Review of The Good Dinosaur (2015) by Tjman09 — 06 Dec 2015

The Good Dinosaur is a good film from Pixar, that suffers from the heavy expectations of being a Pixar film. If this film had been made by any other studio it’s reviews may have been a little more positive, but considering the pedigree of Pixar this film falls slightly short. The Good Dinosaur is funny, gorgeously animated, but suffers from a slightly weaker story than has become expected of Pixar. That being said it’s still a very enjoyable film, that kids are sure to love.

As with many other Pixar films, The Good Dinosaur does have a few of the studio’s cornerstones. The Good Dinosaur features a great sense of humor, and a fun overall tone. The film also has a lot of emotional depth, in that department The Good Dinosaur feels very much like a Pixar film. The reason that The Good Dinosaur has such a good emotional depth, is the character development of the main characters. In all of those ways The Good Dinosaur lives up to the expectations of Pixar.

The animation in the film is gorgeous. While the script may be a little weaker than some other Pixar films, The Good Dinosaur may have very well broken ground in animation. The animation looks real, is meticulously polished, and flat out looks real. The score, large panoramic backdrops, and certain plot elements make The Good Dinosaur feel a homage of the classic Westerns. However, this becomes an issue as the film progresses.

The main problem of the script is that it’s unfocused, which is surprising, because most Pixar films are extremely focused and groundbreaking narratives. At times The Good Dinosaur feels like a western, at times it feels like a comedy, but no one overall feel is kept, the film switches erratically. Another problem is that the pterodactyl characters are poorly developed and they drag the film down. They don’t have real motives, they just appear and act like a mix between stoners and storm chasers.

In conclusion The Good Dinosaur is a good film from Pixar, but falls a little short of their normal standards. While the story is weak for Pixar’s standards the film is still very deep, and features glimmers of classic Pixar. Still kids will probably have a good time with this film, as it’s funny, beautiful, and emotional, just not the strongest thing Pixar has made.