A cowardly dinosaur is separated from his family and
befriends a tiny human while trying to find his way home. FAMILY
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The Good Dinosaur (2015)Directed by Peter Sohn
Written by Meg LeFauve Starring Raymond Ochoa, Jack Bright, Jeffrey Wright, Frances McDormand, Sam Elliott, Anna Paquin, A.J. Buckley, Steve Zahn |
The Good Dinosaur is another rare misfire from Pixar. It shares elements of Brother Bear, The Lion King, and The Land Before Time, but never feels like a complete story. Maybe it's because the filmmakers failed to take full advantage of a world where humans and dinosaurs coexist, instead opting to just make humans the equivalent of feral monkeys. Maybe it's because it wastes impressive talent like Frances McDormand and Jeffrey Wright, delegating them to practically cameos. Overall, I think it's because we've all seen Pixar do considerably better. Hell, that same year, they released Inside Out, one of the most creative films ever made. So, what exactly happened here?
Meet Arlo (Ochoa). He's a young Apatosaurus who has a cowardly streak. His older siblings make fun of him, and his parents want him to find his own path in life. One day, a massive storm sweeps in and drags his father away to his death, leaving Arlo stranded miles away from home in the process. He encounters a feral human he names Spot (Bright), and tries to find his way home. Along the way, he learns to master his fear and fights some evil pterodactyls. That's about it. Like Brave, it doesn't have a lot to do beyond the initial premise. The Good Dinosaur is one of the few Pixar films that I don't feel has anything to really offer anyone. It's life lesson is all about how bravery isn't the absence of fear. It's knowing you're scared and acting anyway. And that's all well and good, even if I can think of a dozen movies offhand that accomplish it better. No studio is perfect. Everyone's got a few lemons. But Pixar's lemons are still decent films. |