Dinosaur

Buena Vista Pictures | Release Date: May 19, 2000

CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION

56	METASCORE Mixed or average reviews based on 32 Critic Reviews

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

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Critic Reviews

Critic score Publication By date

100

Jack Mathews

For sheer bravura film making, for creating a cartoon world with real air, flesh, blood and the exhilarating cycle of fear and escape, Dinosaur is tops. Read full review

Jay Carr

Throughout the history of film, nothing turns campier faster than dinosaur movies. This one will have a much longer shelf life than most.

William Arnold

Too bad they didn't skip the gags and one-liners, along with the songs, and go the distance in making this an authentic dinosaur world. Read full review

Owen Gleiberman

Doesn't offer anything to adult viewers as thrilling, as shivery, as satisfyingly primal as Steven Spielberg's intricate predator choreography in the original ''Jurassic Park.'' Read full review

Todd McCarthy

An eye-popping visual spectacle that serves up a vivid picture of what the planet might have looked like when reptiles ruled the Earth. Read full review

Marc Savlov

It's a visually stunning film. For every kid everywhere, and for every adult still a kid at heart, the dinosaurs are the thing, and here, finally, Disney does justice to our dreams. Read full review

Lawrence Toppman

It offers a grim view of prehistoric life: Carnivores slaughter herbivores, though we're spared most direct shots of this violence. Read full review

Desmond Ryan

An undeniable and, indeed, unprecedented technical feat that's a feast for the eye, Dinosaur is less easy on the ear.

Walter Addiego

Parents should note the PG rating. There's little bloodshed, but several fight scenes, lots of loud roaring and some overwhelming special effects sequences could vex younger viewers.

TNT RoughCutSusannah Breslin

Does exactly what it should: Take the wee ones on a vicarious trip through an adventure both visually terrifying and emotionally thrilling at the same time.

Roger Ebert

I was entertained, and yet I felt a little empty-handed at the end, as if an enormous effort had been spent on making these dinosaurs seem real, and then an even greater effort was spent on undermining the illusion. Read full review

Lou Lumenick

An expensive demonstration that all the spectacular effects in the world aren't enough to make a great film - but it's worth seeing for that stunning half-hour alone.

Peter Stack

For all the eyepopping splendor and in-your-face reality, this film leaves the viewer unsatisfied and feeling a little cheated out of compelling drama. Read full review

Dana Stevens

As luxuriant and intoxicating as a theme park ride; more remarkably, it feels like a real movie. Read full review

Mark Caro

Of course, you expect talking animals in a Disney cartoon; you just may not initially realize that Dinosaur is the three-dimensional equivalent of one.