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Eric Kirby is a central character in Jurassic Park III. He is portrayed by Trevor Morgan.

History[]

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Eric Kirby.

Eric Kirby is a 12-year-old dinosaur enthusiast who becomes stranded on infamous Isla Sorna after a parasailing accident. He has to survive, completely alone, on the island for eight weeks, using only his intelligence and knowledge as weapons.

Eric had read two of Dr. Alan Grant's books, one from before Isla Nublar and one after the incident, stating that he liked the first better as it conveyed Grant liking dinosaurs. He'd also read Dr. Ian Malcolm's book, but found it to be kind of "preachy" and "high on himself", and talking too much about "chaos".

Since his parents, Paul and Amanda Kirby, failed to get any help from either the US or Costa Rica government to rescue him, they resort to inviting Dr. Grant on false pretenses, thus starting the events in the movie.

Although at first, Grant doubts that Eric is still alive, he soon discovers that the boy has managed to survive. Eric saves Grant from a pack of Velociraptors and takes him to his camp in an overturned water truck, its tank providing safe and solid shelter from both the elements and predators. Being a dinosaur lover and having read Grant's books, Eric immediately recognizes the paleontologist and the two start forming a friendly relationship, especially after Grant learns that Eric wasn't a fan of Malcolm's book either.

Later, Eric is reunited with his parents and saved by Billy Brennan from a flock of murderous Pteranodons. In the end, he leaves the island with his parents; although unstated, it is hinted that Paul and Amanda reconcile and get married again. In fact, in a deleted scene from Jurassic Park III, the two of them kiss and decide to come back together for Eric, who watches them in delight.

Personality and traits[]

Eric Kirby was only 12, but showed great intelligence and survival skills for his age, being able to survive on Isla Sorna for 8 weeks alone without being killed by the island's dangerous inhabitants. Some examples include of his skills are using Tyrannosaurus rex urine (remarking to Grant that he didn't "want to know" how Eric collected it) to detour smaller carnivorous dinosaurs like Compsognathus, learning to use gas grenades against the Raptors, and simply acquiring food with prehistoric predators lurking. To avoid being seen while out scavenging supplies, Eric crafted an encompassing cloak covered with leaves for camouflage. Eric also had an interest in dinosaurs, which helped him survive on Isla Sorna.

Production and development[]

The first drafts of Jurassic Park III had a kid named Miles that was the son of an actual millionaire. This character would later evolve into the definitive script's Eric Kirby. Even on the website called "Dan's JP3 Page", a part of Miles Roby's script had allegedly leaked, along with his father and another character, who is supposed to be a bodyguard, named Cooper.[1][2][3][4] 

Trivia[]

  • Out of all the teen/or children characters, Eric is the only one who actually had to live and adapt to the island. Another thing that makes Eric stand out as a survivalist is that he survived on the island alone. Characters like Lex Murphy, Tim Murphy, and Kelly Malcolm all stayed on the islands only for about two days; and they had adult protection. Gray and Zach Mitchell were only on the island for a few hours in Jurassic World. Eric, however, survived on one of the islands for eight weeks by himself and without anyone's assistance.
  • Ironically, Eric's actor, Trevor Morgan, had starred in Barney's Great Adventure years earlier, a drastically different encounter with dinosaurs.
  • Following his parents' divorce, it was never specified as to who had custody over Eric, although it is implied Amanda did as she blamed herself for Eric's disappearance, stating it wouldn't have happened if he had been with Paul and how well Eric knew Amanda's boyfriend, Ben. 

References[]

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