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Today is a great day for Blu-Ray collectors! The "Jurassic Park" trilogy is now available in all its dino-tastic, awesome old school special effects glory. It's hard to believe that the original "Jurassic Park" came out almost 20 years ago, I remember the trauma/delight of that moviegoing experience like it was yesterday...

To celebrate this excellent event, MTV News was lucky enough to catch up with a few of the film's key players: Ariana Richards (aka Lex) and the multiple award-winning FX masterminds Dennis Muren, Phil Tippett and John Rosengrant. Check out the video below to see what they had to say about their favorite scenes and what the experience meant to them.

"I love revisiting the kitchen scene because it was so intense and I always found it one of the most frightening scenes to watch," Richards said of the scene that sticks out the most in her memory. "There was a moment in there where I needed to save my brother from being killed by one of these things and Steven [Spielberg] came over to me and said, 'Ariana, just scare us. Just let loose.' And I did, and I didn't know I could do it, but he brought things out of me that I didn't know I had."

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Tags Ariana Richards, Dennis Muren, John Rosengrant, jurassic park, Phil Tippett

There's a lot to love in "Super 8," not the least of which is the fairly spoilery viral clip that was released yesterday, detailing the monster at the center of the film.

"Super 8" is far from the first movie to create an informational video to catch audiences up to speed on the film's central premise. In fact, it's turned out to be something of a sci-fi staple. Everything from "Jurassic Park" to "Wall-E" has seemingly incorporated some element of these retro, potentially viral informational clips as a means to educate their viewers on the background of their films.

After the jump, we've picked five of our favorite videos-within-movies and detail why they've stuck with us for so long.

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Tags jurassic park, lost, Starship Troopers, Super 8, total recall, wall-e

For a generation of cinephiles Sam Neill may always be "Jurassic Park's" biggest skeptic: paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant, the dino-expert who is not sure that the idea of a theme park featuring dinosaurs made from DNA extracted from prehistoric mosquitoes is such a good idea.

Neill famously played the character in both the first (and the best) and the last (and not as best) "Jurassic Park" movies, leaving nearly a decade since he got into dino-hunting mode... and if we're being honest, there's still a part of us hoping that someday we might hit up our local Cineplex to catch another film in the franchise with Neill in the lead role.

Well, we might feel that way, but it turns out Neill doesn't. MTV News spoke with the actor on Monday at the Fox Upfront presentation, where he and "Lost" alum Jorge Garcia were promoting their new J.J. Abrams show, "Alcatraz" -- and the occasional paleontologist was pretty quick to kill all our childhood hopes and dreams with all the ruthless efficiency of a velociraptor (which he does an excellent impression of in the video above at the 55 second mark).

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Tags Alcatraz, Jorge Garcia, jurassic park, jurassic park 4, Sam Neill

Is it possible that we'll actually take a return trip to "Jurassic Park" at some point in the future? Judging by the amount of Hollywood remakes, retreads and reboots, it's more or less a certainty that the dinosaur-filled franchise will rear its head again before too much longer.

"Jurassic Park III" director Joe Johnston spoke about the topic at length in an interview with Box Office, during which he also described his upcoming work on "The First Avenger: Captain America." According to the filmmaker, not only will we see future installments of "Jurassic Park," those films will also go in a brand new direction. Read more...

Tags Joe Johnston, jurassic park, Jurassic Park IV

The medical doctor-turned-superstar-author Michael Crichton has passed away unexpectedly after a battle with cancer. He was 66.

Crichton enjoyed critical and commercial success with a series of bestselling novels, often invoking scientific themes surrounding biology and genetics. Hollywood mined a number of his novels, translating them into such hit films as "The Andromeda Strain," "Rising Sun," "Disclosure," "Congo," "Sphere," and the blockbuster "Jurassic Park" franchise, of which a fourth installment is currently in development.

In a statement released to MTV News, a representative for the Crichton family said: "While the world knew him as a great storyteller that challenged our preconceived notions about the world around us -- and entertained us all while doing so -- his wife Sherri, daughter Taylor, family and friends knew Michael Crichton as a devoted husband, loving father and generous friend who inspired each of us to strive to see the wonders of our world through new eyes. Through his books, Michael Crichton served as an inspiration to students of all ages, challenged scientists in many fields, and illuminated the mysteries of the world in a way we could all understand. He did this with a wry sense of humor that those who were privileged to know him personally will never forget."

Along with co-writing screenplays for "Jurassic Park" and "Twister" and directing "Coma," Crichton was also the creator of the long-running NBC series "ER."

Which Michael Crichton film ranks as your favorite? Remember the author/filmmaker below.

Tags jurassic park, michael crichton, sphere