The Good Dinosaur Review

The Good Dinosaur is the latest Disney Pixar Movie and there are already lots of toys ready to back the movie up! But is the movie any good? Is The Good Dinosaur movie worth seeing? Is the movie good for kids? I took my 3 year old daughter and 6 year old son to a complimentary movie screening earlier this week and these are my thoughts, and their reactions, about The Good Dinosaur.
Let’s just say that it was, overall, a good movie, but not a lot of good things happen in the movie. Somewhat of a spoiler alert, but in typical Disney fashion, a character dies right off the bat and in a rather dramatic way. There were also roaring dinosaurs, three vulture attacks, a snake attack, a couple of near drownings, and lots of falling off cliffs. Overall, lots of strife, peril and hardship. My three year old had her eyes closed for 2/3 of the movie. Even the animated short at the beginning of the movie (a clever depiction of ancient family traditions in a modern world) was fierce and aggressive. (She didn’t keep her eyes open for that either. I’m glad we took this picture before the movie.)

Thus, this is not one of those Disney Pixar cute films like Toy Story, Cars or Monsters Inc. I did laugh during The Good Dinosaur, but only three times. The rest of the time it was a pretty dark movie in that it was very emotional. If you love tear jerkers, then this is the movie for you. If you are looking for a cute Disney Pixar movie, this is not how I would describe this film.
That said, are the two main characters (Arlo and Spot) adorable? Yes. Do you bond with the characters despite the strife you have to endure watching for most of the movie? Yes. So it is one of those movies that sticks with you in that it is really emotionally impactful. If you go into the movie with that expectation, I think you’ll really like it and value the story line. Otherwise, for more sensitive children (or adults) you might want to pass on this one as it is not lighthearted at all.
It light of all of what I just said, my 6 year old loved the movie. He was focused the entire time on the screen and I’m not sure he even blinked. At the end of the movie, he loudly stated ” I love this movie!” and he hasn’t stopped talking about it. I think children in that 5-7 year old age range, will enjoy the movie in that it has dinosaurs. The 3D adds a great element to the film, and most of the deeper emotional tugs, expectations and experiences, are way over their head. So they just love seeing the action, with out any reaction, that an older child or adult will have.
Speaking of 3D, The Good Dinosaur movie is in 3D and glasses are provided. It is not the 3D type movie where it seems like things are jumping of the screen at you. You know the ones I mean – when balls are bouncing around and they seem like they are bouncing out over the audience. For this 3D movie, it mostly just gives dimension to the landscapes and the bodies of the characters. You sort of forget you are watching a 3D movie and are just appreciative of the quality of the graphics. (Very impressive and one of the best I’ve seen from Disney Pixar.)
Kudos to Disney Pixar for a very well done movie. I just prefer more of the funny and cuter films.