As insane as the Season 1 ending of Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous may have been, the showrunners have confirmed that all the events of the series are considered canon within the Jurassic World franchise. The Netflix animated series may be meant for young adults, but the finale of this recent season was so dark that it sparked debates about whether the show is suitable for kids.
The following contains spoilers for Season 1 of Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous.
Camp Cretaceous follows the story of six teenagers participating in a summer camp on Isla Nublar. It takes place during the first Jurassic World movie, though the main characters of Jurassic World have not yet made an appearance. Like all Jurassic Park stories, things start to go awry when dinosaurs begin escaping. The teens end up losing one of their campers, Ben, who they assume has fallen to his death after a pterodactyl fight (but don’t worry, he’s ok). The remaining campers make their way to the island’s shore only to discover that all the boats have left, leaving them trapped on the island.
In an interview with io9, showrunner Scott Kreamer confirmed that this dark ending is entirely canon within the Jurassic World series, meaning that between Jurassic World and Fallen Kingdom, there were six teenagers trapped alone on an island full of hungry dinosaurs. As wild as it seems, Kreamer reveals that this was the plan for the show from the very beginning. He even involved the creators of Jurassic World in the show’s development: “The director of Jurassic World, Colin Trevorrow, was very involved, continuously—as far as story, as far as canon, and as far as designs. All sorts of things. Everything that’s onscreen was approved by Colin, and Frank Marshall, and Steven Spielberg. So yes, this is considered full canon.”
Though Camp Cretaceous has not yet been renewed for a second season, there are already some theories about what the rest of the story might hold. In his interview, Kreamer hints that a second season would focus on Ben, the presumed-dead camper abandoned by his friends. “The events of the season would have a definite effect on Ben and his personality, and his worldview,” Kreamer says. Given this, we might get to see Ben emerge as a sort of villain for Season 2, looking for revenge against his former friends.
Of course, the bigger question for Jurassic World fans is whether this now-canon TV show will affect the movie franchise. Since the Netflix show doesn’t have as wide an audience, it’s unlikely to have a full crossover moment. That said, Jurassic World: Dominion is still in production, and the filmmakers could have plenty of opportunities to include a subtle reference to the weird and wonderful show that is Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous.
Source: io9