The Good Dinosaur
Arlo (voiced by Raymond Ochoa: Fallout 4) is afraid of everything. The Apatosaurus lives on a farm where his family grows corn. As the smallest, Arlo is assigned menial chores, like feeding the chickens. He’s terrified of chickens … and bugs … and bad weather … and leaves … and the critter that steals corn.
To change his cowardly reputation, Arlo sets out to capture and kill the corn thief. The critter turns out to be a feral human boy (Jack Bright). In pursuit, Arlo enters a raging river.
He survives, but wakes with no idea of where he is or how to get home. Terrified and incapable of caring for himself, he turns to the boy for protection. Together the small boy and the giant dino seek their way home.
Gorgeously rendered but emotionally shallow, The Good Dinosaur lacks the storytelling mastery we expect in Pixar films. Lack of nuance shows in the characters, especially one-note Arlo. It’s also troubling that rage seems to be Arlo’s only motivation. Not exactly the lesson most parents would want for their little ones.
Director Peter Sohn (Partly Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs) does build an impressive supporting voice cast including Sam Elliott (Grandma) as a cattle ranching T-Rex and Steve Zahn (Modern Family) as a psychotic pterodactyl. The movie also has a darker sense of humor than most Pixar fare, including jokes about the deaths of little creatures. This gallows humor drew laughs from the adults in the audience, but small viewers seemed upset.
The star of The Good Dinosaur is Pixar’s photo-realistic nature animation. The film takes you from lush forests to deserts to snowy peaks, lovingly creating each environment. Some of the sets are worthy of National Geographic, and it is a marvel of technology and talent that we see such realistic vistas on the silver screen.
Even a bad Pixar movie is pretty good. At plenty of moments, adults guffawed and children cheered. The Good Dinosaur is about fun instead of feelings.