Imagine living in a world where a fateful meteorite never hit the Earth, and dinosaurs still exist, sharing the planet with humans. This simple yet intriguing plot is essentially the premise for "The Good Dinosaur," Pixar’s second major release this year (the first was "Inside Out").
The story is brought to life by director Peter Sohn. Sohn previously worked as a storyboard artist for other Pixar movies, such as "The Incredibles" and "Up," and made his directorial debut in 2008 with the English version of the Japanese animated movie "Ponyo."
Read More: Pixar directing animator talks 'The Good Dinosaur' before its Thanksgiving release
Sohn captures the audience through impressive visuals in this movie. The backdrops in the film were simply breathtaking, at times becoming shockingly realistic. An example of this is when a cave boy, Spot, is sitting on the back of the movie’s protagonist, Arlo, gazing over the hills at the horizon. On the horizon was a captivating view of what seemed like an endless terrain of mountains that sometimes got lost in the clouds. The scenery is so impressive that if you were to mute the film, you might be just as pleased.
That’s not to say that the plot was weak; in fact, the storytelling in the film for the most part was entertaining. However, the visuals out-performed anything else in the picture. There were times when I paid more attention to the backdrop than to what the characters were actually saying. With the film being released in 3-D, that might have been Sohn's purpose.
While the film was well written, the plot could have been more original. Arlo, the titular character, must learn to protect himself against evil with the help of his human friend, Spot. Together, these two go on an adventure and run into many unexpected obstacles. Sound familiar?
Perhaps it does because we have witnessed this plot numerous times in animated adventure movies before. The film's plot resembles those of two other Pixar movies, "Up" and "Finding Nemo." Two polar opposite characters going on a mission together, overcoming their differences for a common end.
Step into their personal bubbles: https://t.co/FPODTGnrjx #GoodDino #TheGoodDinosaur pic.twitter.com/u27W7JGHIs
— The Good Dinosaur (@TheGoodDinosaur) November 29, 2015
Once you get past the recycled plot, the film becomes very enjoyable. The movie was hilarious and had a great emotional side to it as well. The dynamic between Arlo and Spot is especially touching and lends itself to some great moments. Even though Spot is very young, he protects Arlo until Arlo learns to protect himself.
If you see 1 film this weekend, make it @TheGoodDinosaur! @Pixar has done it again! I LOVED it!
https://t.co/CdoUtZbgud via @giphy
— Dan Bucatinsky (@danbucatinsky) November 28, 2015
This movie currently has a 77 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, which is fairly low for a Pixar movie, considering the high acclaim the studio typically garners. On its own, this movie is superb, but compared to other Pixar classics such as "Toy Story," "Monsters, Inc." and "A Bug's Life," this movie sinks to somewhat mediocre.
Sohn does his best to give audiences a great film, but this film will most likely not be remembered as a classic. For some reference to how well regarded some of those aforementioned films are, "Toy Story 3" and "Up" received Academy Award nominations for best picture — a relatively rare accomplishment for animated movies.
However, "The Good Dinosaur," with its astonishing scenery and well-written storyline, is easily one of the best movies of the year, and excellent for all ages.
Related links:
Pixar directing animator talks 'The Good Dinosaur' before its Thanksgiving release
'Spectre' puts Bond back into action, but don’t expect another 'Skyfall'
Reach the reporter at obie.dieke@asu.edu, or follow @20crowndancer14 on Twitter.
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