Apple TV's natural history series 'Prehistoric Planet' takes a unique approach to scoring by crafting instruments from actual fossils and skull replicas. The show, which premiered in 2022, combines traditional filmmaking with digital technology to bring ancient creatures to life. Its latest season, 'Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age,' arrived in November 2025.

Composers Hans Zimmer, Anze Rozman, and Kara Talve built custom instruments specifically for the series. They created the Triceratone using a terror bird larynx replica to produce guttural sounds. For woolly mammoth sequences, the team recorded an octobass and arranged cellos in a semicircle. These unconventional tools give the soundtrack an authentic prehistoric quality that standard orchestral instruments cannot achieve.

The composers also recorded a replica of the Divje Babe flute—a Paleolithic instrument carved from a bear femur—in Slovenia's Postojna Cave. This ancient flute produces an eerie sound that transports listeners back thousands of years. Rozman described the Ice Age season score as 'slightly off, but it's much more emotional' than previous seasons.

The innovative approach has paid off: 'Prehistoric Planet' holds a 91% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and has earned recognition from the Annie Awards, Cinema Eye Honors, and Visual Effects Society. Apple TV+ currently streams three seasons, with short films available for Vision Pro.