The Good Dinosaur

I sat down to watch "The Good Dinosaur" with my family, that being wife and 6 year old son, and I didn't really have any idea that I would end up being as entertained by this animated movie as I was. I had thought that this would just be another one of those mass-produced generic animated movies aiming for the kids.

The story in "The Good Dinosaur" was actually surprisingly good, and it was told in a very entertaining way, and also in a way that kept the movie progressing at a constant good pace. There weren't really any dull moments throughout the course of the movie, and even the slower moments in the movie were good and had crucial parts to the overall storyline.

The CGI, style and textures in "The Good Dinosaur" were all very impressive. But of course, Pixar is well-known for that, and they didn't disappoint by any means with this 2015 release. The entire animated world was rich in color, details and very lovable.

As for the characters portrayed in "The Good Dinosaur", well there is something for everyone here. I dare say that much. Of course you have someone brave, someone lovable, someone daring, someone clumsy, etc. etc. It was all here. And they had managed to get together and impressive group of voice actors and actresses for the various roles. And for an animated movie, then the voice acting is essential.

"The Good Dinosaur" is the kind of story that you take to heart immediately and you will be entertained right up to the very end of the movie, that is for sure. And although you already know how the movie will end, it is still a good story to experience and an entertaining movie to watch.

This 2015 animated movie, like most Pixar movies, is of the type that you can watch more than just a single time. And it does stand out from many other Pixar movies, mainly because of the setting of the age of dinosaurs and the characters.

"The Good Dinosaur" scores a solid six stars out of ten rating from me, as it is a movie that has that ability to make you feel good, feel entertained and make you laugh all at the same time.

I'm in my twenties and to be honest, I still enjoy watching Pixar films with my family. There's just something so genuine and beautiful about their movies, not to mention the endless amount of lessons one can learn.

When I initially read the reviews about "The Good Dinosaur", they were all so bad. It didn't stop me from watching though and I do not regret that decision. This has got to be one of the most heartwarming Pixar films I've ever seen and it tugged at my heartstrings. I was crying throughout the movie especially towards the end.

The thing about being an adult, we tend to overthink something so simple. The plot isn't something grand. It's not funny. It's cute. If you're looking for a film like the classic Pixar favorite "Toy Story", forget about watching this. It's a really simple storyline that focuses mainly on teaching the importance of family, dealing with fears and overcoming them as well as finding oneself or making your mark in this world. View "The Good Dinosaur" with an open mind and just be ready to enjoy the movie without reading too much between the lines. The good thing about Pixar films is that they remind you how wonderful it is to still be a kid at heart. This movie is no exception. In fact, I think this joins the ranks of "Finding Nemo","UP", and "Inside Out". Everyone has a right to their own opinion, but I can't help but wonder why majority just plain dislike this movie.

If you're on the fence after reading one too many 1-star reviews, I say go ahead and still watch it. Judge for yourself. Be pure hearted like a kid and try to embrace the beautiful lessons of the film. Allow it to engulf you and touch you. If you have a kid/kids, this would be one of those perfect films to have a hearty conversation with afterwards. It's very inspiring, really.

Give "The Good Dinosaur" a try. Oh and one more thing, don't be afraid to cry while watching this. I've seen this twice and still end up a mess every time.

After being blown away by Pixar's previous film 'Inside Out' (which is one of their best too), while not really deserving of so many 1- star reviews 'The Good Dinosaur' disappointed on many levels.

Not just lesser Pixar but a contender for their worst too, even more so than the often panned 'Cars 2' (which to me while not great was not that bad). It is a long way from an awful film, certainly much better than several reviews have lead you to believe (seeing as 1- star indicates no redeeming qualities, which is not the case here), but considering Pixar's usual incredibly high standard I was expecting so much more.

There are a number of good things here in 'The Good Dinosaur'. Much of the animation is spectacular, including some of Pixar's most gorgeously vivid colours and some of their most stunning and rich- in-detail backgrounds. The music score is both whimsical and energetic, and the film also benefits from some clever casting and very strong voice acting, Sam Elliot in particular stands out. Many have complained of Arlo's voice work, it wasn't a problem personally.

On top of those, 'The Good Dinosaur' does have some genuinely funny moments (mostly visual), parts that are genuinely touching, some thumping, thrilling action, a beautifully realised central friendship, an endearing lead character in Arlo and an inspirational main message (as a matter of fact, all the lessons and messages the film teaches are great). So a lot to admire.

However, 'The Good Dinosaur' does fall short. While there is much to admire in the animation overall, it also contains the least appealing character designs in any of Pixar's film, the photo- realistic look looks cartoony rather than realistic and jars against the vivid backgrounds . While keeping things simple can work in a film's favour, 'The Good Dinosaur' is rather too simple and straight-forward that the storytelling while not completely dull lacks momentum and veers on being too paper-thin and simplistic as well as being too predictable and familiar. Target audience is also an issue.

Adults may find themselves checking their watches, not that it's completely dull but unlike much of Pixar's other films it is not consistently captivating. And with children, while this viewer usually tries to not complain about anything being too dark or unnecessary and has been known to defend films criticised for that 'The Good Dinosaur' is an example of a film where that criticism is valid and understandable, because there is some dark and disturbing content (like a decapitation and a drug reference) that added absolutely nothing and quite frankly had no place in a family film. The violence is similarly gratuitous. The script is inconsistent in the laughs and emotional investment factors and is not as clever, witty, insightful or as intelligently structured as the writing for Pixar's best, coming across as even more paper-thin and simplistic than the storytelling and the dialogue itself is often cheesy and clichéd.

In conclusion, not as bad as most have made out but very much a lesser Pixar. Has enough good merits to make it watchable, but it's the only Pixar film to date to disappoint me. Very hard to decide between a 5 or 6, as it was actually not easy to rate, so it's got a 5.5/10 (somewhere in between). Bethany Cox

So this movie is probably a lot better than what you might have heard. But some parents may have some issues with the themes and things portrayed in here in general. It may be a bit too much for their children to watch. There are some adult situations here (as in life happens and the "brutality of it", without getting explicit), some dramatic moments that may stay in ones mind.

Having said that, you could say, that this is challenging and if you really think about it, animated movies in the past that are considered classics, had some horrible moments in them (without spoiling the moments, just two examples: Bambi and Lion King). Even the Last Unicorn had some dark themes in it. So maybe we try to overprotect children, where they don't need to be protected? It's a fair question though, but the movie handles it very discreetly and to the point.

The fact that this movie still holds a score of a 6.8 with hundreds of 1/10 scores shows you just how good it is. I'm not here to preach that it's an awesome movie, but give it the score it deserves. (It's not PIXAR's best, but still fits the bill of a good movie.)

Honestly the highly negative scores are just because people were not BLOWN away. A PIXAR movie sets the bar so high, so the fact that this one isn't an A+, people are bashing just to bash.

I watched this with my cousins, all at the time were under 10 ( 7 & 9 ) and nothing was too scary. Could it be over the top for 4 or 5 year old, of course, but it's not that bad. The Lion King is regarded as one of the BEST Disney films ever and there are similar scenes with death, scary bad-guys, hard times, etc.

Give it a watch.