Inside the Tense T-Rex Escape Scene from ‘Jurassic World Rebirth’

In our series ‘Anatomy of a Scene,’ filmmakers share the behind-the-scenes decisions involved in crafting pivotal moments in their movies. New episodes release every Friday.

Imagine trying to flee an island teeming with dinosaurs by raft, only to accidentally awaken a sleeping T-Rex—this harrowing situation is central to a standout moment in ‘Jurassic World Rebirth,’ the latest chapter in the enduring dinosaur thriller franchise.

The sequence follows a family stranded on a lush, perilous island. Teresa (played by Luna Blaise) discovers a raft with instructions indicating it must be inflated on solid ground, all while a massive T-Rex slumbers nearby.

Director Gareth Edwards explained that this detail was added during editing after test audiences questioned the logic of inflating the raft in front of a T-Rex.

The filmmakers also employed a clever visual trick during the scene: the T-Rex, initially visible in the background, disappears from view as the raft inflates and turns flat on the water, creating an illusion reminiscent of a magic act.

Regarding the filming locations, Edwards revealed the scene was shot across two primary sites: a large quarry lake in Thailand, used to simulate a river, and Lee Valley in the U.K., a venue originally constructed for the 2012 London Olympics.

Only one of these locations offered warm weather. Edwards noted that filming in the cold rapids of London was particularly challenging for the actors, who endured repeated takes despite the freezing conditions.