Review of The Good Dinosaur (2015) by Mark S — 11 Feb 2016

Warning: Might Contain Spoilers.

From the legendary studio behind some of the greatest animated films of all time, celebrating 20 magnificent years of genius filmmaking, and celebrating 20 years of the greatest animated film of all time, Toy Story, Pixar brings you The Good Dinosaur, a strange, bizzare, stunning animated spectacle from Pixar, at least in my opinion. 6 years in the making, and following years of extensive rewrites, delays and even director replacements, the film manages to shed off its troubling history and surprise me. Featuring a strange and off-the-wall, but deep and heartwarming story, lovable characters, and quite possibly the best CGI ever made, Pixar wows us again with another gorgeous animated film. The Good Dinosaur surprised me with a heartwarming story of a young dinosaur and his human friend, as they journey through the dangers and beauty of the outside world.

Thoughts:

Ever since its announcement in 2011, I predicted that this film would somehow received controversy in some form, due to its strange, ambitious premise, starting with the troubling production, pushing it's original release date from November 2013, to May 30, 2014 (my birthday), then to 2015. The bizarre premise, its odd story, infamous criticism and ranting for its scientific inaccuracy, ultra-cartoony looking characters in photorealistic backgrounds, uneven tones, and coming off the heals of Inside Out (reasons which could turn off people) makes The Good Dinosaur Pixar's most controversial film to date. But despite all of that, I believed that Pixar, who managed to produce Toy Story 2, 9 months before release could turn it around and gives us another special film to remember. But does the film live up to its name?

Story/Script:

The Good Dinosaur is without a doubt, Pixar's strangest and trippiest, and quite possibly, their most fascinating film to date, and it manages to use a cliched coming-of-age story arc and craft it into something fresh and original. The premise is nothing short of brilliant. Imagine a world where the infamous asteroid that wipe out the dinosaurs, missed. The film features the story of a young apatosaurus named Arlo who is sweated away from his after a tragic accident, and must go on a quest to overcome his fears and get back home, with the help of some new friends, one of them, being a human boy named Spot.

Its surprising what a trippy, plot-less mess, how it could have been. Pixar exceeded in telling a weird story off a strange premise. Everything works. From many reports, many have complained its tones, which is understandable. The film is at times dark and at other times lightheaded. At some times, the film is corny, and other times, it is edgy. At some points its plain sad and somber, in others, its downright strange and hilarious. At some points its one of Pixar's most unconventional films to date, and at other times, it features ideas from other films. But it works, everything blends wonderfully. Pixar once again, flexes its muscles with the sheer amount of creativity and wonder put into the film.

Again they manage to grab our hearts, again. Although they could've done more with the premise, the film features a heartwarming story, including scenes that will make you cry. Seriously, when will Pixar give us a film that can be masterfully made and not make us shed a tear. ;) My only complaint is that it is short, clocking at only 93 minutes, and contains a bunch of ideas from other films. It could be that many people didn't like this movie is because it doesn't feel like a Pixar film. For those who think Pixar is doomed and are getting lazy, let me remind you. I think the reason the film has all these ideas, is not because they're lazy, in fact, I think it is to pay homage and tribute to these films, to remind us that even though these ideas may have been used before, and have already been seen, these ideas still leave an impact, that these ideas have a special place to our hearts. For example, the tragic death pays tribute to The Lion King, because it is to remind us that Mufassa's death still left an impact to our lives. The Good Dinosaur is a film that pays honorable tribute to the films we grew up with, to celebrate the 20 years of feature films that Pixar has delivered and thats is why I think the film works. Another thing to know is that the film has a very polarizing setup.

Based on many user reviews, people have been hideously harsh and complained that the film is too violent and scary for young children. First off, Bambi and The Lion king are darker than this. Those films had equally dramatic deaths, scary moments, and creepy imagery that will scare the little ones, yet nobody complains that they are scary. That is exactly what Pixar is going for. The main objective is to make the environments scary and dark, to depict that nature can be dangerous, and make the stakes for Arlo even higher. Pixar should not be bashed for making a film that is dark and scary, there are many Disney films that are just as dark. People also complained that the film is very dark and intimidating, which proves that parents have become mindless pansies. But some people trashed the film simply for the trippy drug sequence where Arlo and Spot begin to trip on rotten berries,with people bashing the scene for it's strange bizarre look. Okay first things first, Don Bluth's 80's films are full of mind-f&^kery sequences, dark, sinister setups and scary-looking animation, and he is praised for it, but somehow when Pixar does it, they get criticized and bashed, like Pixar shouldn't be allowed to do anything trippy and dark, which is wrong. In fact it makes me sick to even believe what these "parents" would do if Pixar can out with something that is PG-13,.

Maybe thats the problem. I think I know why people are criticizing the film, I could be that its not, it may because the film is extremely polarizing and is nothing like the previous films in terms of tone. People have gotten used to the "Pixar Style" which is fun, family-friendly adventures, and most people also expect their films to be masterpieces, and will boycott the film, if they are dark and depressing or not appropriate for children, even if the film is great, or if their film isn't extraordinary or revolutionary, people will do one of 2 things: they will go apeshit, and boycott the studio, or will give them the how-much-they-suck speech, for not being perfect. Hell, a bunch of conservative parent groups even rant that they have to be kid-friendly and must make them laugh or will go batshit and boycott them, if they make something with a single bit of edge or scary imagery.

Pixar is not a perfect studio. They will make mistakes, and when they do, they will learn from them and get better. And also, Pixar films are not kids movies. If that was the case then they wouldn't be sophisticated or as inventive, or as gorgeous as they are, films don't need to be creative to appeal to kids, but somehow, Pixar cares about making masterpieces that adults could enjoy, which is why these films make #1 at the box office (or almost always), and they should not be limited to making kid-friendly films. Pixar films themselves already have dark elements, and they shouldn't be bashed for making something dark or depressing. Pixar's signature style is beyond spectacular, and terrific, but Pixar shouldn't be limited to their own style. Pixar deserves to make movies that are different from what they make. They should be allowed to make films for older audiences, they deserve the right to make dark, edgy movies, even if they are too scary for children. If Pixar wants to make a PG-13 or R- rated film, let them make a PG-13 or R film. Let Pixar expand their audience and make edgier films, if they want to. And if they do (and when they do) don't judge them based on whether it's appropriate for small children, because at one point they will make a film that is not for children, so judge their films on how they are, and appreciate the fact that these films are make by special filmmakers who put time and effort on films that they are proud of, rather than slap in a couple of pee-jokes with corporate pop songs playing in the background. Overall, the film packs a massive punch in creativity, beauty, comedy and most importantly, heart. 9/10.

Animation/Visual Effects:

Congratulations Pixar, you folks created the best CGI animation ever put by man. You have made my jaw drop, literally. Words cannot describes how ground-breakingly phenomenal the animation is. This film is truly a extraordinary spectacle of visual storytelling. Pixar truly is the top-level master of animation and visuals. The Good Dinosaur features the best CGI ever seen. Flooded with unbelievable levels of impeccable detail, photorealism, and beauty that puts every single animated film from other film studios to shame. Even Big Hero 6's gorgeous animation is no match for what this film has in store. I have never seen CGI look this realistic. Everything is crafted with unrecorded levels of detail. Everything, from the rippling leaves, waving blades of grass, jagged rocks, crunchy wood bark, sailing clouds has been made into perfection. The photorealistic landscapes are more canny than any other animated film, more than even expensive CGI in live action films. There are times when you can't even tell whether it is real or rendered footage. Despite all the beautiful backgrounds and landscapes the characters inhabit, possibly the most impressive element of the animation is water. Most CGI water in the past has failed to truly replicate real life. The Good Dinosaur makes water feel truly real, with times were you will be pardoned for being mistaken for seeing live action footage. Many forget that the landscapes are suppose to be a character, to showcase how dangerous and beautiful nature can be. I am aware that people are turned off by its cartoony looking characters, and bashed the film simply because of it. I believe that the reason they made the characters cartoony is to contrast how beautiful and terrifying the outside world can be, and to make the realistic landscapes look more life-like than possible. Sure they look strange and cartoony, but you've have to accept that, they look more appealing and will probably hold up longer than the realistic dinosaurs from Disney's 2000 film Dinosaur, who admittedly, looked very uncanny by today's standards. Based on what I saw, the folks at Pixar truly are masters of visual storytelling, and if an animation studio can surprise and wow just as much as live-action, then you know what, they deserved to be praised, for what they brought us. 10/10!!!!!!!

Characters:

The characters tend to be very interesting and very likable. The film centers on a young apatosaurus named Arlo, a scared fearful creature who must venture into the wild to learn what he is truly made off. He is accompanied by a young human boy named Spot, a savage but loving and curious being who creates a strong bond with Arlo, who represents a dog On their journey, they come across a band of pterodactyls led by their leader, ThunderClap, who represent vultures. They soon befriend a group of T-Rexes, Butch, the tough leader and father of two others, Nash and Ramsey, who portray cowboys. Arlo's family consist of his brave father Henry, his mother Ida, his brother Buck, and his sister Libby. e characters in general are very vibrant and fun and to be around. Although some of them don't get as much screen time and wanted, they mostly pack a large punch of creativity. However the stars of the film are Arlo and his friend Spot. The film features the gorgeous relationship of 2 different characters, of different species, who prove that even the most different of people can become true friends. 8/10.

Despite being a touch short, The Good Dinosaur is another incredible and unfortunately, severely underrated classic from the studio that has revolutionized the industry. Though some people may disagree with my opinion, I believe that with a heartwarming story, groundbreaking animation, and lovable characters, this film is a wonderful option and another excellent outing that manages to wow me as much as their previous films. Unfortunately, the film will, for a while remain a very polarizing film, but in my books, The Good Dinosaur is a magnificent dinosaur. Hopefully like many great films (which includes The Empire Strikes Back, which was also poorly received during initial release, but is now considered a masterpiece), people will began to warm up, and the film will eventually be held as a modern Pixar classic. Pixar has been innovating the film industry for 20 years, and lets hope they continue to strike for excellence for decades to come. 9.5/10.