Review: THE GOOD DINOSAUR Is an Awe-Inspiring Frontier Adventure
I was sold on Pixar’s The Good Dinosaur the moment I heard what it was going to be about. Everyone loves dinosaurs! My excitement for the movie grew the more that I saw of it. I knew this movie was going to be good because it's Pixar. What I didn’t know is that it would actually turn out to be my favorite movie that Pixar has made so far. This movie was spectacular in every way, shape, and form. There is nothing that I didn’t like about this movie, and I really hope that fans of Pixar and Disney enjoy it just as much as I did.
The moment the film started I knew that I was in for something special. The whole story and tone of the film was inspired by the frontier western adventure films that I grew up watching. As most of our dedicated readers know, I’m a huge fan of westerns, and this movie was packed full of elements from that genre that I enjoy so much. Some of those things include the characters, the wonderful settings, the musical themes, and the adventurous story. Only, the main characters in the story are all dinosaurs and a human boy that acts like a dog! That was all part of the charm of the film, though.
In my opinion, The Good Dinosaur is also the most beautifully animated film that Pixar has made to date. The landscapes were stunningly magnificent and were basically photo-realistic. I’d never seen anything like that before in a Pixar movie, and even though the character designs in the film were cartoonish, the details that were included brought them to life in a delightful way. It was incredible to see how the combinations of these two artist decisions came together in such an exquisite way.
The story follows a young dinosaur named Arlo (Raymond Ochoa) who is the runt of the litter. He tries his best to be the dinosaur that his dad and family want him to be, but he’s different from all of them and doesn’t think he has what it takes to live up to their standards no matter how hard he tries. While helping his dad on a job on their ranch, he ends up in a situation where he is forced to survive in the harsh world outside of what he is used to as he tries to find his way back home. During his journey, he finds help from a little boy he names Spot and a few other characters, like a trio of T-Rex’s. I won’t get any deeper into the story than that, but it’s full of fun, adventurous surprises.
I will say that my favorite part of the film is when Arlo and Spot join a trio of T-Rex’s named Butch, Ramsey, and Nash, who were wonderfully voiced by Sam Elliot, Anna Paquin, and A.J. Buckley respectively. I’m a huge fan of Elliot, and it was so great to see him lend his voice to such a great character who helps give Arlo the confidence he needs to complete his journey.
Other members of the main cast include Jeffery Wright as Poppa, Frances McDormand as Momma, Steve Zahn as Thunderclap, and John Ratzenberger as Earl. As you might expect, all of them did a fantastic job in helping make The Good Dinosaur a top notch film.
The emotional core of this film is intense, and by the end of the movie I was a teary and sniffling mess. This is one of those Pixar films that hit me hard on a “so happy it made me cry” level. Hey, I’m a sensitive guy, and Pixar has perfected the art of pulling on people's emotions.
I think one of the reasons why it hit me so hard emotionally was because it revolves around the concept of “home” and what “home” is. I see home as more of a spiritual/personal thing than a physical thing like a house. I’ve lost my way from home in my life due to an onslaught of crazy storms that have hit me. Again, I’m not talking about the physical aspect of losing your way, but through the crazy emotional journey of life. It’s not always easy to find your way back either. I’m sure many of you have gone through your own experiences, things can get really rough! It may not involve trekking through forests and mountains, fighting off dinosaurs or surviving massive storms, but it certainly may feel like it at times! When we are going through these hard times, it's always nice to find help along the way to get us through it, and help us return home. In my mind, this is what The Good Dinosaur is about. It’s about finding our way back “home” when we find ourselves lost in the world, and befriending those special people who come into our lives to help us get there, even if it’s someone we least suspect.
The Good Dinosaur is a brilliantly beautiful feel-good film, and it’s one that I encourage all of you to see when it comes out on November 25th! I really think you’ll all love and enjoy it.