What if dinosaurs never went extinct? What would happen? Pixar tries to answer this question in their newest animated adventure The Good Dinosaur. The story follows Arlo, a small Apatosaurus, who lives with his family of dinosaur farmers. They grow corn, raise prehistoric chickens, and build their own property, essentially dinosaur homesteaders.
Arlo (Raymond Ochoa), who is the smallest of his two siblings, is a little skittish and a little weak. He’s desperate to prove himself to his parents, since his brother and sister are so much bigger, braver, and stronger. Arlo especially wants to prove himself to his dad, who he strives to be like more than anything.
To help Arlo face his fears, his Poppa (Jeffrey Wright) recruits him to catch the critter that’s been stealing all the corn they’ve grown and stored for the winter. Arlo catches the creature, which turns out to be…a caveman. The critter is a kid, later named Spot (Jack Bright), who acts like a cross between a caveman and a dog.
After losing sight of Spot, Arlo and his dad chase after him to catch him during a storm. In a tragic flash flood, Arlo’s dad is swept away. Later, angry at losing his father and angry at Spot, Arlo spots him in their fields again and chases him down. They both tumble into the river that rushes alongside his home and are pulled by the rapids into the middle of the wilderness. Now stuck together as an unlikely team, the two must learn to get along and face their fears to get back home.
The fun story plods along with nothing entirely compelling. Arlo and Spot are adorable, becoming unlikely friends who can’t communicate through speech. The two of them are just kids, doing their best to survive, and watching them start to understand each other and their world is charming. The most interesting concept are Spot’s origins and his family, but the idea is hardly explored. The movie introduces a lot of unique and interesting concepts, but none of them really work together or go any deeper. — Emily Ladd
There isn’t really a linear story so much as a tale of adventure. The audience is more along for the journey, following Arlo and Spot as they come across different things on their quest. Their actual goal, to get home, is more of a background focus. Yes, it’s why they’re on the journey, but the obstacles they come across are more the focus. Each one challenges Arlo to face his fears and grief over his father. The journey is fun and the locations are gorgeous. The quirky characters come across are all unique in their own way and help build a richer world, making a richer adventure.
The fun story plods along with nothing entirely compelling. Arlo and Spot are adorable, becoming unlikely friends who can’t communicate through speech. The two of them are just kids, doing their best to survive, and watching them start to understand each other and their world is charming. The most interesting concept are Spot’s origins and his family, but the idea is hardly explored. The movie introduces a lot of unique and interesting concepts, but none of them really work together or go any deeper. The movie is mildly reminiscent of Disney’s Brother Bear, but with a dinosaur twist.
The Good Dinosaur had it’s cute and funny moments and sported some cool ideas, but overall is simply a mediocre tale. Children might still like it regardless, as it is fun, but the movie is surprisingly violent. Cute critters are eaten alive, things are bit and punched, wings are torn apart, animals are flung into the ground. There’s even a decapitation of a creature, which is played for laughs but a little startling at first. At a further point in the movie, a T-Rex starts comes very close to saying “BS”, but gets interrupted before finishing the word.
The movie’s animation is absolutely stunning. The shots of wilderness and trees almost tricked me into thinking they were real life videos, not animated scenes. The only exception in the detailed animation is Arlo. He is meant to be cartoon-y, which is fine, but his design and coloring is incredibly bland. He sticks out like a sore thumb in the beautiful and realistic landscape. The other dinosaurs have varied colors and unique looks, but Arlo is just a green, plain, dinosaur. But Pixar must be commended, as the rest of the animation models are outstanding.
In the end, The Good Dinosaur isn’t a bad movie. It’s more of a mixed bag, with several ideas that don’t quite fit together mashed into one movie. The end result is an average story with a great message of overcoming fears. It’s cute, but it is not on the level of the other movies Pixar generally creates. The potential was definitely there, but the development was not. Want a fantastic, heart-warming flick with Pixar’s signature touch? Go watch Inside Out instead.