August 14, 2015 (2015-08-14)– August 3, 2018 (2018-08-03)
Dinotrux is an American animated television series based on Chris Gall's series of books by the same name. It features a fictional prehistoric world inhabited by hybrid characters that are part animal and part machine.[3] Originally DreamWorks Animation had the intention to develop a film, but later decided to create a television series. From season six and onwards, it was known as Dinotrux Supercharged. The show was later removed from Netflix, and a birthday celebration spinoff short was also removed months later.
The dialogue was said to be "pun–laden", with the moral being that friends can take various forms. Said to be similar to Dinosaucers, it is noted for being a continuation of a post-war period sentient machines trope. The mechanics of the show were noted to be realistic. It was nominated for two Annie Awards, one Leo Awards, and seven Daytime Emmy Awards, winning two.
Premise
In the world of Dinotrux, the creatures usually stay in herds within their species, or by themselves. They do not build structures either. However, the Dinotrux, which are machines modeled after dinosaurus, Ty-Rux, Dozer, Skya, and Ton–Ton work together with revtools, reptiles modeled after mechanical tools, Revvit, Click–Clack, Waldo, and Ace, to encourage cooperation and construction. To build, or repair, their projects they need various materials. This results in the crew going to different fictional locations. While journeying, they meet new trux and trux species. Some of these are friendly, while others are hostile towards the protagonists. D-Structs, the show's main antagonist, tries to destroy their cooperation and their buildings. This results in them using the help of other characters, outside of the main cast, to defeat him. Although he had initially despised teamwork, D-Structs reluctantly works with other trux in the later seasons, in an attempt to use the other trux to defeat the main protagonists.
Dozer (voiced by Brian Drummond)[4] is a yellow Dozeratops — half-Triceratops and half-bulldozer. He is described as a "cranky hothead" but a true friend with a big heart.[1][7]
Ton-Ton (voiced by Matt Hill)[4] is a blue Ankylodump — half-Ankylosaurus and half-dump truck.[1] He is described as a daredevil who "is always ready for non-stop action and loves to tear it up".[8]
Click-Clack (voiced by Fred Ewanuick)[4] is an orange Rotilian Reptool — half-lizard (resembling a chameleon) and half-rotary drill.[10]
D-Structs (voiced by Paul Dobson)[4] is a white and black-colored Tyrannosaurus Trux — half-Tyrannosaurus rex and half-excavator, who serves as the main antagonist.[1][11]
Season one released on August 14, 2015,[12] featuring ten episodes.[1]
Season 2 (2016)
Season two released on March 11, 2016,[13][14] featuring thirteen episodes.
Season 3 (2016)
Season three released on October 7, 2016,[15][16] featuring sixteen episodes.
Season 4 (2017)
Season four released on March 31, 2017,[17][18] featuring seven episodes.
Season 5 (2017)
Season five released on August 18, 2017,[19][20] featuring six episodes.
Season 6: Supercharged (2017)
Season six released on November 10, 2017,[21] featuring six episodes.
Season 7: Supercharged (2018)
Season seven released on March 23, 2018,[22] featuring seven episodes.
Season 8: Supercharged (2018)
Season eight released on August 3, 2018,[23] featuring thirteen episodes.
Production and release
DreamWorks Animation first optioned rights to Dinotrux, short for "dinosaurus truck",[24] in March 2009, for approximately half a million dollars.[25][26] This was a month before the first book was published, and they had an intention to develop a computer-animated film.[26]
Dinotrux: Supercharged, a continuation of the original Dinotrux show, left Netflix on August 3, 2024. Dinotrux: Happy Birthday To You! left on October 26, 2024. An article from What's on Netflix speculated that this removal was a part of DreamWorks shows being removed, as Netflix's exclusive rights on them expire. Dinotrux: Supercharged no longer offers any official means to watch it, although some of the removed shows were put on Peacock. It is unclear why Dinotrux: Supercharged was removed before the main series, which is predicted by What's on Netflix to stay at least until January 1, 2028.[27]
Keith Uhlich from The Hollywood Reporter compared Dinotrux to Dinosaucers, noting the similarity in concept, idea, and characters. He considered the moral of "friends come in all shapes and sizes", to be "treacly", as the initial episodes mostly had smashing, followed by a short insert of morals. He called the dialogue "pun-laden", and Uhlich thought it worked well as an advertisement for toys.[29] The authors of the book Writing for Animation say that, even though Dinotrux is entirely fantastical, the mechanics of the show is very realistic. They point out that there are no "extreme sound effects" or comical visual jokes.[30] A paper published in the Technology and Culture section of the Johns Hopkins University Press notes that Dinotrux, among other shows, is an adaptation of the impulsive and unpredictable construction machine trope, common in the post-war period. However, a key difference in the modern adaptation is that the humanoid machines do not have operators.[31]
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