The Basin is a story sequel to the first Jurassic Park movie. It’s also a story I didn’t intend to write. But watching the movie was such a joy ride, and I immediately pondered the possibility of a sequel. Two ideas quickly came to mind, one of which I used as writing practice (which was my way of loosening up before beginning my real writing).

Some months later, I read that Amblin Entertainment intended to produce a sequel to Jurassic Park, but that Michael Crichton wasn’t certain he would write a sequel to his novel. If he did, Amblin Entertainment wasn’t certain they would use it as the basis for their next movie.

That changed things. I immediately got to work fleshing out one of the story ideas and turning it into a full-blown screenplay. I found an agent who liked the screenplay and who contacted Amblin Entertainment to see if they would read it. At that point, Amblin had a story idea already in development, which turned out to be based on Michael Crichton’s novel.

Since The Basin picks up after the first Jurassic Park, it would have proven difficult to use it as the basis for another sequel. But I’ve always felt it would be a great straight-to-video animated feature for kids and adults intrigued by the philosophy and science of Jurassic Park. The original movie proved too scary for young children, so I made The Basin suitable for a younger crowd. The story is still a bit scary in parts, but I think most kids around eight years old should be able to read it (or have it read to them) without too much fright – or just enough to make them squirm with delight. The intellectual and philosophical aspects of the story were incorporated mainly as symbolism — the adult audience will see it only if inclined to do so.