New ad teases Jeep’s return to ‘Jurassic World’ movie franchise

A dinosaur is man’s best friend in a new Jeep ad tied into the latest, and reportedly final, installment in the “Jurassic World” movie franchise.

“Jurassic World Dominion” opens in theaters June 10.

The ad, which is being released Wednesday, also known as National Dinosaur Day, according to a news release, features a man discovering a baby Carnotaurus freshly hatched in his yard as his Jeep Wrangler 4xe plug-in hybrid electric vehicle charges up in the man’s garage. He pledges to take care of the pet dinosaur, and they soon go adventuring, in and out of the Wrangler, even trying out the quiet electric mode when the dinosaur is catching some Z’s in the back.

All goes mostly OK, aside from a screaming neighbor and her pooch as man and dinosaur attempt a leashed “walk” and when the man happens to be wearing one of those inflatable T. rex costumes in another scene. OK, that is, until the dino’s mom pops by during a camping trip. 

The ad, part of a global campaign for the Stellantis SUV brand, represents the latest example in recent years of a Jeep tie-in to the franchise that kicked off in 1993 with “Jurassic Park.” In 2018, actor Jeff Goldblum, who plays mathematician Ian Malcolm in the movies, reprised his role — sort of — behind the wheel of a Wrangler giving chase to a T. rex.

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In the original movie, Goldblum’s character, who happens to have a busted leg, rides in the back of an open 1992 Wrangler as a T. rex tries to catch the fleeing vehicle. A shot of the dinosaur in a side mirror, jaws spread wide above the words, “Objects In Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear,” captures one of the more memorable moments from the movie.

Several Jeeps — a Wrangler, Gladiator and vintage Grand Wagoneer — make appearances in the new film, which brings together characters from earlier and later installments and puts dinosaurs and humans in a world where the dinosaurs appear, from the trailer, to have a slight advantage. 

The 30-second broadcast video and extended one-minute version being shown on Jeep social media channels were directed by Mimi Cave with production company Reverie; the campaign was created in partnership with Chicago’s Highdive ad agency, the release said.