For this Animation Weekend, AKAPAD The Film Buff dives into an overlooked Paramount+ animated series—ARK: The Animated Series. This show impressed Peter so much that he had to bump today’s scheduled release to make room for this discussion. We’re often told to seek out what’s new and what’s good—ARK: The Animated Series is both.

Beyond the show itself, this episode also explores a larger question: Why isn’t there more dinosaur-driven storytelling in today’s marketplace?

*** Producers note***

AKAPAD recoreded this episode with very little sleep, so at time he rambles.

Those who brought us The Ark The Animated series.

Main Voice Cast

Madeleine Madden – Helena Walker

Michelle Yeoh – Meiyin Li

Gerard Butler – General Gaius Marcellus Nerva

David Tennant – Sir Edmund Rockwell

Zahn McClarnon – John / Thunder Comes Charging

Devery Jacobs – Alasie

Jeffrey Wright – Henry Townsend

Recurring and Guest Roles

Dee Bradley Baker – Dodo, Scary, Rhubarb, Monkey

Juliet Mills – Chava

Tonantzin Carmelo – Zitkala

Cissy Jones – Gladiatrix

Armen Taylor – Randall Wallace

Russell Crowe – Kor the Prophet

Vin Diesel – Santiago

Karl Urban – Bob

Elliot Page – Victoria Walker

Deborah Mailman – Deborah Walker

Tatanka Means – Mato

Malcolm McDowell – Senator Lucius Cassius Virilis

Alan Tudyk – The Captain

Monica Bellucci – Cassia Virila

Production Crew

Directors: Jay Oliva, David Hartman, Chase Conley, Sebastian Montes, Jeremy Stieglitz

Producers: Vin Diesel, Gerard Butler, Jeremy Stieglitz, Jesse Rapczak, Alan Siegel, Doug Kennedy

Writers: Marguerite Bennett, Kendall Deacon Davis

Composer: Gareth Coker

A little bit more about The Ark The Animateed Series

ARK: THE ANIMATED SERIES

Alright, nerds and dino-fanatics, buckle up because ARK: The Animated Series is here to rip through your TV screen like a raptor in a meat locker! Based on the massively popular survival game, this show is a high-octane, time-bending thrill ride that asks one simple question: What if history’s greatest warriors, scientists, and survivors all woke up in a prehistoric nightmare—together?

Enter Helena Walker, a 21st-century paleontologist who finds herself resurrected on a savage world where dinosaurs roam, warlords rule, and survival is anything but guaranteed. With no memory of how she got there, Helena has to adapt fast, forming uneasy alliances with warriors from different eras—think samurai, Vikings, and futuristic soldiers—all while fending off the ruthless General Nerva and the sinister alchemist Sir Edmund Rockwell. Oh, and did we mention Vin Diesel is in this? Because Vin Diesel is in this.

It’s Jurassic Park meets Conan the Barbarian, with a dash of Lost and a whole lot of dino-fueled action. The animation? Slick. The battles? Brutal. The stakes? Nothing short of survival itself. And with a voice cast stacked with Hollywood heavyweights like Michelle Yeoh, David Tennant, Gerard Butler, and, yeah, Vin freakin’ Diesel, this is one prehistoric epic you don’t want to sleep on.

So sharpen your spears, mount your T-Rex, and prepare for war—because ARK: The Animated Series is coming for your eyeballs!