Viewers who grew up in the 1970s and early 1980s watching Saturday morning children's shows -- back when there was such a concept -- probably have a fond affection for a live-action TV series about a father and his two kids dodging dinosaurs in "The Land of the Lost."

Created by Sid and Marty Krofft, purveyors of such psychedelic kids' fare as "Lidsville" and "The Bugaloos," "Land of the Lost" featured cheesy special effects but a memorable theme song ("Marshall, Will and Holly/On a routine expedition/Met the greatest earthquake ever known ....")

After more than 15 years of trying -- following a second "Land of the Lost" series with a new cast in the early '90s -- the Kroffts will finally see their creation hit the big screen this weekend. ("Land of the Lost" was not screened for review for Pittsburgh movie critics.)

Sid, 79, and Marty, 72, serve as producers, alongside Pittsburgh native Jimmy Miller, on the big-screen version of the TV show. It stars Will Ferrell as has-been scientist Rick Marshall, who gets sucked through a space-time vortex into the Land of the Lost with research assistant Holly (Anna Friel, "Pushing Daisies") and redneck souvenir hunter Will (Danny McBride, "Eastbound & Down").

The elimination of the TV show's family dynamic may rankle longtime fans, but the Kroffts said they approved of the change.

"In the television series, the family became a powerful thing to the viewers, and Will and Holly were very strong characters and great actors. We felt if we did a movie, and now it's 35 years [since the TV show], you couldn't have the actual [actors]," Sid said.

"What he meant to say," Marty added, "was the relationships between the three change, but it didn't change the characters basically."

The special effects in the movie will be bigger and better than on TV, but many details from the show carry over. The theme song is used -- Ferrell sings it -- and the movie features familiar "Land of the Lost" characters, including a T. rex named Grumpy; Chaka (Jorma Taccone), an ape-like Pakuni; and the evil slow-moving Sleestaks, led by Enik (John Boylan), the only one who speaks English. (The film's characters comment on the Sleestaks and their lack of speed.)

The Kroffts have been developing a "Land of the Lost" movie since the mid-1990s, including more straightforward translations.

"We developed it twice and failed, and we knew we had to do something different," Marty said. That's when they decided to take a more comedic approach.

"We thought seven years ago we'd do it with Jim Carrey," Sid said.

Something for parents to be aware of: The film is rated PG-13 "for crude and sexual content, and for language including a drug reference," per the Motion Picture Association of America. Movie critics who have seen the movie report Chaka has an obsession with breasts and one character takes a bath in dinosaur urine.

The original, more innocent TV show was inspired by Sid's experience as an 11-year-old seeing the 1940 Victor Mature movie "One Million B.C."

"I had never seen a dinosaur moving before that, and it scared the hell out of me and made a huge impression," Sid said. "That's where the thought came from to do a show with dinosaurs."

The show's original title: Simply "Lost."

"[Network executives] said what does that mean? It needs a place," Sid said.

With a big-screen "Land of the Lost" under their belts, the Kroffts are now developing big-screen versions of some of their other TV properties.

Marty said Universal is at work on "Sigmund and the Sea Monsters" while Sony is developing an "H.R. Pufnstuf" film. The latter featured a boy living on an island with his magic talking flute while trying to avoid a cackling witch.

"Our dream for Witchiepoo is to get Johnny Depp," Marty said.