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Over four years after The Good Dinosaur was announced and two years after its first planned release date, the film has finally arrived. While it’s clearly not a proper follow-up to this summer’s incredible Inside Out, The Good Dinosaur isn’t the speed bump on Pixar’s road to film immortality that it could have been.
The story centers on Arlo (Raymond Ochoa), an Apatosaurus who is born on a farm. He's born full of fear, fear that puts his father and his family in danger. When Arlo tries to impress his family by capturing caveboy Spot (Jack Bright), he gets separated. That sets him on a journey home that forces him to learn to befriend Spot.
The Good Dinosaur was originally supposed to be Pixar story artist Bob Peterson’s solo directing debut, but he was taken off the film and replaced with artist Peter Sohn, another Pixar veteran. Considering that Brave and Cars 2 also saw a director switch mid-production, there was every reason to assume that The Good Dinosaur would also be a creative disappointment.
Thankfully, The Good Dinosaur isn’t, at least when it comes to technology and animation. The film is another step forward for a studio that has innovated the medium like no other. Disney could swap out backgrounds for this film with the live-action footage in the Soarin’ ride and no one would tell the difference. From the beautiful recreation of Monument Valley to the river that makes Finding Nemo look like a 16-bit video game, the visuals are completely astounding. If any Pixar movie deserved an IMAX release, it was this one.
Character animation is also beautiful. Pixar has somehow brought these cartoonish dinosaurs to life on an incredibly realistic stage. The Good Dinosaur has several scenes between Arlo and Spot that highlight how animators act as well as actors. The film’s finale is one of the best pieces of character animation Pixar has ever done, so you will need a box of tissues.
The Good Dinosaur didn’t come out when Pixar wanted it to at first because of the story and it still doesn’t feel complete. Yes, this is another journey movie, where two characters have to become friends in order to reach their goal.
While setting it in a world where the dinosaurs were not killed and have earned some human characteristics is interesting, the plot is painfully straightforward. The stops along the journey aren’t as creative as Inside Out’s, although the T-rex sequence that turns the film into a Western is the best part. Other supporting characters just aren’t as memorable as Bing Bong or the aquarium fish in Finding Nemo or Sid’s toys in Toy Story.
But for all the basic, predictable plot points peppered throughout Arlo’s journey, the heart of Pixar is still beating within The Good Dinosaur. We still relate to this dinosaur, we still understand his fears and concerns with getting home. It’s impossible to know the secret to Pixar’s magic, but no matter what happens behind the scenes, the studio continues to persevere.
The Good Dinosaur doesn’t deserve to be compared to Inside Out. It had the bad luck to be released in the same calendar year of Pixar’s most ambitious project. The Good Dinosaur is shooting for a much lower target and hits that with ease.
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