theresamgill The Good:This movie is gorgeous. As I was watching it with my younger brother (James) and my mom, Mom would comment how you could tell that they sometimes used actual footage and put animation over it. It's so good she was convinced that some of it was real. While I must give the character models award to Zootopia, that movie is edged by the landscapes and nature that play such an integral role in this film.The story-telling is at its best when it relies on the visuals. The middle of the movie basically serves as a quest to return home while Arlo and the boy Spot bond as they meet new dinosaurs. With this bare plot-line, usually something like dialogue or actions is used to make up for it. And this movie takes a WALL-E approach to dialogue and storytelling for the most part, and scenes such as at night in the riverbed when they talk about their families with the sticks and hardly a word spoken, that is the type of moment that engages the audience and proves that Pixar knows how to please people of all ages.It is during these scenes that the hilarious triceratops and cowboy-like t-rexes are met and enjoyed. They add the differing animal backgrounds well enough like Finding Nemo to keep the ball rolling through the minimal plot. Plus, Steve Zahn (Thunderclap) is always a welcome addition.The boy and dog dynamic is a really neat idea introduced after the 30-minute mark, and it not only plays off well, but it also makes sense. What this does is add more progression to the character development, which is one the movie's main focuses.The Bad:Sadly, the story-telling doesn't work very well when it isn't relying on the visuals. The first 20-30 minutes of the film are disappointingly conventional, and add nothing new to the mix (except for eye-popping visuals). Furthermore, there is a much larger sense of predictability that doesn't matter as far as kids are concerned, but older members of the human species will know exactly what to expect.The main character Arlo is honestly a little too annoying. Of course over the span of the movie he is supposed to grow up and overcome his fears, but the transition happens quickly (the movie is just over 1 ½ hours) and without much effectiveness.A third act I would kind of compare to Ice Age has a weird sense of wanting to be emotional and dramatic and powerful, but I think even the filmmakers knew it wouldn't have the lasting impression that their other films achieved. And this goes back to both the predictability and the lack of a consistent base throughout the film.The Ugly:This movie suffered through production Hell. The story wasn't quite right, the release date kept being pushed back, and people were fired and had to be recast. Luckily, it isn't some Batman & Robin disaster of a film-- but it still does suffer.Even with an improved story, it is still one of the weakest in that area as far as Pixar movies are concerned. On the bright side of that, however, that's not the focus of the film. And what it does focus on, the two main characters, it doesn't succeed to the level we expect, and also what it simply needs to be. Basically, it falls flat in most areas. But what is not ugly is the visuals. And this goes beyond just what you see on the screen. This takes into account the genuine moments of the film that don't require clunky dialogue to get the point across. It's just a disappointment that there aren't enough of these moments in the film.You can find this review and dozens of others at gillipediamoviereviews.blogspot.com

straightoutabottle Hi allNot sure why people are giving this movie bad reviews?!?! Watched it for the first time recently and have subsequently watched it hundreds of times as my 19 month old is glued to it and I'm a real fan myself as an adult...it has a good story, great characters, friendships,highly emotional with a powerful message...a real lovely film!Watch it for yourself before you draw your conclusion about it...personally I think it's better than inside out...not that inside out is bad but personally I prefer the good dinosaur!

Gavin Purtell 'The Good Dinosaur' is a fun kid's movie that has a few strenuous moments, but I saw it with a five-year-old and she was fine, so its PG rating for "some scenes may scare young children" is probably fair. Fairly simple plot - the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago just misses Earth, hence allowing mammals & dinosaurs to evolve and coexist.The story follows Arlo (Ochoa), an Apatosaurus, and his anthropomorphised family, of which Arlo's the runt of the siblings. Wright & McDormand are mum & dad, who spend their time farming. Arlo falls in the river and gets swept away and begins a quest to get back home and is aided by an unlikely partner - Spot (Bright) the human, who's really more of a puppy! Plenty of similarities to 'The Adventures of Milo and Otis' and 'The Lion King', with Arlo having to find his own courage before he can find his family.There's actually not that many dinosaurs (a few T Rex, Pteranodons, Velociraptor and Triceratops) as the film really sticks with Arlo & Spot. The backdrop they're set against, which looks like the mountains of Canada, is superb, with all the scenery seemingly vividly real - truly exceptional CGI, with the only things looking cartoony are the characters! Some sad bits, some funny bits and some lessons for good measure.

clearthinkernow I am so glad I didn't spend any money on this movie, I borrowed it from the library. Used to be the name Pixar meant quality. Now that is no longer true. When it got to the end (finally), I thought to myself what was this supposed to be about. What was the purpose of it? How many of you knew when Poppa and Arlo went out that Poppa wasn't coming back? Too often done in these "children's" movies, do you think? Then the poor grammar--what's the point of that? That animals aren't smart enough to speak properly? Really? Cavemen here are so dumb that they can't even speak at all and likewise they can't walk upright either. Tired of this indoctrination to children. If cavemen were that dumb, they would not have survived and we wouldn't be here.