Troodon ("wounding tooth") appeared in the Rite of Spring segment from Disney's Fantasia.
Appearances[]
Fantasia[]
It was seen attacking an Archaeopteryx. While many viewers assume it is an Ornitholestes (due to being shown preying on Archaeopteryx, a common cliche in dinosaur books of the time) or a Compsognathus (due to its small size), the script identifies it as a Troodon. However, it is an unusual depiction of Troodon to modern viewers, with a domed head and a pair of horns above its eyes. This is due to its design being based on a hypothesis-- which has since been disproved-- that Troodon was a carnivorous member of the pachycephalosaur group.
Trivia[]
- Contrary to its depiction in Fantasia, Troodon was actually related to theropods, such as Velociraptor, and as such would have had feathers and a large scythe-like claw on each foot. It would not have had a domed head or horns, but it did have a larger brain than most dinosaurs and may have been the most intelligent dinosaur known.
- In a 2017 review of Troodontidae, it was revealed that Troodon formosus was the type species. Whether or not it's based on a tooth is dubious. Most specimens have been transferred to other genera.
