Starring: Raymond Ochoa, Jeffrey Wright, Frances McDormand, Steve Zahn, Anna Paquin
The Good Dinosaur
Director: Peter Sohn
Rating: 3.5/5
Never before have we been treated to two Pixar movies in one year... but all that is about to chance as The Good Dinosaur follows hot on the heels of critical and commercial smash Inside Out.
Peter Sohn makes his feature film directorial debut with The Good Dinosaur but he is no stranger to Pixar having directed short film Partly Cloudy in 2009.
The Good Dinosaur asks the question: What if the meteor that drove the dinosaurs to extinction missed the earth entirely?
This fun-filled journey of two unlikely heroes is one of ultimate friendship, as a dinosaur named Arlo and a feral boy named Spot learn the power of confronting their fears and, together, discover who they are truly meant to be.
Any film was going to struggle coming after Inside Out - which is arguably one of Pixar's greatest triumphs - and it's perhaps even more unfortunate that The Good Dinosaur is released so soon after that success.
While The Good Dinosaur perhaps doesn't quite reach the lofty heights of some of the Pixar films that have gone before it, it is a movie that is a lot of fun and does pull at the heart-strings.
What I loved so much about the film is that director Peter Sohn has kept things pretty simple and straightforward - and there is nothing wrong with that. The Good Dinosaur is about overcoming your fears as well as love and loss and these themes will resonate with all audience members. We all remember being young and how scared we were about stepping out into the big bad world alone for the first time.
The simple nature of the story is sweet, charming, and absolutely captivating. I loved the journey of self-discovery and the friendships that are forged along the way.
The Good Dinosaur is a movie that has had a lot of production problems and it really is a miracle that it has made it to the big screen at all - for me, they just about pull it off. Perhaps it is missing the depth of story and character that we have seen in other films, but the simplistic nature of the film is actually quite refreshing.
Visually, The Good Dinosaur is another Pixar treat as they have created another collection of wonderful characters and a world that really draws you in.
Many will say that The Good Dinosaur is not Pixar's finest film and, to a certain extent, that is true but there is an awful lot to enjoy here. It is a movie that entertains, touches your heart and the kids are going to love it.
The Good Dinosaur is out now.