Director: Peter Sohn
Cast: Raymond Ochoa, Sam Elliott, Frances McDormand
Genre: Family/Adventure
Rating: PG. Peril, action and thematic elements.
Running Time: 101 minutes (1 hour 41 minutes)
Release Dates: 25th November 2015 (USA), 27th November 2015 (India), 26th December 2015 (Australia)
The Good Dinosaur tells the story of the various dinosaur races had the meteor that hit Earth missed. It is taken from the perspective of Arlo (Raymond Ochoa), a very scared small dinosaur who never seems to get things right and struggles to seek his family's approval, desperately trying to make his mark. After his father is killed saving him from a vicious flood, Arlo is swept away in a torrent, separated from everything he has ever known. When the dust settles, he has one goal: getting back home. But along the way he must journey with a mischievous orphan boy named Spot, evil killer pterodactyls, the harsh elements, and of course Arlo's biggest obstacle; his own fear. Will Arlo overcome his fear, become selfless, and make it home? Or will he be destined to be banished in the lonely forest forever, trapped by internal conflict...
Disney Pixar Studios have had some pretty hard hitters over the years of the likes of The Incredibles, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, and Toy Story; well known for their family nature combined with complex morals. And from a marketing perspective, they've invested a lot into this movie. Is it as good as others? Maybe. But one thing is certain; it stands out. The Good Dinosaur is pretty much the darkest, deepest, and most thought-provoking Pixar film yet, pretty parallel to 2015's Inside Out. The moral compromises and choices that protagonist Arlo has to make is sufficient enough for an adult film let alone a children's movie. For example, there was one point in the film where Arlo had the choice to either travel back to the comfort of his home; which was his goal from the beginning, or to make his father proud and make a decision that will free him from the chains of his fear forever by saving his friend Spot, but this will risk his life and leave him further away from his home. It's no easy decision yet big moral crossroads like this happen frequently throughout the film; accompanied with symbolism and strong character development from Arlo, Spot, and briefly a secondary dinosaur character. The Good Dinosaur is a fantastic addition to the Pixar collection of films that will be seen by many as part of their childhood.
The plot, at first glance, is pretty elementary. Main character gets lost, has to get back home. A run-of-the-mill cliche storyline. And that's basically what the exterior of the plot was in a sense, but this film proves once again that its not about the outcome; it's about the execution. And the execution is brilliant, which I will explain throughout. The plot is also very dark at times, and could be frightening for young audiences. It takes one of the most brutal and infamous Disney deaths; the stampede of Mufasa in The Lion King, and practically replicates it in the orientation stage of this film. You know from then on that this movie means business. To compliment the darkness, The Good Dinosaur is also one of the most emotional Pixar films to date! There's more than a couple scenes in this movie where I looked around me asking; 'who's cutting onions?' and experiencing strong empathy for these characters, biting my nails thinking 'what's he going to do?' Its 100 minutes long, but it's a perfect time length for this movie, even though one sequence grows a little tedious.
The cast is, in a word, experienced. There was a lot of controversy over a last-minute switch for the actor playing Arlo due to the need for a younger voice, and that decision very much paid off. Raymond Ochoa is perfect for the role. Other cast members include Sam Elliot, Frances McDormand, Anna Paquin, Jeffery Wright, Steve Zahn, and A. J. Buckley. The standouts were Ochoa and Wright as father and son. It's something about their voices to the personalities of the characters that merges perfectly and brings the characters to life. The characters were very complex; each with thorough back stories, motivations, and development throughout the film. Of course, Arlo was the standout, and his chemistry with Spot is intriguing to watch unfold to say the least.
Genres in this very complex film encompass action, adventure, animation, drama, and family. This is now the standard for a couple Pixar films and I think that the studio will stick with this mix far into the future due to its success. Themes- an integral ingredient to a Disney Pixar film- include family, overcoming fear, jealousy, potential, and growth.
Some other things to be commended are the marvellous visual displays (movies like this show that technology really is accelerating) and the big risk to make such a dark film which paid off by leaps and bounds. Some low points were a couple points where my engagement was a little lost, the underdevelopment of very secondary characters, the lack of a really credible threat- sure there was one, and it was scary, but not powerful enough-, and potential plagiarism from The Lion King. But these are mainly minor things that had a small contribution to the overall film quality.
To conclude, as I said earlier, The Good Dinosaur is worthy to stand aside Pixar greats like Toy Story and be considered a piece of many's childhood. It was a fantastic film in thematic elements, although poor in plot, and the overall quality was reflected in its nomination for a Golden Globe. I wish Pixar studios luck to maintain this stellar streak they're having; especially in this year's highly anticipated sequel to Finding Nemo, Finding Dory. Here's to more Pixar films like this one.
Rating: 6.5/10
Cast: Raymond Ochoa, Sam Elliott, Frances McDormand
Genre: Family/Adventure
Rating: PG. Peril, action and thematic elements.
Running Time: 101 minutes (1 hour 41 minutes)
Release Dates: 25th November 2015 (USA), 27th November 2015 (India), 26th December 2015 (Australia)
'The Good Dinosaur is a perfectly good addition to Pixar's collection'
The Good Dinosaur tells the story of the various dinosaur races had the meteor that hit Earth missed. It is taken from the perspective of Arlo (Raymond Ochoa), a very scared small dinosaur who never seems to get things right and struggles to seek his family's approval, desperately trying to make his mark. After his father is killed saving him from a vicious flood, Arlo is swept away in a torrent, separated from everything he has ever known. When the dust settles, he has one goal: getting back home. But along the way he must journey with a mischievous orphan boy named Spot, evil killer pterodactyls, the harsh elements, and of course Arlo's biggest obstacle; his own fear. Will Arlo overcome his fear, become selfless, and make it home? Or will he be destined to be banished in the lonely forest forever, trapped by internal conflict...Disney Pixar Studios have had some pretty hard hitters over the years of the likes of The Incredibles, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, and Toy Story; well known for their family nature combined with complex morals. And from a marketing perspective, they've invested a lot into this movie. Is it as good as others? Maybe. But one thing is certain; it stands out. The Good Dinosaur is pretty much the darkest, deepest, and most thought-provoking Pixar film yet, pretty parallel to 2015's Inside Out. The moral compromises and choices that protagonist Arlo has to make is sufficient enough for an adult film let alone a children's movie. For example, there was one point in the film where Arlo had the choice to either travel back to the comfort of his home; which was his goal from the beginning, or to make his father proud and make a decision that will free him from the chains of his fear forever by saving his friend Spot, but this will risk his life and leave him further away from his home. It's no easy decision yet big moral crossroads like this happen frequently throughout the film; accompanied with symbolism and strong character development from Arlo, Spot, and briefly a secondary dinosaur character. The Good Dinosaur is a fantastic addition to the Pixar collection of films that will be seen by many as part of their childhood.
The plot, at first glance, is pretty elementary. Main character gets lost, has to get back home. A run-of-the-mill cliche storyline. And that's basically what the exterior of the plot was in a sense, but this film proves once again that its not about the outcome; it's about the execution. And the execution is brilliant, which I will explain throughout. The plot is also very dark at times, and could be frightening for young audiences. It takes one of the most brutal and infamous Disney deaths; the stampede of Mufasa in The Lion King, and practically replicates it in the orientation stage of this film. You know from then on that this movie means business. To compliment the darkness, The Good Dinosaur is also one of the most emotional Pixar films to date! There's more than a couple scenes in this movie where I looked around me asking; 'who's cutting onions?' and experiencing strong empathy for these characters, biting my nails thinking 'what's he going to do?' Its 100 minutes long, but it's a perfect time length for this movie, even though one sequence grows a little tedious.
The cast is, in a word, experienced. There was a lot of controversy over a last-minute switch for the actor playing Arlo due to the need for a younger voice, and that decision very much paid off. Raymond Ochoa is perfect for the role. Other cast members include Sam Elliot, Frances McDormand, Anna Paquin, Jeffery Wright, Steve Zahn, and A. J. Buckley. The standouts were Ochoa and Wright as father and son. It's something about their voices to the personalities of the characters that merges perfectly and brings the characters to life. The characters were very complex; each with thorough back stories, motivations, and development throughout the film. Of course, Arlo was the standout, and his chemistry with Spot is intriguing to watch unfold to say the least.
Some other things to be commended are the marvellous visual displays (movies like this show that technology really is accelerating) and the big risk to make such a dark film which paid off by leaps and bounds. Some low points were a couple points where my engagement was a little lost, the underdevelopment of very secondary characters, the lack of a really credible threat- sure there was one, and it was scary, but not powerful enough-, and potential plagiarism from The Lion King. But these are mainly minor things that had a small contribution to the overall film quality.
To conclude, as I said earlier, The Good Dinosaur is worthy to stand aside Pixar greats like Toy Story and be considered a piece of many's childhood. It was a fantastic film in thematic elements, although poor in plot, and the overall quality was reflected in its nomination for a Golden Globe. I wish Pixar studios luck to maintain this stellar streak they're having; especially in this year's highly anticipated sequel to Finding Nemo, Finding Dory. Here's to more Pixar films like this one.
Rating: 6.5/10
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