in the sarcastic department! She could give a funny crack even during the most dangerous of situations, and I laughed! Good show, that was...

Unfortunately,this animated series premiered the same year as Krofft's live-action adventure series "Land of the Lost"(which was on NBC),but was similar to Hanna-Barbera's other animated series,"Dino Boy in the Lost Valley" and recently elements films of that time, "AIP's(American International) The Land That Time Forgot",and Disney's "Island At The Top Of The World"(both were released the same year as this show came on the air in 1974)and there you have it..."The Valley Of The Dinosaurs",one of the underrated cartoons that Hanna-Barbera produced in the mid-1970's.

Of the 16 episodes that this series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions for CBS-TV's Saturday Morning schedule,this show was one of many that didn't go beyond the norm of its precessdor like another H-B produced series,the live-action but short-lived series "KORG 70,000 B.C."(which was on ABC),which was very hokey since both shows(as well as the live-action version of Land of the Lost) premiered that same year in September of 1974,but it also offered a lot of high action and adventure but also some educational value as well dealing with scientific concepts,lessons of geological aspects and that's about it. The story consisted of The Butler family who on a camping triping while rafting goes down a whirlpool into a land where time forgot---filled with hidden dangers and unexpected surprises where they are saved by a unknown caveman and his family where each day is a fight for survival in a lost wilderness. It was good in some aspects,even though in only produced 16 episodes for CBS-TV from September 7, 1974 until September 4,1976 with only the original episodes airing in the first season while its second season consisted of repeated episodes which the network moved the show from Saturday Mornings to the bliss of its graveyard Sunday Morning schedule for the 1975-1976 season.

The voicework was done by a talent cast,most of them Hanna-Barbera stockplayers. The voice of John Butler,the father figure and leader was done by actor Mike Road. Road was known as the voice of Race Bannon in the Jonny Quest animated television series as well as the voice of Zandor of "The Herculoids" and other known H-B characters. His wife,Kim Butler was voice by Shannon Farnon,who was known as the voice of Wonder Woman on another successful Saturday Morning show "The Superfriends". Other voices were done by Jackie Earle Haley(aka Jack E. Haley as the voice of Greg Butler),Kathy Gori(Katie Butler),and Joan Gerber(another H-B stockplayer voicework cast member).

As a kid faced with the scheduling conflict between this show and Land of the Lost, chose Valley first, unless it was a rerun.

It was definitely the better show.

It had a greater diversity of situations and cast...one can only stick the flyswatter in the carnosaur's mouth so many times before even a kid begins to roll his eyes and fall asleep.

More character development and better acting, too. Which is ironic since it was animated.

You know, that ten line minimum for making a contribution probably just invites a lot of boring filler at times like this, when being succinct would benefit the readers more.

This was pretty good from what I remember, same old plot as Land of the Lost-but they seemed to take care to stay away from the shrill campiness of that particular show. I remember as a kid liking it, they seemed to work in some morales and psuedo-geological lessons amongst the action.

Plus the pet mini-stegosaurus was kinda cute too...

**1/2 outta ****, it worked...

This was one of the better Hanna-Barbera entries of the 1970's. It had interesting stories and many likable characters. Unfortunately, the same day that this show debuted, the Krofft brothers unleashed there masterpiece "Land of the Lost". In fact, that show aired at exactly the same time as this one and quickly overshadowed "Valley". This was pretty much an unusual show from H-B at the time due to the fact that unlike many of the other shows that were on at the time, this one didn't try to be preachy or ram a valuable life lesson down your throat each week. It was very action oriented without a lot of violence and it showed how the Butlers were trying to adapt to their new surroundings while at the same time trying to introduce all the modern advances of their world to Gorak's family and other cave people who inherited the valley. This was a really good show. Too bad it was overshadowed by that other good show that debuted the same day and the same exact hour as this one.