The Good Dinosaur (2015)

This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

The Good:This movie is gorgeous. As I was watching it with my younger brother (James) and my mom, Mom would comment how you could tell that they sometimes used actual footage and put animation over it. It's so good she was convinced that some of it was real. While I must give the character models award to Zootopia, that movie is edged by the landscapes and nature that play such an integral role in this film.The story-telling is at its best when it relies on the visuals. The middle of the movie basically serves as a quest to return home while Arlo and the boy Spot bond as they meet new dinosaurs. With this bare plot-line, usually something like dialogue or actions is used to make up for it. And this movie takes a WALL-E approach to dialogue and storytelling for the most part, and scenes such as at night in the riverbed when they talk about their families with the sticks and hardly a word spoken, that is the type of moment that engages the audience and proves that Pixar knows how to please people of all ages.It is during these scenes that the hilarious triceratops and cowboy-like t-rexes are met and enjoyed. They add the differing animal backgrounds well enough like Finding Nemo to keep the ball rolling through the minimal plot. Plus, Steve Zahn (Thunderclap) is always a welcome addition.The boy and dog dynamic is a really neat idea introduced after the 30-minute mark, and it not only plays off well, but it also makes sense. What this does is add more progression to the character development, which is one the movie's main focuses.The Bad:Sadly, the story-telling doesn't work very well when it isn't relying on the visuals. The first 20-30 minutes of the film are disappointingly conventional, and add nothing new to the mix (except for eye-popping visuals). Furthermore, there is a much larger sense of predictability that doesn't matter as far as kids are concerned, but older members of the human species will know exactly what to expect.The main character Arlo is honestly a little too annoying. Of course over the span of the movie he is supposed to grow up and overcome his fears, but the transition happens quickly (the movie is just over 1 ½ hours) and without much effectiveness.A third act I would kind of compare to Ice Age has a weird sense of wanting to be emotional and dramatic and powerful, but I think even the filmmakers knew it wouldn't have the lasting impression that their other films achieved. And this goes back to both the predictability and the lack of a consistent base throughout the film.The Ugly:This movie suffered through production Hell. The story wasn't quite right, the release date kept being pushed back, and people were fired and had to be recast. Luckily, it isn't some Batman & Robin disaster of a film-- but it still does suffer.Even with an improved story, it is still one of the weakest in that area as far as Pixar movies are concerned. On the bright side of that, however, that's not the focus of the film. And what it does focus on, the two main characters, it doesn't succeed to the level we expect, and also what it simply needs to be. Basically, it falls flat in most areas. But what is not ugly is the visuals. And this goes beyond just what you see on the screen. This takes into account the genuine moments of the film that don't require clunky dialogue to get the point across. It's just a disappointment that there aren't enough of these moments in the film.You can find this review and dozens of others at gillipediamoviereviews.blogspot.com

The person who made this was on a bad acid trip. That's the only excuse I can think of for this thing with horrible story elements! What the producers were thinking when they read the script makes me think the whole crew was stoned. Maybe it was a bet, "I'll make the stupidest movie, sell it under Disney's Pixar, and people will love it!" The premise ... a mentally evolved dinosaur at the dawn of mankind. Man, though he wears clothes and has the hands and dexterity to use tools ... is a dog. Literally. The dinosaur, who can only use his mouth to manipulate tools and items, somehow has ropes and creates baskets, thatched roofs, etc.... somehow creates a farm dwelling in the middle of nowhere, with no other dinosaurs around, in the mountains ... growing corn. Yes. Corn. The cowardly dinosaur falls into the river and gets swept SOOOOO far away that he takes days to get home. But when he falls down a huge swollen waterfall, he just ambles out just a tiny bit winded. I think of all the Disney productions I have ever watched, this is the worst. I would have given it ONE star, except the CGI was really good. Especially with the vistas. The character design ... well, certainly not Pixar's best, that's for certain. So, I gave it 3 stars because kids will enjoy it and visually adults will be good with it ... though I expect most to be as disgusted with the story elements as I was. IF you are going to watch it, I hope you find it for free as I expect you'll be severely disappointed if you pay to watch it.

Hi allNot sure why people are giving this movie bad reviews?!?! Watched it for the first time recently and have subsequently watched it hundreds of times as my 19 month old is glued to it and I'm a real fan myself as an adult...it has a good story, great characters, friendships,highly emotional with a powerful message...a real lovely film!Watch it for yourself before you draw your conclusion about it...personally I think it's better than inside out...not that inside out is bad but personally I prefer the good dinosaur!

This is a very sweet, sentimental film and was very refreshing from Pixar. The latest Pixar films have been either disappointing or too focused on being great instead of fun and enjoyable. I am in the minority of people who didn't enjoy Inside Out. I didn't find it very relatable or emotional and thought the story was contrived. That's where The Good Dinosaur succeeds. It doesn't try to be relatable. It does try to be emotional, and succeeds occasionally, but for the most part, it's just a fun, lighthearted adventure film.The Good Dinosaur doesn't try to overreach its status to be considered truly "great." It knows what it is and perfectly nails what it does best. People often hate Pixar when they make a film that is different. People hated Cars 2 because it had a story that wasn't trying to touch childhood emotions, but instead create childhood memories for the children who watch it. Brave was criticized for having a princess heroine like regular Disney animated films. People, I suspect, don't like The Good Dinosaur because it doesn't easily fit into every childhood memory or emotionally impact everyone who watches it. My only major problems with this film is that the story isn't always engaging. It has a few plot developments or character introductions that I found unnecessary to the overall structure of the film. Aside from the story, the animation was stunning and made it easier for me to enjoy watching the film. The animation is more simple and lovable than Pixar's most recent attempt at making a "great" film, Coco. Where Coco strives for complex, layered shots and animation, The Good Dinosaur is simple, digestible, and realistic (the backgrounds) while still being ridiculous enough to appeal to young kids. Expectations are subverted and common animation movie tropes are avoided. Even the first human child in the film is basically turned into a dog. If this could be appreciated for what it is, and not what it isn't, this could also be a considered a great film, despite its missteps.3.5/5 stars