As a
kids’ movie, The Good Dinosaur is
fairly good. As a Pixar movie, it’s only
okay. Don’t get me wrong – there are
some truly standout moments – but this film doesn’t approach of level of fine
Pixar works like WALL*E, Up, or Inside Out. (A couple of
basic premise spoilers.)
In a
hypothetical world in which the dinosaurs never went extinct, they’ve had
millions of years to develop as a species, cultivating language, technology,
and technology. Arlo is a young
Apatosaurus eager to “make his mark” on the family farm but struggles to keep
up with his brother and sister. It’s not
so much his small size that’s the problem – instead, he’s held back chiefly by
his fears, which continually get the better of him. When a freak accident carries Arlo far from
home, he has to dig deep and discover what he’s really capable of in order to
find his way back.
Arlo is
a nice, relatable protagonist, and his character journey, while a bit typical,
comes across well enough. (Side note – I
really like how Arlo and the other dinosaurs are sentient and civilized but not hugely anthropomorphized. It’s fun to see how quadrupeds like the
Apatosauruses operate a farm.) My issue
with the main story is that it doesn’t quite have the heft that I’ve come to
expect from Pixar. There’s not a lot
going on here that’s really exemplary in terms of ideas and creativity, and the
execution, for the most part, gets the job done but fails to impress. The storytelling feels watered-down, like
we’ve seen it before – because we have.
The
elements that diverge from this well-traveled path are very hit-or-miss. I’ll start with the misses, so I can work my
way up to the good stuff. The whole film
has a frontier slant to it, with different species of dinosaurs standing in for
homesteaders, ranchers, rustlers, and the like.
Although it’s definitely something that makes the movie a little less
standard-procedure and we get some amusing jokes from it (such as a T-Rex
playing a giant beetle like a harmonica,) it doesn’t quite gel. I get a sense that the movie never figured
out what it wanted to be, that it took a more “throw it against the wall and
see what sticks” approach to filmmaking.
But not
all of the film’s ventures are missteps.
Just like I enjoy seeing the dinosaurs perform human-like actions without
moving like humans, I adore the wild
“critter” who becomes a pet for Arlo on his adventure, a feral human boy that
Arlo names Spot. Spot is a fabulous,
hugely endearing character from top to bottom.
I love how doggish his movements and mannerisms are, I get a kick out of
his loveable obliviousness to Arlo’s early irritation with him, and it’s
wonderfully sweet to see how quickly he becomes devoted to his new friend. Every moment in the film that really connected
with me – creatively, comedically, and emotionally – involved Spot. For me, the best scene in the entire movie is
the quiet exchange in which Arlo tries to communicate the concept of family to
his nonlingual pet, but really, Spot shines pretty much whenever he’s given the
chance. This right here is the hook that
makes the film worthwhile, despite its issues.
Warnings
Some
scary images for kids and thematic elements.
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