Today’s quick review: The Good Dinosaur. Arlo (Raymond Ochoa), a skittish young dinosaur, lives on a farm with his father (Jeffrey Wright), mother (Frances McDormand), and siblings (Marcus Scribner and Maleah Padillah). When Arlo falls in a river and gets washed far away from home, he must face his fears and make friends with Spot (Jack Bright), a wild human boy, to survive the long journey back home.
The Good Dinosaur is an animated family adventure set in a prehistoric world where the dinosaurs never went extinct and early humans are beginning to develop. The movie fits in comfortably with the rest of its genre: a young protagonist embarks on a frightening journey to get back to his family. However, although The Good Dinosaur follows the formula faithfully, shaky story work and a weak vision keeping it from making a major impression.
The Good Dinosaur’s biggest issue is that its world feels empty. The movie goes to great pains to show the forests, mountains, and fields of Arlo’s home, yet there is almost no one in them. Arlo’s family lives alone on a farm, with no immediate sign of other dinosaurs, and for most of his journey he is alone with Spot, a feral boy who doesn’t speak. As such, the movie has little of the color and sense of wonder that similar films have.
The movie also misses with some of its core ideas. Arlo’s struggle to confront his fears works well enough, but there is almost no depth to it, and Arlo himself is not a very interesting character. The role reversal, where an intelligent dinosaur takes care of a dog-like human, is good for a few jokes but gets old fast. And for a movie nominally about dinosaurs, The Good Dinosaur seemingly tries to show as few of them as possible.
The result is a quaint movie that will appeal to some younger audiences but does not have the usual appeal of Disney and Pixar films. Completionists or viewers who are deeply interested in its premise may want to give it a shot. Many viewers will have better luck elsewhere.
For an animated comedy with a prehistoric setting and more personality, try Ice Age, Early Man, or The Land Before Time. For a similar plot handled with much more finesse, try Finding Nemo. For another role reversal comedy that paints humans in a different light, try Planet 51 or Escape from Planet Earth.
[6.7 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1979388/). I give it a 6.0 for a weak story with mild charm.