Jurassic Park is a series about absent parents. The
dinosaurs are mostly clones - they were created from mishmashes of frogs and
mosquito guts. They're built as living entertainment products, and raised to
obey in cages. Subconsciously you know all this, and it's part of why you root
for them to eat people so many times. But they aren't the only parentless
children in this universe.
Consider Jurassic World's most obligatory characters: the
kids. Zach and Gray Mitchell are tourists, put upon to survive, with minimal contribution
to problem solving. They are a checklist of child tropes, and one obvious check
item is their parents' divorce. The Mitchells sent them to the park to have one
last positive memory before their impending split. Zach and Gray know it's
coming, and it brings the younger to tears. The people that gave them life and
are supposed to raise them won't stick it out. The older brother reflects that
at least he'll be out to college in a couple years. These kids don't even
expect to rely on their parents.
It's no accident that the dino-obsessed kid is named "Gray,"
while the lead raptor is "Blue." They're the lead colors of the logo,
most of the promotional posters, and the color filters over the film. They are
the opposite sides of Jurassic World's obsession with children of questionable
parents.
