The Rundown: A twist on a boy and his dog, The Good Dinosaur takes place in a world where dinosaurs are still at the top of the food chain. A young dinosaur named Arlo is washed away far from home during a crazy thunderstorm. He needs to find his way back to his family’s farm before the first snow destroys their crops.
Pixar’s latest animated treat is a wonderful twist on a familiar premise. A young boy is far from home, and with the help of his trusty animal companion he will brave the elements to make sure he gets home. The twist is that the boy is a dinosaur, and his trusted companion is a human being. Arlo is the smallest of three siblings on his family’s farm. Along with his parents, brother, and sister he helps grow corn, feed birds, and watch out for pesky critters. While in hot pursuit of a critter that was stealing his family’s corn, Arlo is swept into the nearby river and washes up on a riverbank far from home. Now, with winter fast approaching, Arlo must hurry home to help his family bring in the harvest, with a critter by his side.
One of the things that really surprised me about The Good Dinosaur was how country it is. The film depicts a heartwarming and pleasant view of the family’s farm life, and many of the other dinosaurs that Arlo meets on his adventure put me in mind of the wild west. There are ranchers, poachers, hunters, and outlaws all trying to survive on the rough terrain. The accents don’t hurt either.
The other key point of interest in the film is the interplay between Arlo and Spot, the human critter that he travels with. In a world where dinosaurs have evolved past simple beasts, the interplay between two species that exhibit different types of intelligence is really cool to watch. There is a scene where the two communicate about their families that gave me all the feels ever. The film doesn’t go too hard into the science of this alternate take on Earth’s evolution, at the same time you can tell there are specific things they had in mind when crafting the intelligent life in this new world. Small things, such as how the T-Rexes that he meets run upright, as opposed to the low down, loping gait that you would see in Jurassic Park, make it clear that these are not beasts. They’re people.
Despite the language and advancement of the film’s dinosaurs, The Good Dinosaur never quite lets you forget that this is still a savage world. While carnivores might not necessarily eat every dinosaur they come across, they still have the menacing teeth and disposition that marks their species. It also never shies away from scenes of natural brutality, in that critters are consumed, dinosaurs bitten, and death is all around. That natural danger on top of the ever-present storm, makes the sense of urgency and peril constantly felt throughout the film.
I loved The Good Dinosaur and apart from some minor inconsistencies in the ending, the film holds together really well. I can definitely see younger kids who are easily scared being terrified of some of this movie, but really I think some of the best film I saw as a child were also slightly traumatic. I turned out alright. Mostly. So yeah, if you’re looking for the next big Pixar thing, here it is, and it totally delivers.