THE GOOD DINOSAUR – The Review

Recalling that classic episode of TV’s “Seinfeld”, most folks would frown on “double-dipping” (that’s the accusation hurled at George Costanza when observed dunking the same chip into salsa a second time). But in this occasion the “dd” would be considered a “pretty,pretty” good thing. That’s because in 2015 film goers will (as of Thanksgiving Eve) get to double dip into Pixar Studios’ tasty movie diversions. It doesn’t quite make up for the lack of a feature film last year, but the company’s releases are nearly always a welcome treat at the multiplex. Just this past June we were dazzled by the adventures of the emotions of a preteen girl named Riley in the wondrous INSIDE OUT (look for it to get a whole lotta’ Oscar love). This new film is a bit more Earth bound (rather than “brain bound”?). Well, it’s really set way, way back in our planet’s much earlier days, mining said days for laughs and heartache. The relationship between the title creatures and man has been the focus of countless stories, in comic strips like “Alley Oop” and “BC”, along with that TV mainstay “The Flintstones”. So let’s see what sort of new “spin” the crew in Emoryville puts on prehistoric hijinks as they introduce us to THE GOOD DINOSAUR.

Okay you science geeks, we know that dinos and man didn’t mix. The film makers propose a neat “what if” scenario in the film’s opening moments. We see the ominous asteroid hurtling towards Earth. But instead of striking the surface, the big rock whizzes past, its comet-like tail causes several dinosaurs to cease their grazing for a second or two. Jump ahead several million more years as we observe a farm just outside a mountain range (maybe Colorado?). It’s the home of an affable, hard-working Brontosaurus couple (voiced by Jeffrey Wright and Frances McDormand). They’ll soon be referred to us Momma and Poppa, as this is the day their eggs finally hatch. First out of his shell is Buck, followed quickly by sister Libby. When the third egg finally cracks open, they’re surprised to see another boy, the much smaller, and very shy Arlo. Soon the kids join their folks in tending to the corn fields. When much of the crop goes missing, teenage Arlo is assigned to catch the corn thief. But when said thief is caught, the skittish Arlo allows him to escape, leading to a family tragedy. Later, a grieving Arlo spies the culprit, a feral human boy who we soon learn is named “Spot”, and takes chase. But the clumsy duo fall into the river nearby. The raging current carries them on, and when Arlo awakes he is many, many miles from home. He and little Spot must team-up to battle the elements and forage for food, as they encounter many odd creatures (an animal-collecting Triceratops, a pack of weather-obsessed pterodactyls, and a bison-herding T-rex trio) while they try to make their way back home.

All right, where to begin? Having an art background, I suppose we should start with the visual style, since Pixar very successfully attempts to give each of their films a distinct look. We’ve seen lots of computer-rendered dinosaurs before (just months ago in the 2015 box-office king JURASSIC WORLD), so it comes as a surprise that the “thunder lizards” have a near retro look. Particularly the main bronto family recall a child-like doodle rendering with their large saucer eyes, flat snout, and spindly wobbly legs. They seem more “cartoon-y” than even the dino clan in THE LAND BEFORE TIME (and its endless stream of sequels), even more toy-like than Rex from the Toy Story franchise. Aside from the hyper-detailed texturing of the skin surface, Arlo could be made of a pliable heavy rubber, highlighting his adolescent awkwardness, and making him a tad less intimidating for the wee ones. Spot also has more of an exaggerated look, at times resembling an anime or manga hero with his head structure and massive open mouth nearly swallowing the eyes and nose. The rest of the dinos look similar to Arlo and family except for the T-rex gang who have heads and faces more reflective of their individual personalities (and with one looking like its vocal source). The background beasts have a nice mid-evolution look with the oversize insects and a fearsome snake that still has a set of tiny arms and legs. The gorgeous backgrounds contrast the characters with their photorealistic beauty especially the rushing river currents (water’s no longer a CGI headache) and the majestic mountain peaks. Kudos to first time feature director Peter Sohn and his very talented crew.

So yes, it’s got a great look, but does the story grab the viewer? That’s where the film often stumbles, much like Arlo on those narrow rocky trails. The film doesn’t shy away from the brutal aspects of nature. Besides a traumatizing loss, many cute lil’ critters are devoured right in full view, which still doesn’t detract from the somewhat derivative nature of the plot formula: enemies become allies in the quest for home. There are bits of THE LION KING, FINDING NEMO, and a sprinkle of THE JUNGLE BOOK in this animated stew. Meg Lefauve has tried to cobble a cohesive screenplay from  the story contributions of four other writers (including Sohn). This may account for the episodic nature of the film, with some sequences working better that others (the most entertaining may be the classic old Western T-rex subplot). Kiddos will ooo and ahhh at the cute animals (as will many adults), so it’s a worthy matinée outing, though the 3D upgrade isn’t that essential . If INSIDE OUT was a home run, then this flick is a solid double, which makes it better than most of the other studio animated films (looking at you MINIONS and HOME). He’s not great, but THE GOOD DINOSAUR has plenty of humor, pathos, and heart. Yeah, good’s the right word for Arlo and his story.

3.5 Out of 5