'Dinosaurs' will entrance kids

"WALKING WITH DINOSAURS — THE LIVE EXPERIENCE," through Jan. 18, EnergySolutions Arena (355-7328); running time 96 minutes (one intermission).

By the time the first dinosaur poked his head through the curtain — and I believe it was a liliensternus — the kids gathered at the EnergySolutions Arena Wednesday night for "Walking With Dinosaurs" were entranced.

What a difficult task for poor Jonathan Bliss, who played Huxley — our paleontologist/narrator. You've heard the adage about not sharing the stage with kids or animals? As the only human on stage, imagine trying to compete with a 36-foot-tall, 56-foot-long brachiosaurus!

In a pretty amazing feat of special effects, we see the enormity of the creatures that once ruled the Earth (the brachiosaurus being the biggest); learn how the Earth's vegetation grew and adapted (fires could burn for years since no one was around to put them out); and learn how the dinosaurs evolved.

That is, if you bother to listen to poor ol' Huxley. For the most part, the kids' eyes were glued to the curtain, and when it started to open, the anticipation grew to shouts of "There's another one! There's another one!"

With 10 species represented, "Walking With Dinosaurs" does a good job of giving ample stare-at-the-dinosaur time. Although you can see technically how the dinosaurs are being moved around the floor, it's not something you pay much attention to, once you hear the mighty roar and pounding steps — which, thanks to an impressive sound system, rumble in your stomach and underneath your feet.

The dinosaurs are certainly ready for their close-up with lifelike, rippling skin, blinking eyelids and lots of teeth.

The Utahraptors got a nice reception, only to be dwarfed, both in size and applause, by the T. rex.

I'm not quite sure where to tell you to sit — as the spectacle, though large scale, could be lost if you're up too high. But "WWD" does have big screens to help with the distance. Though on Wednesday night, one of the screens wasn't working, leaving half of the house without a good view of the close-ups.

"WWD" is a pretty entertaining night out for parents and kids, and, if you're not careful, you just might learn something, too.

E-mail: ehansen@desnews.com