The Good Dinosaur
Director: Peter Sohn
Talent: Jeffrey Wright, Frances McDormand, Maleah Nipay-Padilla, Ryan Teeple
Release Date: 27th November 2015
In The Good Dinosaur, dinosaurs never went extinct and instead live out their lives as farmers, bandits and buffalo ranchers in something resembling the American Old West. Pixar’s latest film pulls a reverse Flintstones on the audience: the dinosaurs act like humans, while humans act like dogs. The premise is cute and the presentation is exceptional but the film has a hard time establishing a tone, as the script is light on the jokes, but heavy on the drama. Viewers may be reminded of something like The Yearling or Old Yeller more than they are of Monsters Inc. or Toy Story. Favouring drama over comedy in a children’s movie is not bad in and of itself, but The Good Dinosaur fails to make its drama impactful time and time again. It’s a simple, pretty story and you get what the title promises – a good dinosaur – but not much else.
Words: Luke Maxwell
