Animal World, The

"Two billion years in the making!" trumpeted the ads for this fabulous Technicolor treat from Irwin Allen (The Poseidon Adventure, The Towering Inferno). The Animal World investigates the wonders of an astonishing array of creatures from butterflies to whales. But the unquestioned highlight is a 12-minute stop-motion recreation of prehistoric life, featuring an adorable baby brontosaurus, a terrifying death-match between a stegosaurus and a ceratosaurus and a host of unfortunate dinosaurs trapped by molten lava. The geniuses behind the segment? Ray Harryhausen (Jason and the Argonauts, The Golden Voyage of Sinbad) and Willis O'Brien (King Kong). You bet your Jurassic it's fun!

• documentary