‘Good Dinosaur’ will be Thanksgiving’s top family film
The Good Dinosaur imagines a world where the asteroid that killed off the dinosaurs missed. Millions of years after the miss, an accident tosses a dinosaur named Arlo into a raging river along with a pesky human boy he eventually calls Spot. Lost in the wilderness, the two try to find their way home.
How they end up in the river and turn from enemies to friends is a bit more complicated and not necessary for this review.
Like all Pixar flicks, this one is beautifully done and combines live shots from Jackson Hole, Wyo., Yellowstone and parts of Montana and Oregon with animated dinos and a human. The cinematography is stunning, and this is one of the most beautifully shot animated movies ever.
The vocal work is done by a heavyweight cast that includes Sam Elliott, Frances McDormand, Jeffrey Wright, Steve Zahn, Anna Paquin and, as always, John Ratzenberger who — by my count — has now done 13 Pixar movies.
While the animation and cinematography will wow you, the plot leaves a lot to be desired. This is a big disappointment because the script is written by Inside Out’s Meg LeFauve and I expected something a little more profound.
Kids will love it, though some littler or less mature children may find parts of the movie scary. So do pay attention to the PG rating.
The Good Dinosaur
Director: Peter Sohn
Stars: Sam Elliott, Frances McDormand, Jeffrey Wright, Steve Zahn, Anna Paquin, John Ratzenberger
Mr. Movie rating: 3 1/2 stars
Rated PG for mature themes. It’s playing at Regal’s Columbia Center 8, the Fairchild Cinemas 12 and at Walla Walla Grand Cinemas.
5 stars to 4 1/2 stars: Must see on the big screen.
4 stars to 3 1/2 stars: Good film, see it if it’s your type of movie.
3 stars to 2 1/2 stars: Wait until it comes out on DVD.
2 stars to 1 star: Don’t bother.
0 stars: Speaks for itself.
This story was originally published November 25, 2015 at 4:40 PM with the headline "‘Good Dinosaur’ will be Thanksgiving’s top family film."