When, Lucas first awakens in the island, a curious looking ship is seen beached nearby. She is the USS Cyclops, an American coal carrier vessel famous for vanishing, without a trace, near the Bermuda Triangle in 1918.
The visual of the giant crystals under the volcanoes is inspired by the Cueva de los Cristales (Cave of Crystals) located in Chihuahua, Mexico. The cave was formed over millions of years by quartz minerals that grew into giant, 20 ft. long crystals inside a water pocket that was later drained by the operations of a salt mine. Temperatures inside can reach 45° Celsius and it is only accessible for a few minutes while wearing special equipment.
Dinosaur Island was independently financed, shot in Vanuatu and Australia, and has sold to 50 countries.
The role of Kathryn is played by Kate Rasmussen from Melbourne. She was coached by Barbara Berkery in speaking with an English accent, "more grounded in a highly education person from Australia in the 1950's."
The tribes people used in the film are native Vanuatan, and they were encouraged to ad lib in Pidgin English.