The Good Dinosaur (2015)
Certified: PG
Duration: 100 minutes
Directed by: Peter Sohn
Voices of: Raymond Ochoa, Jack Bright, Sam Elliott, Anna Paquin, A.J. Buckley, Jeffrey Wright, Frances McDormand, Steve Zahn, Mandy Freund, Steven Clay Hunter, Peter Sohn, Dave Boat
KRS Releasing Ltd
The asteroid that scientists say hit earth and ended up killing all the dinosaurs does not make contact in this film and thus the dinosaurs are saved. This leads to the creatures evolving with humans and actually rule the earth. They have evolved to an extent that they have their own farms and houses.
Dinosaurs Henry and Momma (voices of Jeffrey Wright and Frances McDormand) have three dino kids with Arlo (Raymond Ochoa) being different from the others as he is always hesitant and afraid. Henry wants his son to make his mark in the world but courage seems to fleeting.
The dinosaurs are plagued by a savage human boy called Spot (Jack Bright) who is continuously stealing stuff from them. Thus, when they finally catch him, Henry wants Arlo to kill Spot. When he does not, Henry and Arlo chase Spot away, resulting in Henry ending up dead.
When Arlo finds Spot stealing again, he starts chasing him but ends up being carried away by the river to another area. This leads to an uneasy alliance between Arlo and Spot as they have to find a way to get back. Help is found in a bunch of T. Rexes led by Butch (Sam Elliott) but the pterodactyls, led by Thunderclap (Steve Zahn), stand in their way.
2015 has been the year of Disney/Pixar’s Inside Out and it was always going to be difficult to top such an intelligent and masterful movie.
The Good Dinosaur is another Disney/Pixar offering which, while not having the same lofty aspirations of Inside Out, does however turn out to be great fun and delivers its own set of life messages.
The film tells the tale of a boy and his dog in inverted mode as the dinosaur plays the human and the human plays the dog in a society where dinosaurs have not died out and are the masters of the world.
Peter Sohn has made sure he tells his story in a non-complicated manner. The film is unique in the way the characters interact with facial expressions. Dinosaur and boy become best buddies and learn things about each other that change them profoundly. At the same time, these messages are also being sent to their audience who will lap them up easily enough.
Sohn keeps things moving at a brisk pace and tempo. He knows how and when to bring in the next humorous moment or the next piece of adventure.
This world looks rich and lush. The film’s animators show an eye for detail and the result is a movie that looks good. The voicing is spot on, which adds dimensions to the characters.
Like Disney’s The Lion King, the film is not above having characters that end up dead and yet the audience, young and old, will feel that there is a lesson to be learnt and that Arlo is becoming a better dinosaur. He in fact moves on from what his father taught him and yet is still loyal to his spirit and vision.
In the end, the film excels in its concept of friendship that has no boundaries of race or gender.