Advertisement

arts entertainmentMovies

While visually stunning, ‘The Good Dinosaur’ plot falls somewhat short (C+)

The Good Dinosaur isn't good. It's Pixar-gorgeous in 3-D computer-animated splendor so detailed you can see individual stalks of wheat swaying in the breeze.

If only this derivative mishmash of a story were as clear or compelling.

The film's odd, intriguing premise is that the meteor that is theorized to have killed off the dinosaurs 65 million years ago missed the Earth. In a dino-spin on Planet of the Apes, this results in a world where talking dinosaurs evolve to become farmers and cowboys. Humans are pesky, nonverbal scavengers that steal the harvest.

Advertisement

A young apatosaurus named Arlo (voiced by Raymond Ochoa) is eager to make his mark (literally earn the right to put his footprint on the family's grain silo), but is too fearful to accomplish anything. In a Lion King-like moment, his dad (Jeffrey Wright) dies saving him. Arlo gets lost and tries to find his way home with the help of a tiny, resourceful human child he reluctantly bonds with as his pet, whom he calls Spot (Jack Bright).

News Roundups

Catch up on the day's news you need to know.

Or with:

This image released by Pixar-Disney shows a scene from "The Good Dinosaur." (Pixar-Disney...
This image released by Pixar-Disney shows a scene from "The Good Dinosaur." (Pixar-Disney via AP)

They meet colorful characters, including scary raptors that act like the predatory hyenas from The Lion King. The bright parts are the tender and funny scenes between Arlo and Spot, but the meandering tale and its uninspired resolution are likely to leave younger kids fidgeting and overwhelmed by threatening moments.

Advertisement

The film had been postponed for more than a year, with a new director and producer brought on board to rework a story that has ended up as a familiar admonition to do the brave thing.

Yes, it's visually astounding, but it's hard to imagine how the original concept could have been less satisfying than this.

The short before the film, Sanjay's Super Team by Pixar artist Sanjay Patel, is as fresh and original as The Good Dinosaur isn't. In a few minutes, Patel tells the joyous, reality-based animated tale of a boy who would rather watch American cartoons than do his daily Hindu meditation with his father. Then one day, he finds an imaginative way to bring his two worlds together.

Advertisement

The Good Dinosaur (C+)

Directed by Peter Sohn. PG (peril, action and thematic elements). 93 mins. In wide release