Jurassic World: The Exhibition

We went to the Excel Centre in London back in January of this year and it was amazing!

Arriving at the ExCel Centre, London, UK

Once we found somewhere to park and entered the venue, we found some clues to follow…

Following the Jurassic World dinosaur footsteps, we eventually got to the Jurassic World Exhibition entrance:

We didn’t mind queuing outside in the typically overcast UK weather as we got to see some classic Jurassic World displays with the Velociraptor, Blue, the original T rex, Rexy, who spans from Jurassic Park all the way up to Jurassic World: Dominion and those gates on the way in!

Entering the Jurassic World Exhibition

Once inside, we were met with… another queue!

But this was fine. We got to see more JW displays such as:

These were the only two we managed to get a clear shot of, the chaotic Stygimoloch that played a key part in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and the main villain of Jurassic World, the Indominus Rex. Hopefully if we go again we will manage to snap them all!

Whilst queuing (at least inside now), we were herded toward a photoshoot with a large blank background for all us guests to purchase at the end with our choice of backdrop. More on that later!

This was clearly a ploy at guest management but it was perfect, as the ambience from the very beginning felt very “Jurassic,” with the displays, sound effects and staff in Jurassic World uniform, the atmosphere was just right.

Once we got past the photoshoot, we were ready to board the Jurassic World ferry!

How the Jurassic World Exhibition Starts

Just like our introduction to Isla Nublar since the island went from prehistoric safari park to full on Disney-like holiday resort, we started on the Jurassic World ferry.

The room was setup very cleverly with ferry décor, as can be seen above our heads in the photo above, and screens at the sides showing the ocean.

To the front was a main display showing the exciting things we can expect and the staff narrating it. It was a very nice way to get us all in the Jurassic mood.

Arrival at Isla Nublar

After the introduction, the “ferry” arrives at Islar Nublar and we enter the show proper…

And now the real excitement begins.

The first attraction we see is none other than the first herbivore we see in the original Jurassic Park movie, the huge but gentle Brachiosaurus. It was a very fitting dinosaur to meet us at the iconic Jurassic World gates:

The above photo wasn’t the best shot, I had to zoom right in to get a close up of the head! But the detail is clear and the photos below show more of how this mighty dinosaur was presented from within a classic-looking Jurassic Park or Jurassic World enclosure.

This was really well done in showing us the first Jurassic World dinosaur at this event. It was HUGE! And although it was mostly within the enclosure, behind the electric fence, the way it loomed over us made it seem very close and helped show, and give us a feel for this massive creature’s scale.

Over in the corner, we were treated to a baby pterosaur. Although not a dinosaur, these creatures still have a huge presence in the Jurassic World franchise.

We didn’t get a chance to spend much time in this area but the attention to detail was superb. It’s clearly a puppet but in the moment, surrounded by all things Jurassic World and the staff playing at being JW staff, it was a very cool addition.

Next up, on our way to the next part of the show, was a dangerous herbivorous dinosaur introduced in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.

The display showed us a Stygimoloch inside a transport lorry, behaving typically bolshy and rattling the vehicle, occasionally raising its head above for all of us to see. It was another clever way of blending the animatronics with the environment and this display was understated, as it was in the background whilst we made our way to the labs.

Jurassic World Labs and Visitor Centre

This was amazing. From the very first glance it looked like stepping into the Jurassic World Innovation Centre, complete with fancy displays of DNA and cells, some very cleverly done dinosaur incubators, and amber displays.

Lots of guests, including us, spent a lot of time in the Jurassic World Lab, watching the baby Parasaurolophus gently breathing in their incubator displays, checking out the amber collection, reading the interactive displays and soaking up the ambience of the movies.

Next up was something amazing, probably one of most dangerous species of dinosaur featured in Jurassic Park and then made “trainable” in Jurassic World, the swift and deadly Velociraptor!

Raptor Squad

Whether you grew up on the classic Jurassic Park velociraptors from the original trilogy, or were introduced to these fearsome predators in the Jurassic World movies, this next part of the tour was brilliant!

Although it was just their faces on display, seeing most of the Raptor Squad up this close was an amazing thing to watch. Charlie, Echo and Delta were nuzzled with thick steel cages to allow the keepers access without getting eaten.

The animatronics were subtle, yet effective. Like you’d expect from most reptiles (one of the closest living groups to compare dinosaurs to), they were mostly still but then they would randomly snarl, growl or breath hard through their nostrils. There was also shaking of the nuzzles, as you’d expect from keeping these fearsome predators locked up like this.

The keepers were very effective at giving a talk, much like being at a zoo and being educated on the animal in question.

As cool as this was, the star of the show was missing. But she wasn’t far at all.

Blue Performance

In this part of the show, we got to see the velociraptor known as Blue. We saw a lot more than her head!

Unfortunately we couldn’t get any photos of Blue herself at the time, but you can see from the photos above and below how amazing the ambience and scenery was. The fence was a very nice nostalgic throwback to Jurassic Park and going for high security over aesthetics.

The show itself featured a velociraptor trainer like Jurassic World’s Owen Grady showing off the raptor, who roamed around freely inside the enclosure, following the direction of the trainer.

When looking closely, you could see black trouser-clad human legs moving the puppet raptor but with the overall feel of the place, the combination of Jurassic Park style fencing, lights and sounds and live feel of feel of the place, this was easily ignored (if noticed in the first place).

It’s a shame we couldn’t get any more photos of this section, especially of Blue herself but we will definitely be coming back when we can and hopefully get a better spot!

Indominus Feeding

We were surprised this wasn’t part of the finale, and when they announced the Indominus Rex was getting fed, we were beyond excited! Well, I was. I’m sure all the kids there were too.

Apologies for the blurriness, it was difficult to get the angle and we had to zoom right in. But you can see how cool the Indominus scenery and animatronic was! We were expecting this beast to try and escape but unlike the villainous Indominus from Jurassic World, this one was exceptionally well behaved!

Gyrosphere and fossils

Once we moved on to the next part, there was an amazing reprieve from the animatronic dinosaurs in the form of a spacious room with a Gyrosphere set piece – which you could sit inside! – and some fossils and interactive bits.

There were lots of things to look at during this more relaxed part of the exhibition and there was even an adorable little puppet or animatronic Bumpy, the juvenile Ankylosaurus from Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous!

T rex breakout

Now on to the finale of the show, and of course it’s something you’d expect from anything Jurassic Park or Jurassic World…

It’s none other than Rexy, the Tyrannosaurus Rex in the original JP and JW films!

As we left the Gyrosphere area, the staff were agitated and telling everyone to move quick, sounding panicked and the alarms started going off. We entered the T Rex enclosure viewing area and got to see the mighty rex trying to escape! The fencing and signage was classic Jurassic Park and the animatronic T Rex was very impressive!

We only saw the head and torso but it was more than enough. The animal moved across and it looked believable, especially with the staff acting as part of the show.

When the situation was under control and Rexy was safely contained, we were encouraged to exit through to the gift shop and the staff jokingly told us that due to the emergency and risk of us getting eaten the gifts were on the manager. The staff at the venue definitely seemed to enjoy being part of the whole thing.

Jurassic World Exhibition Gift Shop

This. Was Awesome.

As a life-long fan of Jurassic Park in his 30’s and bringing a ten year old raised on both Jurassic Park and Jurassic World, there was nothing better than walking out of the show and into a shop dedicated to the franchise.

I was informed by said ten year old that the many Lego Jurassic World sets were very well priced. In fact, most of the shop had a variety of items and very reasonably priced.

Having said that, we were relatively sensible and only bought a couple of things each, as you can see below.

Whilst in the gift shop we happened see Blue again, but this time up, close and personal!

She made a great centrepiece and helped break the room up. It was a shame she wasn’t for sale though.

There were many other products from clothing to playsets, mugs and model toys to Funko Pop! figures.

The Exhibition has since packed up and moved on to another place, probably another country, but when it’s back, we’ll be going back to it!

We also picked up our photos taken from the entrance with Dinosaur backdrops, which will be added once I’ve uploaded them. Hopefully you’ve enjoyed reading about the UK exhibition, even with some of the photos being blurry!