I, for one, think it's
highly interesting that Pixar has released two feature films in the same year.
That's a gutsy move when you consider the fact that the two movies will
therefore be in competition against each other for Best Animated Feature for
the upcoming Oscars. This second Pixar movie, The Good Dinosaur (2015), ended up being above average. It hasn't
quite lifted the movie studio out of their slump of mediocrity, but it is a
step in the right direction.
Luckily for the young apatosaurus
named Arlo, his parents (Jeffrey Wright & Frances McDormand) and his two
siblings, the mighty dinosaurs were not wiped out 65 million years ago. When a
rainstorm washes poor Arlo (Raymond Ochoa) downriver, he ends up bruised,
battered and miles away from home. Good fortune shines on the frightened
dino when he meets a Neanderthal boy whom Arlo names Spot (Jack Bright) who
offers Arlo help and friendship. Together, the unlikely duo embark on an epic
adventure to reunite Arlo with his beloved family.
I
wasn't sure what I was getting into with The
Good Dinosaur. The trailer mostly boasted Pixar's usual stellar animation,
but didn't give us much of a hint at the story. This is usually a bad sign. The
last thing I was expecting was a prehistoric western. The Good Dinosaur is structured like a western, but doesn't make
it's character so human-acting that it's obviously a western. Arlo's family
works on a farm growing crops to keep themselves fed during colder seasons, but
they don't have farm equipment per say; they kind of work the fields tilling
the ground with their nose, build a silo out of rocks and mud, and they live in
a cave; it is still the stone age, after all. Arlo is a farm boy who gets lost
after a storm and meets what is functionally a stray dog and the two help each
other out as they face the wilderness together. They meet a psychotic cult of pterodactyls
who worship bad weather and lead by Thunderclap (Steve Zahn). They also meet
Butch (Sam Elliott) and his family of cowboy tyrannosaurus whose
"ranch" is full of prehistoric longhorns. Arlo and Spot help fight
off a pack of cattle
rustling velociraptors. Along the way Arlo learns the meaning of courage on his
way home. The story of The Good Dinosaur is a prehistoric frontier
survival saga and something of a vision quest. That alone is a neat concept
which was expertly executed.
Most kids movies are
fast paced, but surprisingly The Good
Dinosaur is slower, almost poky in its non-frantic pace. Many Pixar movies
hold dearly the values of manic verbal humor and elaborate chase sequences, but
The Good Dinosaur favors some very
straightforward and classy storytelling which also heralds back to old western
movies. There is a profound charm and beauty to the wordless stretches in the
movie. Moments like these are when the humor is predominantly physical and the
striking prehistoric scenery takes precedence. I could see some viewers
(possibly even kids) being put off by this more relaxed pace and the simplicity
of the direct story, but I found the straightforwardness and the more leisurely
paced film to be refreshing. This isn't to say that The Good Dinosaur is boring or even slow; it just doesn't move at a
manic pace nor is it a complex tale. It still boasts some emotional heft to it,
even with simple characters like Arlo who is basically defined by little more
than how he recoils from and then confronts his crippling fears. Like most
Pixar films, it caused me to tear up on more than on occasion.
Pixar has always set an
unprecedented high standard for their animation, and this one was no different.
The prehistoric background - mountains, valleys, forests, and rivers - are
animated with such realism it practically looks like it was shot with a video
camera rather than animated on a computer. Yet the characters are given
cartoonish proportions and movements which gives the movie an almost surreal
quality. The characters are still highly detailed and beautifully animated.
Everything from the gentle bob of an animal's breathing to the fluid shifts in
Spot's facial expressions was clearly, lovingly rendered. There are even
incredibly designed scenes (which I won't detail here for the sake of avoiding
spoilers) that make the sky itself resemble shark-infested waters. The
animation is positively amazing and is sure to impress and awe.
The
Good Dinosaur delivers some incredibly beautiful
animation and worthy story. Even if it doesn't quite live up to Pixar's lofty
standards, it still ends up being a charming, family-friendly movie. There are
echoes of The Lion King, Bambi, and many other timeless Disney
classics in this simple coming-of-age story. It is a good movie, but pitted
against the previous Pixar movie from this year I'd place my bet on Inside Out for Best Animated Feature.
The Good Dinosaur is worth seeing in
theaters, and probably worth owning on Blu-Ray eventually. Dinosaur-loving kids
will likely love this movie to pieces.
Can you think of another "metaphorical western?" Something that isn't literally a western sort of genre, but has a lot of similarities to it? Comment below and let me know!
Can you think of another "metaphorical western?" Something that isn't literally a western sort of genre, but has a lot of similarities to it? Comment below and let me know!
Saw this movie just this evening. Sweet story. Wonderful animation. We recommend it!
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