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Author Topic: The Good Dinosaur (2015) Matt Russell Expert Film Handler Posts: 142 From: Aurora, USA Registered: Aug 2015 posted 12-12-2015 10:31 PM                    Finally got around to seeing Pixar's latest, and it's stunning. While the story doesn't leave you with the same impact as Inside Out did, Good Dinosaur's beautiful animation and fun characters make it yet another fine entry in Pixar's vault. The story itself deals with what if dinosaurs never got hit by the asteroid, and thus enters a reality where dinosaurs take the role of farmers and humans are considered to be like animals. It's not bad, but like fellow Pixar movie Brave, you can see that Pixar might of done some picking around with some other films. What really makes the film shine is the relationship between Arlo the dinosaur and his "pet" Spot, who's a human. What makes the friendship strong is they communicate through actions and emotions much more so than talking (as Spot can't speak). Some of the other side-dinosaur characters that come along in the movie are fun and quirky, and there's a particular scene with some Arlo, Spot, and a t-rex family chasing through a field of buffalo that's lots of fun and stunning to watch. There's some predictability that comes with the film and it's acceptable, but I wish Pixar could of made the story a little stronger, but the emotional relationship between Arlo and his family, and then with Spot, is really moving and that, alongside the photo-relastic animation, is what helps make Good Dinosaur another Pixar winner. P.S. the short film before it, Sanjay's Super Team, was also really fun and smartly crafted. Better than that Lava short on Inside Out if you ask me! Film: 3 out of 4 stars Presentation: 3 out of 4 stars (masking issue on the top and bottom of the screen, didn't really interfere with the presentation but it was noticeable. Some fast moving scenes could possibly give some people headaches, but I didn't have a problem with it, possibly because I saw it just in 2D.)  |  IP: Logged Sam Graham AKA: "The Evil Sam Graham". Wackiness ensues. Posts: 1431 From: Waukee, IA Registered: Dec 2004 posted 01-03-2016 03:45 PM                        CINEMA: 13th Avenue Warren, Wichita, KS AUDITORIUM: 5 PRESENTATION: Dolby Digital Cinema, THX PRESENTATION PROBLEMS: None RATING: Two stars (out of four) THE PLOT: A family of dinosaurs speak English and exhibit practical farming skills. Wackiness ensues. Yet another "main character gets lost and tries to get home" effort from Pixar. I wasn't as impressed with the animation as Matt was. Sure the scenery is nice, but the characters aren't very well done. Disney's "Dinosaur" from 2000 had better looking dinosaurs. The main character, Arlo, isn't very likable until the end of the movie, when everything is wrapped up in a warm and fuzzy. But getting to that point isn't all that interesting and seriously lacks Pixar's usual cleverness. This really felt phoned in, though the little kids in the audience really seemed to like it. For a movie winding down its run and playing in the building's smallest auditorium, it sure did a business. Every row was damn near full, even up front.  |  IP: Logged Jonathan Goeldner Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1360 From: Washington, District of Columbia Registered: Jun 2008 posted 01-09-2016 10:53 PM                     for a movie that had problems and then supposedly fixed in script form - the plot felt waifer thin... really? you guys made it better?? I couldn't tell. on the plus the 3D for the feature AND the short were great. The background art design was epically beautiful and the best aspect of the movie.  |  IP: Logged Stu Jamieson Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 524 From: Buccan, Qld, Australia Registered: Jan 2008 posted 01-23-2016 04:17 PM                     Imagine a world where the meteor missed and the dinosaurs co-habited the Earth with humans and became the dominant species. This is the world of Pixar's latest effort, The Good Dinosaur, a western flavoured tale about a fearful lad and his human pet learning to survive in frontierland. Pixar are renowned for producing films of varied levity from the fun Finding Nemo to the much more serious Inside Out which is capable of reducing adults to a blubbering mess. They're all primarily aimed at kids though, so from a tyke's perspective they're all fun (mum and dad are just wusses). From the outset (and on the strength of the promotional trailer), The Good Dinosaur looks like one of Pixar's light weight affairs but upon viewing it quickly becomes apparent that there is a darkness here which belies the cutesy animation. Indeed following the movie, my 8yo daughter stated that this was the first film she's seen which made her sad - this is a child who giggled and chortled her way through Inside Out! Arlo, the fearful but "good" dinosaur, and his family suffer some serious hardship throughout this film but it's all deftly handled within a kiddie friendly package. Even so, the film doesn't end quite as kids will expect - hence my daughter's sadness. It's a mature, realistic conclusion but relax mum and dad, no one dies in the end; this isn't a tragedy. The level of environmental detail on display is incredible! Computer generated imagery is getting seriously good and there are times here when you wonder if Pixar have slipped in some live action footage. The CGI is so good that computer generated landscapes adorn the closing credits and you'd swear they were photographed. The decision to use these photorealistic backdrops behind cartoonish characters is a little jarring at first but you quickly get used to it. It has nowhere near the jarring effect of Wall-E. Ultimately this is an affecting tale about the strength of friends and family. There is perhaps a sequence or two which could be excised to tighten the proceedings a little but it works well as is. 8 out of 10  |  IP: Logged

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