Directed by : Peter Sohn
Written by : Peter Sohn, Erik Benson, Meg LeFauve, Kelsey Mann, Bob Peterson, Meg LeFauve
Starring : Raymond Ochoa, Jack Bright, Jeffrey Wright, Frances McDormand, Steve Zahn, Sam Elliott
Release Date : November 14, 2015
The first thing that you will notice about "The Good Dinosaur" is the visuals. The photo-realistic looking CGI animation is amazing to look at, and it's easy to question if it's actually just real life footage. Having the mix of realistic looking settings with the cartoonish designs of the dinosaurs is a weird contrast, but it does work well, and it's easy to just keep your eyes glued on the screen in wonder.
While the look of the movie feels inspired, the story on the other hand is unfortunately glaringly obvious, predictable, and very familiar to the many animated movies that came before it. You'll instantly notice the cliche plot tropes in this story, that are all revolving around the themes about family, friendship, facing your fears, believing in yourself, accepting a loss, and most importantly the "boy and his pet dog" premise. There were also some plot points that seemed much too convenient for my taste. I'm not saying the movie wasn't enjoyable because of these issues, as I did enjoy the "lost boy that is trying to find his way back home" plot.
Speaking of the boy and his pet, the boy in question this time is "Arlo," an Apotosaurus who eventually befriends a wild boy that is named "Spot." There are two primary jokes in this film that are predominantly used for these two characters. The first type of joke involves Arlo being a scaredy-cat who always finds himself in compromising situations. The second type of joke is about Spot more or less acting like a dog, replete with him sniffing around for a place to pee, to him simply sitting on his butt with his tongue wagging out. The characters are endearing at least.
So simply put, "The Good Dinosaur" has several flaws in it, but ultimately is still an enjoyable movie. It's charming at all the right times, and even emotionally moving during certain scenes.
lovedit ENJOYED IT itsokayitsmehitsterrible
