THE GOOD DINOSAUR
US, 2015, 93 minutes, Colour.
Voices of: Jeffrey Wright, Frances Mc Dormand, Raymond Ochoa, Jack Bright, Anna Paquin, Sam Elliott, Peter Sohn, Steve Zahn, John Ratzenberger.
Directed by Peter Sohn.
The Good Dinosaur has been nominated for a number of awards for Best Animation. It comes from the Pixar Studios and they are used to having nominations and awards – with their 2015 film, Inside Out, far surpassing The Good Dinosaur.
This film seems geared more specifically towards a young children’s audience, taking us back to more gentle prehistoric times, mother and father dinosaur who watch their eggs hatched, especially with the birth of a little dinosaur whom they call Arlo. And, it is very, very anthropomorphic: The dinosaurs have a skill in scarifying the fields, a way of sowing seeds and harvesting corn, and an ability to build their own huts.
Arlo is put to the test and fails with the death of his father. Parents with little children might begin to become a bit wary, too much emotion for the littlies. But, Arlo goes off to find himself, along with a little feral boy, Spot. There are some amusing episodes, especially when they take a fancy to berries, see a tree and Arlo has to reach out to make a bridge over the chasm for Spot to get to the berries.
But, then all kinds of things begin to happen which run the risk of scaring little children, with parents who may not feel all that involved with the story or characters, becoming scared of their children’s reactions to what is up there on the screen.
And what is up there includes some vicious prehistoric pterodactyl variations who menace Arlo and Spot, extreme thunder and lightning storms, an episode where Arlo and Spot are put on a rock by some benign dinosaurs (who have thick Texan drawls and vocabulary, the recognisable voice of Sam Elliott) whose buffalo have been rustled by some further monstrous types. Arlo and Spot are the bait to catch the rustlers, with fights, attacks – and the corralling of the buffalo.
There are further adventures along similar lines, Arlo having a dream where his father forgives him for his carelessness, more extreme lightning, Spot surrounded in a tree trunk in a river, menaced by those savage creatures again, and then Arlo and Spot hurled downriver and over a huge waterfall.
The animation is clever, and the voices somewhat oddball – adults may find it a bit tedious, 10-year-olds or so might get involved and absorbed, but it may be too much for many of the littlies.
1. A film from Pixar Studios? The intended audience? Children? Age? Adults?
2. The style of animation, primitive earth, the forests and mountains, the open plains? The animation for the dinosaurs, the different prehistoric characters, the humans and Spot? The musical score?
3. The voice cast, particularly American, particularly contemporary in expression, the villains and the comic and sinister touches, the friendly dinosaurs sounding just like to Texas Ranchers?
4. The action sequences, the evolution of earth, of animals? The dinosaurs and their experiences, tilling the ground, sowing the seeds, harvesting, building the hut? Arlo and Spot and their adventures, bridging the chasm, falling down the cliffs? The encounter with the other creatures, the hostilities, the violence? The dinosaurs and the buffalo and the stampede and corralling them? The winged creatures, the threats to Arlo and to Spot? In the river, the current, the waterfall? Lightning and storms? Snow?
5. The introduction, prehistoric times, millions of years ago, the meteor missing the earth, the evolution of the animals? The humanising of the animals? The voices?
6. The dinosaurs, the eggs, hatching, the children, Arvo as small, life, the test, the death of the father, Arlo and his shame, the little boy?
7. Arlo wandering, with Spot, the adventures, the berries, Arlo making a bridge, crossing, falling over cliffs? The lightning and storms? The variety of creatures, those seemingly friendly and helpful, devouring other creatures? The humorous aspects of the creatures in the forest, the creature with all the animals and his being camouflaged, the tests? The breathing into the earth and the creatures all emerging from the burrows? Finding dinosaurs, fear, the friendliness, the Texas accents and drawl, the parallels with the West, Arlo and Spot going up to the rock, challenging the rustling creatures, the attack, the creatures defeated, Spot and Arlo corralling the buffalo? Wanting to go home, looking for home? The predators coming again, the danger to Spot? The river, the waterfall, Arlo and his dream, seeing his father and his father’s reassurance? Giving Spot to the humans? Eventually getting home?
8. A little boy lost, a little dinosaur lost kind of story, the pathos? Audiences identifying with them?
9. Sadness, the fears, opportunity for change, forgiveness and reconciliation?
