What if the asteroid that destroyed the dinosaurs missed?
Arlo (voiced by Raymond Ochoa) is the youngest of three siblings. Fear-driven and insecure, Arlo has a hard time doing chores and making his mark (literally, an earned footprint) on the family farm. When he fails to earn one like his siblings, and doesn't do a critter-trapping job correctly, Arlo's father tries to get him to overcome his fear by walking through the middle of a storm. Right before going home, a landslide takes out Arlo's father. Arlo then meets a human youngster named Spot (Charlie Bright). The two of them must try to get home if at all possible.
The Good Dinosaur's biggest asset is its visual scope, which is the most impressive background animation Pixar has ever put together. From swooping cinematography to realistic sound effects, everything looks incredibly real. The cartoony characters, while nowhere near as real as what's around them, actually work well in this world (NOTE: Hollywood already tried realistic dinosaurs in the unmemorable Walking with Dinosaurs from 2013). But again, visually, from the mountains and rivers, are absolutely fantastic.
The voice cast does a pretty good job. Ochoa makes a fine lead, giving a believable vocal performance as Arlo. Bright provides plenty of fun sound effects (of sorts lol) for Spot, who is a surprisingly memorable supporting character. He may not reach the heights of Dory, Dash, WALL-E, or Boo, but he comes close. Jeffrey Wright is good in the few scenes he has as Arlo's dad, while director Peter Sohn is given an interesting moment as a triceratops.. The real stand-out of the film, however, Sam Elliott. The character actor gives Butch the T. Rex a Western Cowboy-style persona that really works.
In fact, the three T-rex's were great characters. They were fun and reminded me of Bruce and his shark gang in Finding Nemo. They may seem villainous (their T-Rex's, hello!), but really, aside from an interesting tendency or two, they're not. Jeff and Mychael Danna's music score is interesting, if nothing particularly special. There is a surprisingly emotional moment towards the end, which helps me remember that this is a Pixar film.
On the downside, The Good Dinosaur's script and story, are both (especially for Pixar), surprisingly weak. There's hardly anything original here. Its' way too predictable and recycles too many elements (a parent's death, a road trip journey home of sorts, prehistoric-style gags). The script is far from clever and the dialogue is sadly juvenile at times. There are a couple of nicely-put emotional moments and a couple of clever twists (the boy-dog idea flipped on its head and the T-rex plot point). But, they aren't enough to save the rest of the film.
The movie also struggles with its sense of humor, which falls into weird and dumb territory a handful of times. A few jokes used here and there that I was just like, "really?" It was especially surprising considering Pixar usually doesn't resort to a bathroom joke or a drug joke. Maybe they were a little too desperate to find a laugh? Any slapstick attempts at humor besides that sometimes work, but sometimes don't.
This is the first year Pixar has released 2 films. The first, Inside Out, was one of their most impressive films creatively, even if it wasn't quite my favorite movie they've done to date. In comparison, The Good Dinosaur also has creative merits. The animation is certainly their most impressive in terms of realism. I felt like I was actually in the movie a few times.
However, Dinosaur is also the most difficult film Pixar has (apparently) ever done. Originally set for May 2014, the film had issues as it headed toward post-production. A creative overhaul was issued and the film was delayed a year and a half. Original director Bob Peterson was replaced by Peter Sohn, and most of the voice cast was replaced (Arlo was supposed to have 5 siblings, which was later shortened to 2).
There were several times throughout the film where I saw signs of why Pixar was struggling with the film. The overall finished product (especially in terms of pacing) can feel like, at times, like it was a rushed production. Now, I commend that Pixar had the guts to try and fix the film. Not many studios can rebound from a troubled production and turn things around.
Part of the reason why I commend them is because, like I mentioned earlier a couple of times, Dinosaur is extremely impressive visually. And in the film's last 30 minutes, the film does pick up steam, thanks to a few memorable character moments and a couple of nicely-placed emotional moments. That being said, however, its too bad that the film's mediocre story and script pales in comparison to nearly all of its Pixar predecessors.
Now, its still a fine, cute family movie the kids and some animation fans will enjoy (watch out for a few scary parts, however, for the younger ones). But in the end, the visuals aside, The Good Dinosaur comes across more like a much less-clever companion film to The Croods or the Ice Age films, instead of a Pixar movie that hits the right emotional notes that will entertain multiple generations.
That major comparison is what makes the film, at times, disappointing.
Score: 6.2/10
The Good Dinosaur is preceded by a short film titled Sanjay's Super Team. The short is impressively-animated, but is surprisingly dark and scary at times. Hindu worship and gods are almost front-and-center here, as the short uses the gods to become superheroes of sorts. In the end, parents with media-wise children may want to skip this. (Grade: C)
Content Problems Families Should Be Aware Of:
Language: "Shoot", "heck", "lunatic" and "bull".
Adult Content: None really. Spot wears only a loincloth of sorts.
Violence: Some peril and action that might scare some younger kids (think The Land Before Time and The Lion King for reference). A landslide kills a main character (offscreen). Arlo is threatened by a scary-looking lizard snake (before it gets into a fight with Spot). Pterodactyls attack Spot, with them snapping. One of them eats a critter (we see a tail hanging out the mouth). Arlo bites a hole in one of their wings. Spot bites an insect's head off (cartoonishly done). A t-rex bites a rustler. Arlo is swept downstream twice by the river, falls several times, etc. Spot bites Arlo's leg twice. A T-rex tells a story of how he got a scar by a crocodile, resulting in the critter "drowning in a pool of blood".
Drugs/Alcohol: Nothing explicit. However, in one (unnecessary) scene Arlo and Spot eat some rotten fruit, causing them to laugh, act woozy, and have some hallucinations similar to that of drug use.
Other: Spot urinates (off-screen, but we hear it). Characters relate a major thunderstorm as a "deity", and says "thank the storm, the storm provides!" Evolution is subtly nodded at a couple of times in the form of a brief opening subtitle and Spot's dog-like movements.
