Production

Before Crichton's book was published, four studios put in bids to acquire the film rights.

Spielberg, with the backing of Universal Studios, acquired the rights for $1.5 million before publication in 1990, and Crichton was hired for an additional $500,000 to adapt the novel for the screen.

David Koepp wrote the final draft, which left out much of the novel's exposition and violence and made numerous changes to the characters. Filming took place in California and Hawaii.

The dinosaurs were created through groundbreaking computer-generated imagery by Industrial Light & Magic in conjunction with life-sized animatronic dinosaurs built by Stan Winston's team.

Following an extensive $65 million marketing campaign, which included licensing deals with 100 companies, Jurassic Park grossed over $900 million worldwide.

The film surpassed another Spielberg film, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, to become the highest-grossing film released up to that time.

Following a 3D re-release to celebrate the film's 20th anniversary on April 5, 2013, Jurassic Park has grossed over $1 billion at the box office making it the 17th film to gross over $1 billion.

The film currently ranks as the fifteenth highest grossing film worldwide, and 16th-highest-grossing film in North America, unadjusted for inflation.

It is the highest-grossing film released by Universal and directed by Spielberg.

The film was also well-received by critics, with praise to the effects and Spielberg's direction, but criticism on the writing, and won many awards, mostly for its visual effects.

It is considered by many as one of the greatest science fiction films ever made, as well as a landmark in the use of computer-generated imagery.

Development

Michael Crichton originally conceived a screenplay about a graduate student who recreates a dinosaur; he continued to wrestle with his fascination with dinosaurs and cloning until he began writing the novel Jurassic Park.

Even before publication, Spielberg learned of the novel in October 1989 while he and Crichton were discussing a screenplay that would become the television series ER.

Before the book was published, Crichton demanded a non-negotiable fee of $1.5 million as well as a substantial percentage of the gross.

Warner Bros. and Tim Burton, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Richard Donner, and 20th Century Fox and Joe Dante bid for the rights, but Universal eventually acquired them in May 1990 for Spielberg.

Universal paid Crichton a further $500,000 to adapt his own novel, which he had finished by the time Spielberg was filming Hook.

Crichton noted that because the book was "fairly long" his script only had about 10 to 20 percent of the novel's content; scenes were dropped for budgetary and practical reasons.

After completing Hook, Spielberg wanted to film Schindler's List.

Music Corporation of America (then Universal Pictures' parent company) president Sid Sheinberg gave a green light to the film on one condition: that Spielberg make Jurassic Park first.

Spielberg later said, "He knew that once I had directed Schindler I wouldn't be able to do Jurassic Park."

The director later declared that by choosing a creature-driven thriller, "I was really just trying to make a good sequel to Jaws, on land."

To create the dinosaurs, Spielberg at first thought of hiring Bob Gurr, who designed a giant mechanical King Kong for Universal Studios Hollywood's King Kong Encounter.

Upon considering that the life-sized dinosaurs would be too expensive and not all convincing, Spielberg instead decided to look after the best effects supervisors in Hollywood.

Brought in were Stan Winston to create the animatronic dinosaurs, Phil Tippett to create go motion dinosaurs for long shots, Michael Lantieri to supervise the on-set effects, and Dennis Muren of Industrial Light & Magic to do the digital compositing.

Resources: Wikipedia.org, imdb.com,
jurassicpark.wikia.com

Open Sea: A helicopter skims low over the shimmering Pacific. Hammond, Grant, Ellie, are huddled in the back of the chopper. There are two other passengers as well -- Gennaro, the lawyer from the amber mine, now dressed in safari clothes, everything straight from Banana Republic.

The other Dr. Ian Malcom, fortyish, dressed all in black, with snakeskin boots and tinted glasses. Malcolm, who finds it hard to take his eyes off Ellie, leans over and shouts over the engine whine.

Malcom: So you two dig up dinosaurs?

Malcolm laughs, finding this very amusing, which confuses Grant.

Hammond [turns to Sattler, annoyed]: You'll have to get used to Dr. Malcolm, he suffers from a deplorable excess of personality, especially for a mathematician.

Malcom explains he is a Chaotician, which Hammond scoffs at the title, and waves him off.

Malcom: Dr. Sattler, Dr. Grant, you've heard of chaos theory?

Ellie: No.

Malcom: No? Non-linear equations? Strange attractions? Dr. Sattler, I refuse to believe that you aren't familiar with the concept of attraction.

Grant just rolls his eyes as Malcolm gives Ellie an oily grin, but she smiles, enjoying Grant's jealousy. Hammond turns to Gennaro and gives him a dirty look.

Grant [to Gennaro, referring to Malcolm]: I bring scientists -- you bring a rock star.

Hammond looks out the windshield and sees the island up ahead, the others see it. Isla Nublar, it's a smallish island, completely ringed by thick clouds that give it a lush, mysterious feel.

The pilot pulls up over a spot in the clouds and starts to descend, fast. The helicopter drops like a stone. Outside the windows, they can see cliff walls racing by, uncomfortably close. They bounce like hell, hitting wind up and down drafts. As they near the ground, a luminous white cloud cross appears below them, a landing pad. The cross grows rapidly larger as the chopper plummets and finally lands.

Helicopter Landing Pad: Two jeeps are waiting for them. One of the workers opens the door and the group gets out. Hammond looks out, proudly. The group load into the jeeps as the helicopter ascends, making it's exit. The two open-top jeeps roar away from the landing cross. Ellie, Grant, and Malcom hold on tight in the front jeep, Hammond and Gennaro are in the rear jeep. Both cars have Drivers.

They pass through an enormous gate in a thirty foot high fence, which is closed behind them by two Park Attendants. There are large electrical insulators on the fences, warning lights that strobe importantly and clear signs -- "DANGER - 10,000 VOLTS." After the jeeps pass through, the attendants secure the gate and an activation light goes from red to green.

In the rear jeep, Gennaro is grilling Hammond about park security. Hammond assures all security measures have been taken and he should just relax

Gennaro: Let's get something straight, John, this is not a weekend excursion, this is a serious investigation of the stability of the island. Your investors, whom I represent, are deeply concerned. And 48 hours from now, if they're not convinced, I'm not convinced. I'll shut you down, John.

Hammond [smiles]: In 48 hours, I'll be accepting your apologies.

In the lead jeep, Ellie stares off to the right, fascinated by the thick tropical plant life around them. She tilts her head, as if something's wrong with this picture. She reaches out and grabs hold of a leafy branch as they drive by, tearing it from the tree. Hammond orders the driver to stop, and watches the three guests intently as the lead jeep comes to a stop also.

Ellie stares at the leaf, amazed, running her hand lightly over it, she calls for Alan's attention. But Grant's not paying attention.

He's staring too, out the other side of the jeep. Grant notices that a few of the tree trunks are leafless - just as thick as the other trees, but gray and bare. Grant twists in his seat as the jeep stops and looks at one of the gray tree trunks.