The Good Dinosaur

Name: The Good Dinosaur
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Comedy, Animation, Family
Released: November 25, 2015
Duration: 93 min
Rating: 66
Cast: Frances McDormand, Jack Bright, Jack McGraw, Jeffrey Wright, Maleah Nipay-Padilla

2015

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 37 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 408 Ratings

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6.5

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6.5	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 408 Ratings

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The Good Dinosaur

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Movie Details & Credits

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | Release Date: November 25, 2015 | PG

Starring: Frances McDormand, Jack Bright, Jack McGraw, Jeffrey Wright, Maleah Nipay-Padilla, Marcus Scribner, Peter Sohn, Raymond Ochoa, Ryan Teeple

Summary: The Good Dinosaur asks the generations-old question: What if the asteroid that forever changed life on Earth missed the planet completely and giant dinosaurs never became extinct? The film is a humorous and exciting original story about Arlo, a lively Apatosaurus with a big heart. After a traumatic event unsettles Arlo’s family, he sets outThe Good Dinosaur asks the generations-old question: What if the asteroid that forever changed life on Earth missed the planet completely and giant dinosaurs never became extinct? The film is a humorous and exciting original story about Arlo, a lively Apatosaurus with a big heart. After a traumatic event unsettles Arlo’s family, he sets out on a remarkable journey, gaining an unlikely companion along the way – a human boy. [Disney]… Expand

Director: Peter Sohn

Genre(s): Adventure, Fantasy, Comedy, Animation, Family

Rating: PG

Runtime: 93 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

Joe Walsh

Nov 26, 2015

The Good Dinosaur is up there with Toy Story in terms of its technical achievement and for providing an equally heart-touching, emotional tale. Read full review

Kenneth Turan

Nov 24, 2015

The Good Dinosaur is antic and unexpected as well as homiletic, rife with subversive elements, wacky critters and some of the most beautiful landscapes ever seen in a computer animated film. Read full review

Marjorie Baumgarten

Nov 24, 2015

The Good Dinosaur may not be as revolutionary as 1914’s “Gertie the Dinosaur,” but as Jurassic World already demonstrated this year, we never tire of these prehistoric critters. Read full review

Joe Morgenstern

Nov 26, 2015

The buddies’ adventures are dramatized delightfully, but a case could be made for the movie’s real subject being scenery, and, particularly, water. Read full review

Drew McWeeny

Nov 26, 2015

The Good Dinosaur is fine. I found myself moved by it on a very direct level. Technically speaking, it's a gorgeous film in many ways, but I'm still not a fan of the super-cartoony style of the characters over the photo-realistic world, which is genuinely jaw-dropping. Read full review

Mark Feeney

Nov 24, 2015

A very middling movie, it does have a nifty premise. Read full review

John Semley

Nov 25, 2015

More manipulative, maudlin trash from the Disney-Pixar content farm. Read full review

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User Reviews

allegraw

Nov 26, 2015

The Good Dinosaur is a visually stunning film and a good hearted family friendly story for the whole family to enjoy. The richness and detail of the animation is unlike anything that has come out before.

8 of 16 users found this helpful88

NickLikesMovies

Nov 30, 2015

"The Good Dinosaur" is breathtakingly gorgeous and tells an incredibly emotional and heartfelt tale. The ending is abrupt, but i'd be lying if I said it didn't make me tear up. One of the most watchable films of the year, a great time at the movies.

5 of 7 users found this helpful52

tjman09

Dec 6, 2015

The Good Dinosaur is a good film from Pixar, that suffers from the heavy expectations of being a Pixar film. If this film had been made by any other studio it’s reviews may have been a little more positive, but considering the pedigree of Pixar this film falls slightly short. The GoodThe Good Dinosaur is a good film from Pixar, that suffers from the heavy expectations of being a Pixar film. If this film had been made by any other studio it’s reviews may have been a little more positive, but considering the pedigree of Pixar this film falls slightly short. The Good Dinosaur is funny, gorgeously animated, but suffers from a slightly weaker story than has become expected of Pixar. That being said it’s still a very enjoyable film, that kids are sure to love.
As with many other Pixar films, The Good Dinosaur does have a few of the studio’s cornerstones. The Good Dinosaur features a great sense of humor, and a fun overall tone. The film also has a lot of emotional depth, in that department The Good Dinosaur feels very much like a Pixar film. The reason that The Good Dinosaur has such a good emotional depth, is the character development of the main characters. In all of those ways The Good Dinosaur lives up to the expectations of Pixar.
The animation in the film is gorgeous. While the script may be a little weaker than some other Pixar films, The Good Dinosaur may have very well broken ground in animation. The animation looks real, is meticulously polished, and flat out looks real. The score, large panoramic backdrops, and certain plot elements make The Good Dinosaur feel a homage of the classic Westerns. However, this becomes an issue as the film progresses.
The main problem of the script is that it’s unfocused, which is surprising, because most Pixar films are extremely focused and groundbreaking narratives. At times The Good Dinosaur feels like a western, at times it feels like a comedy, but no one overall feel is kept, the film switches erratically. Another problem is that the pterodactyl characters are poorly developed and they drag the film down. They don’t have real motives, they just appear and act like a mix between stoners and storm chasers.
In conclusion The Good Dinosaur is a good film from Pixar, but falls a little short of their normal standards. While the story is weak for Pixar’s standards the film is still very deep, and features glimmers of classic Pixar. Still kids will probably have a good time with this film, as it’s funny, beautiful, and emotional, just not the strongest thing Pixar has made.… Expand

2 of 4 users found this helpful22

JyroJyro

Jul 27, 2017

The graphics are great, and so is the voice acting... but at times it just doesn't feel like your typical Pixar film when the story is so predictable and cliché. The last 30 minutes are an excellent emotional rollercoaster.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

AfNino

Aug 24, 2016

This film is truly a wonder in terms of its visual animation. However that's honestly the only great thing about this movie. For the normal kid it'll probably be just a harmless and fun movie to watch, but as a person who's seen plenty of animated films over the years this just seems like aThis film is truly a wonder in terms of its visual animation. However that's honestly the only great thing about this movie. For the normal kid it'll probably be just a harmless and fun movie to watch, but as a person who's seen plenty of animated films over the years this just seems like a remix of several other Disney films crumpled together in a dinosaur universe. I actually left the cinema sensing an awful lot of deja-vu. Shame, since the animation of this film is stunning.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

mijxero

Mar 2, 2016

This movie failed to take off at any point. While some parts were funny and the visuals were nice I just waiting for it to grab me. It really felt like it just moved from set piece to set piece without a real story arc. The ending was disappointing and wonder if it got run through aThis movie failed to take off at any point. While some parts were funny and the visuals were nice I just waiting for it to grab me. It really felt like it just moved from set piece to set piece without a real story arc. The ending was disappointing and wonder if it got run through a grinder of focus groups instead of what was originally thought up. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't especially good either.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

nadiacloud

Oct 10, 2018

What a disappointing Pixar film. The Good Dinosaur is very boring, bland and childish. Almost every Pixar film has likeable characters except for this one.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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31	#31 Most Discussed Movie of 2015
25	#25 Most Shared Movie of 2015