# Dinosaur Train (2009)

> A Tyrannosaurus Rex named Buddy and his adoptive Pteranodon family ride a whimsical prehistoric train that teaches young viewers about life science and natural history.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/28382

## Facts

- Seasons: 6
- Episodes: 207
- Episode runtime: 11 min
- Status: Returning Series
- Genres: animation, family, science fiction
- Created by: Craig Bartlett
- Network: PBS Kids
- Cast: Erika-Shaye Gair, Lee Tockar, Phillip Corlett, Claire Margaret Corlett, Alexander Matthew Marr, Ellen Kennedy, Ian James Corlett, Colin Murdock
- TMDB rating: 6.5/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1460205/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: none
- Tone: gentle, whimsical, joyful, curious, wholesome

## What critics say

Critics broadly appreciate Dinosaur Train as a gentle, well-crafted preschool science show that makes paleontology accessible to young children.

## Synopsis

Dinosaur Train (2009-present) is an American educational animated children's series created by Craig Bartlett for PBS Kids. Buddy, a young Tyrannosaurus Rex, is raised by an adoptive Pteranodon family and rides a whimsical train that carries the group through prehistoric jungles, swamps, volcanoes and oceans. Each short episode turns on a curiosity about dinosaurs or the natural world, and the family pauses to explore it through simple discovery, letting young viewers absorb basic concepts in life science, natural history and paleontology. The series runs across six seasons and over two hundred episodes, presenting standalone adventures rather than one continuing plot. Its look is bright 3D computer animation, and its tone is gentle, warm and joyful, with a cozy emphasis on family bonds and curiosity. Its producers at The Jim Henson Company brought a playful, puppet-era sensibility to the material. Fans of The Magic School Bus, Wild Kratts and Bill Nye Saves the World will find the same mix of wonder and factual learning in a preschool-friendly format.

## Shows like Dinosaur Train

- [Shining Time Station (1989)](https://ember.film/tv/509)
- [Dinotrux (2015)](https://ember.film/tv/56254)
- [Team Umizoomi (2010)](https://ember.film/tv/29126)
- [Cadillacs and Dinosaurs (1993)](https://ember.film/tv/15617)
- [Prehistoric Park (2006)](https://ember.film/tv/748)
- [Dragon Tales (1999)](https://ember.film/tv/1492)
- [The Backyardigans (2004)](https://ember.film/tv/1772)
- [Dinosaur King (2007)](https://ember.film/tv/19737)
- [The Land Before Time (2007)](https://ember.film/tv/3631)
- [Denver, the Last Dinosaur (1988)](https://ember.film/tv/9381)

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