Dinosaur (2000)

An orphaned dinosaur raised by lemurs joins an arduous trek to a sanctuary after a meteorite shower destroys his family home.

Directors:

Eric Leighton, Ralph Zondag

Writers:

Thom Enriquez (story), John Harrison (story)

Stars:

D.B. Sweeney, Julianna Margulies, Samuel E. Wright

4 wins & 21 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Alfre Woodard	...	Plio (voice)
Ossie Davis	...	Yar (voice)
Max Casella	...	Zini (voice)
Hayden Panettiere	...	Suri (voice)
D.B. Sweeney	...	Aladar (voice)
Samuel E. Wright	...	Kron (voice)
Peter Siragusa	...	Bruton (voice)
Julianna Margulies	...	Neera (voice)
Joan Plowright	...	Baylene (voice)
Della Reese	...	Eema (voice)
Matt Adler	...	(voice)
Sandina Bailo-Lape	...	(voice) (as Sandina Bailolape)
Edie Lehmann Boddicker	...	(voice)
Zachary Bostrom	...	(voice)
Cathy Cavadini	...	(voice) (as Catherine Cavadini)

Storyline

During an attack on a pack of Iguanodon, an egg is separated and ends up with the possession of a group of lemurs. The lemurs care for this egg and the young creature born from it, which they call Aladar (D.B. Sweeney). When meteorites hit Earth, Aladar and his family must leave their homeland. Away from home and as close to danger as they have ever been, they meet up with a huge group of dinosaurs, led by Kron (Samuel E. Wright) and Bruton (Peter Siragusa). All together they are trying to reach the nesting grounds, but it's not going to be easy.

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Plot Keywords:

disney | dinosaur | anthropomorphic animal | anthropomorphic dinosaur | lemur | 

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Taglines:

Discover a world you've only imagined

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Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Family | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for intense images

Did You Know?

Trivia

To ensure realistic CG animation, 3D workbooks were created using Softimage 3D software. 48 animators worked on the film, using 300 computer processors to animate the film. Having aspired to be a paleontologist, David Krentz supervised the character design and visual development teams. He had an orthographic view of the dinosaurs, and his character designs were drawn on paper and scanned into the PowerAnimator software for the modelers to rig in the computers. In the character animation department, the dinosaur characters were first visualized in the computer in skeletal form. The rough character animations were then transferred into three software programs to strengthen the visuals of the characters. The programs were "Fur Tool," which was used for the lemurs and to create feathers and grass; "Body Builder," which was used to create skin and muscles for the dinosaurs; and "Mug Shot," a shape blender that works within Alias Maya for facial animation and lip-synching.

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Goofs

When Baylene is running to jump in the lake at the Nesting Grounds, she is shown to run right near the water's edge. After three shots, she is back where she started to run.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Plio: Some things start out big, and some things start out small, very small. But sometimes the smallest thing can make the biggest changes of all.

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Crazy Credits

The film opens without any opening credits, which other than the production logo and the title of the film.

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Alternate Versions

The original print included a song by Kate Bush, but this was cut after unfavorable response from preview audiences.

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Connections

Referenced in AniMat's Crazy Cartoon Cast: The Disney Domination Week (2019)

User Reviews

Fantastic awe-inspiring family entertainment! ****1/2 out of 5

This is a film that will delight viewers time and time again.

It's terrific family entertainment that isn't afraid to venture into darker territory. There are carnivorous dinosaurs chasing herbivores and a giant asteroid that crashes towards earth. As tense as these scenes can be, it's okay. This is a Disney film that shows us in the end we can get through things by sticking together. Ultimately I feel that is the moral of this film and it's a good one.

The music by James Newton Howard happens to be one of his best. It's beautiful and adventurous with themes that evoke a sense of wonder.

The look of the film is fantastic. The dinosaurs look quite real and the scenery is nothing short of breathtaking.

It's a film that contains all the right elements for a family masterpiece. Perhaps, my only wish is that it was a bit longer, but it is what it is and I am more than happy with it. It's a film that earns it's place along the great Disney classics such as The Lion King, Toy Story, Mary Poppins, and all the other classics.

Bravo Disney!

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 May 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dinosaur

Filming Locations:

Santa Clarita, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$127,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$38,854,851, 21 May 2000

Gross USA:

$137,748,063

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$349,822,765

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Pictures, The Secret Lab (TSL), Walt Disney Animation Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1