REVIEW: The Good Dinosaur

Courtesy of Disney-Pixar

For two decades now, the name Pixar has been synonymous with quality. That’s what happens when the vast majority of your output is mind-blowingly brilliant. However, the downside to being in such a lofty position is that the studio seems to be judged much more harshly when one of their films is “only” really good as opposed to an outright masterpiece.

That seems to be why their latest, The Good Dinosaur, is receiving such a chilly reception. The reviews have been mixed-to-decent (it’s currently scoring 76 percent on Rotten Tomatoes), but part of me wonders how glowing they’d be if a studio like DreamWorks Animation made the exact same movie.

Is it as innovative and emotionally devastating as Inside Out, Pixar’s previous work? No, but few films are. Instead, it focuses on a simple story, tells it creatively and enhances it with stunningly gorgeous imagery. Other animated features could do worse than strive for that level of quality.

From the opening moments, the movie exhibits ingenuity by positing a cool, “why didn’t I think of that?” scenario. What if the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs missed? How would the world look millions of years later? The screenplay (credited to Meg LeFauve, with story input from several other Pixar folks) suggests that they would still be at the top of the food chain, even as humans begin to make their first appearance.

The Apatosaurus family at the story’s center has even learned how to farm. Everyone pitches in, but young Arlo must learn to overcome his fear of the wilderness before he can truly make his mark. He gets that chance after tragedy strikes, finding himself alone, miles downriver in unfamiliar territory. If he’s going to make it home safely, he must quickly adapt. Fortunately, a human child named Spot tags along and teaches him a few tricks.

Arlo and Spot aren’t complex characters, but they’re endearing and relatable. Most of us haven’t been stranded in the wild, days from home and surrounded by deadly creatures, but we can absolutely relate to their struggles to overcome fear and cope with loss. That’s where the narrative really delivers a few emotional gut-punches. You’ve probably learned to count on shedding tears during a Pixar film, and the studio’s latest is no exception.

What floored me most about The Good Dinosaur is the intriguing animation style director Peter Sohn utilizes. Everything in the movie is CGI, but the environments are practically photorealistic. I gasped several times at rushing rapids and sweeping vistas that I swore were real. However, characters like Arlo, Spot and a family of T-Rexes (whose patriarch is voiced by Sam Elliot – how perfect is that?) have more simplistic designs than we’ve come to expect from Pixar. The juxtaposition sounds jarring, but it totally works in context.

(A quick heads up for parents: like most classic Disney films, there are some tough scenes that might prove too intense for some kids. My five-year-old daughter handled it pretty well, but told me afterward that “her eyes were watering” during the sad parts.)

The Good Dinosaur is rated PG for peril, action and thematic elements.

Grade: B