There are many ingredients that go into making a Jurassic Park/Jurassic World movie. Whether it’s human villains, those of the prehistoric variety, a vehicle of some kind being upturned by a large dinosaur, or badly timed tropical storms — these films rely on a number of signature details.
You’ll also find a child character in every single film in the franchise. There’s even an animated series that revolves around a group of “younger versions of adults”! But now you’re probably wondering where we pulled the number 17 from, seeing as there are only seven such characters in the movies.
Well, we’ve ranked every child character from the entire franchise (with the exception of 2019’s short film Battle at Big Rock), including characters from Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous (2020), the novels “Jurassic Park” (1990) and “The Lost World” (1995), and of course, the movies.
So, here are all 17 child characters in the Jurassic Park/Jurassic World franchise ranked from worst to best.
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17. Sammy Gutiérrez — Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous
Sammy Gutiérrez (Raini Rodriguez) is one of the five teenagers in Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous. The reason for being at the bottom? She’s very annoying and poorly written. The only remotely interesting thing about her is that she tried to commit espionage for bioengineering company Mantah Corp.
Related: The Ultimate ‘Jurassic Park’ Viewing Guide
16. Kenji Kon — Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous
Though he goes through something of a character arc throughout the show, Kenji Kon (Ryan Potter) is an obnoxious and arrogant trust fund-brat. His forced attempt at being charismatic is also quite nauseating at times, and his sense of entitlement knows no bounds.
Related: A Recap of the ‘Jurassic Park’ Film Series Before You Watch ‘Dominion’
15. Ben Pincus — Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous
At first, Ben Pincus (Sean Giambrone) was one of the more sympathetic characters in Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous. But after being briefly stranded alone in the jungle of Isla Nublar, he suddenly thinks he’s Tarzan, which makes him one of the more pretentious characters of the bunch.
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14. Yasmina — Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous
Yasmina, or “Yaz”, (Kausar Mohammed) is one of the least interesting characters in the show, but the reason we’ve ranked her above some of the others is simply because she’s not really that annoying. That, and she’s extremely athletic, which at least gives her some use in a dinosaur-infested jungle.
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13. Zach Mitchell — Jurassic World
Zach Mitchell (Nick Robinson) isn’t a bad character in Jurassic World (2015), and he does go through an arc when it comes to his younger brother Gray (Ty Simpkins). Unfortunately, he just doesn’t leave much of a mark, and remains one of the more forgettable characters in the series.
Related: The 10 Worst Deaths In the ‘Jurassic Park’ Movies
12. Darius Bowman — Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous
Darius Bowman (Paul-Mikél Williams) is the main character in Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous, and given his love for dinosaurs and his tragic backstory, he’s the only character you really care about in the show. Unfortunately, he can also be pretty sanctimonious when it comes to the dinosaurs.
Related: 5 Ways ‘Jurassic World’ Can Move Forward After ‘Dominion’
11. Brooklynn — Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous
Brooklynn (Jenna Ortega) is a world-famous “vlogger” (or YouTuber, for lack of a better word), and is the most likable of the bunch. Perhaps not at first, because she has the whole “Internet personality” thing dialled up to 11, but as the show goes on, she becomes far less shallow.
Related: The Real Villains in Each ‘Jurassic Park’ Movie
10. Lex Murphy — “Jurassic Park” Novel
Before you end up in a fit of rage, this is the version of Lex Murphy from the novel “Jurassic Park”. Sure, she’s adorable, and is still very sporty like her on-screen counterpart (she loves baseball), however, as she’s a lot younger in the book, she’s also annoyingly bratty.
Related: All the Main Dinosaur Villains From the ‘Jurassic Park’ Movies Ranked Worst to Best
9. Tim Murphy — “Jurassic Park” Novel
Again, this is the version of Tim Murphy from the book and not the 1993 movie of the same name. In the book, Tim is actually older (ages were pretty much reversed for the film), yet it’s fair to say that he doesn’t have the same impact as Lex (Arianna Richards) or Tim (Joseph Mazzello) do on screen.
Related: All the Main Villains in the ‘Jurassic Park’ Movies Ranked Worst to Best
8. Gray Mitchell — Jurassic World
Ty Simpkins gives a great performance as Gray Mitchell in Jurassic World. Gray must face a lot of danger during his short visit to the park, from being trapped in a Gyrosphere that’s being attacked by the Indominus Rex, to being caught in an epic battle between three dinosaurs!
Related: Ian Malcolm Finally Rights a Major Wrong In ‘Jurassic World: Dominion’
7. Kelly Malcolm — The Lost World: Jurassic Park
In The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), Kelly Malcolm (Vanessa Lee Chester) is the daughter of Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum), and is probably famous for all the wrong reasons — she caused many eyes to roll when she drop-kicked a raptor through a wall. Well, we love it!
Related: Did You Know That ‘The Lost World: Jurassic Park’ Is Actually a Remake?
6. Kelly Curtis — “The Lost World” Novel
Kelly Curtis is easily one of the most interesting child characters in the Jurassic Park/Jurassic World franchise. She appears in the novel “The Lost World” as a clever seventh-grader from a broken home, who winds up sneaking into the observation trailers to Isla Sorna/Site B.
Related: Colin Trevorrow Discusses the Possibility of ‘Jurassic World 4’ Being R-Rated
5. Arby Benton — “The Lost World” Novel
Arby Benton is the second child character from “The Lost World” novel, whose only friend is Kelly Curtis. Unlike his friend, though, he is the opposite in many ways — he likes rules, order, and comes from a well-to-do family. And like Lex, he’s a genius when it comes to computers.
Related: ‘Jurassic World: Dominion’ Features Two ‘Lost World’ Characters You Definitely Missed
4. Eric Kirby — Jurassic Park III
Eric Kirby (Trevor Morgan) is one of the most disliked child characters in the franchise, but we think this is due to the fact that he’s in Jurassic Park III (2001), the most hated film in the series. But Eric manages to survive eight weeks on his own in the jungles of Isla Sorna/Site B!
Related: 7 Things in ‘Jurassic Park 3’ That Make Absolutely No Sense
3. Tim Murphy — Jurassic Park
Tim Murphy (Joe Mazzello) is one of the greats, having appeared in the movie that started in all — Jurassic Park (1993). He ends up enduring a lot during his time in the jungle, from falling into a tree to getting electrocuted! But somehow, he still always seems to be in the mood to crack jokes at his older sister!
Related: Did Universal Just Foreshadow a Live-Action ‘Jurassic World’ TV Series Set on the Mainland?
2. Maisie Lockwood — Jurassic World Dominion
Maisie Lockwood (Isabella Sermon) is a human clone who first appears in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018), and returns for Jurassic World Dominion (2022). She’s the only child character in the series to have a main role in two movies, and also play two different characters, with the other being the younger version of her own mother, Charlotte Lockwood.
Related: Did Fans Miss This Huge Plot Twist in ‘Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’?
1. Lex Murphy — Jurassic Park
Our top spot was an easy choice. Arianna Richards is brilliant in the role of Lex Murphy in the original Jurassic Park, during which she boasts an impressive range of emotions. She’s also the unsung hero of the film — without her, Jurassic Park would have never come back online.
Related: Does ‘Dominion’ Tease a ‘Jurassic Park’ Prequel Trilogy?
As per the Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment website, here’s the official synopsis for Jurassic World Dominion:
From Jurassic World architect and director Colin Trevorrow, Dominion takes place four years after Isla Nublar has been destroyed. Dinosaurs now live — and hunt –alongside humans all over the world. This fragile balance will reshape the future and determine, once and for all, whether human beings are to remain the apex predators on a planet they now share with history’s most fearsome creatures.
Jurassic World Dominion is directed by Colin Trevorrow and stars Bryce Dallas Howard (Claire Dearing), Chris Pratt (Owen Grady), Mamoudou Athie (Ramsay Cole), Isabella Sermon (Maisie Lockwood), Omar Sy (Barry Sembène), BD Wong (Henry Wu), Campbell Scott (Lewis Dodgson), DeWanda Wise (Kayla), Jeff Goldblum (Dr. Ian Malcolm), Sam Neill (Dr. Alan Grant), and Laura Dern (Dr. Ellie Sattler).
Jurassic World Dominion follows the four previous Jurassic Park/Jurassic World movies — Jurassic Park, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Jurassic Park III, Jurassic World, and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.
Do you agree with this ranking? Let us know in the comments down below!