Dinosaurs and Early Man (DVD)

Four Shell Oil Company short subjects present "the awesome reality of science," as they graphically describe in layman's terms the incredible story of the birth and evolution of the Earth, the first appearance of life, the rise of the dinosaur age and the origins of man. These films show the process of deciphering clues to reconstruct ancient creatures that once stood three stories tall and weighed in at over 20 tons. The unfathomable age of our planet, the hundreds of millions of years of animal life that preceded the appearance of man (a relative newcomer a mere 250,000 years ago) are among the fascinating subjects covered in this educational program.

Included in this collection are excerpts from 1925's The Lost World in which Willis O'Brien introduced the amazing ground-breaking stop-action animated dinosaurs that he would perfect in the classic King Kong (1933). Also featured are highlights from famed cartoonist Winsor McKay's whimsical 1914 animation classic, Gertie The Dinosaur.

• documentary