The Good Dinosaur

Earlier this year Pixar came out with Inside Out, an emotional and creative journey that worked on so many different levels. Now for the first time ever, Pixar are releasing a second film in a single year with The Good Dinosaur, and it’s fair to say it has some pretty big footsteps to follow. 

65 Million years ago, deep into the asteroid belt, a collision sends an asteroid hurtling towards Earth, destined to make a significant impact on the future of the planet. However it passes over safely, nothing more than a glint in the eyes of the dinosaurs. After millions more years of evolution, dinosaurs have started to build a life for themselves, cultivating land and learning to speak English, naturally. Underneath the claw-tooth mountains, two Apatosaurus, Henry (Jeffrey Wright) and Ida (Frances McDormand) have built a homestead and are farming corn. They give birth to three children, Libby (Maleah Padilla), Buck (Marcus Scribner) and Arlo (Raymond Ochoa), the well-meaning but cowardly runt of the litter. 

By completing challenging chores around the farm, Libby and Buck soon “earn their mark”, a mud-print on the family’s corn silo which becomes a coming-of-age signifier and a seemingly unachievable goal for Arlo. Soon though, he gets his chance when the family’s corn supply is being eaten by a ‘critter’ and Arlo is tasked to capture and kill it. When the critter turns out to be a feral human caveboy (Jack Bright), Arlo lets him go. However Arlo’s decision ultimately costs him a loved one and lands him lost, way down the river, his fate almost certainly sealed and with only the feral caveboy - which he later names ‘Spot’ - as company. 

As anti-Disney as I am, it’s impossible to ignore a Pixar film when one comes out; because for one, they’re almost always original and nuanced, and also because they only come around in a blue moon. Well, they used to anyway. Under their new road-map plan for upcoming films, the Pixar schedule is getting increasingly condensed which makes me worry about the quality of the releases, and was certainly a major consideration when I went in to see The Good Dinosaur. As much as it may look like a film tailored solely to kids, Pixar has once again built a story that brings something to all ages. There are jokes here that will fly straight over kids heads, something clearly evoked to me through the running commentary of the toddler-packed screening I attended. “Why are they happy? Why are they sad? Are both my eyes crying now dad?”, it’s as hilarious as it is distracting so keep that in mind when choosing a time to go see this if you’re a childless adult like myself with nothing better to do. 

The plot itself is fairly straightforward and as such lacks some of the emotional and conceptual depth of other Pixar films, however it makes up for this with its cute story of an unconventional friendship and a dinosaur that just wants to get home. For a significant part of the story the film takes on a western motif - most likely to keep the dads in the audience entertained - and this was probably the funniest section of the film for me. I had never considered the fact that T-Rex’s kinda look like they’re riding invisible horses. Look I get amused easily alright. Spot, the rabid human of the film actually kinda reminds me of The Feral Kid from The Road Warrior - although I’m not sure if that’s where the inspiration comes from - and for a non-speaking role, the character is surprisingly nuanced, a testament to Pixar’s understanding of the subtleties of movement.

If the fairly colourful, surreal visuals of Inside Out weren’t the revelation in animation technology you always look for in a Pixar film, then this will absolutely make up for it because The Good Dinosaur is utterly beautiful, we’re talking photo-realistic at times. However as staggering as that is, the style is limited to the backgrounds/environment, whereas the dinosaurs and other animals come off as cartoony. This makes for a kinda cute contrast but it probably could have been executed better as at times it becomes slightly distracting and jarring. 

The Good Dinosaur is not the greatest Pixar film, but it’s still definitely worth seeing. The story isn’t as original as I’d hoped but it achieves a lot in a short running time and manages to tailor itself towards children and adults alike. The stunning visuals and joy of seeing Sam Elliott as a T-Rex alone more than make up for the cost of admission.

Monsters University

I was 10 when Monsters, Inc. came out. Twelve years later, I'm studying at university and this movie comes out. It's great how life comes full circle. I should note that I was the oldest person in the theatre watching this (who didn't get dragged along by a child at least).

The story tells of how James P. Sullivan (John Goodman) and Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal) became best friends at university years before they were the best scare team at Monsters, Inc. Their introduction to each wasn't smooth sailing, however. Whilst they are both in a scare class, they get thrown out of the program by Dean Hardscrabble (Helen Mirren) for having a fight. Together they figure out that they can back into the course by competing in the Scare Games, a group of challenges for fraternities and sororities.

I feel as though this isn't really a kids movie, as the majority of the jokes are aimed at a mature audience but at the same time aren't crass. Charlie Day's (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) character, Art, is an obvious stoner type and the film also lampoons the hazing process that takes place in fraternities (there's a great documentary by Todd Philips if you want to know more about that, Frat House). At one stage during the film, the kid behind me started crying.

John Goodman and Billy Crystal were okay in their roles, but since this film takes place earlier than the original film, I thought maybe some younger voices wouldn't have hurt, but since it's only voice acting I don't think anyone would really care.

The other voice cameos are quite a surprise. Apart from the aforementioned Helen Mirren, there is Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation), Alfred Molina (Raiders of the Lost Ark) and Dave Foley (The Kids in the Hall). And of course I get excited when Charlie Day is in anything.

The ending of the film was a bit of let down to me as well. Both Mike and Sully's career within the Monsters, Inc. corporation is crammed into two or three minutes at the end of the film. They could have just left that out all together.

It does kind of bug me that Pixar has so much potential from their roots as innovators for originality, but now I feel as though they're doing the same things over and over (the soon to be released Planes is a perfect example).

Verdict: A decently funny prequel that could have been stronger in terms of story, but will suffice for kids and adults alike.

Also, a bonus if you live in either the UK or Australia (these are the only two countries I know of at present). Prior to the movie actually starting, there is a screening of The Blue Umbrella, a charming love story of two umbrellas that will tug at the heartstrings.