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Thread: The Good Dinosaur (Peter Sohn)

  1. #1
    Moderator TGM's Avatar
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    The Good Dinosaur (Peter Sohn)

    THE GOOD DINOSAUR

    Director: Peter Sohn

    imdb


  2. #2
    Moderator TGM's Avatar
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    Such a good movie! Very emotionally stirring all throughout. Yet another hit from Pixar.

  3. #3
    Second star to the right [ETM]'s Avatar
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    One review said that the water in the river had more character than any of the actual characters.

  4. #4
    Moderator TGM's Avatar
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    Quote Quoting [ETM] (view post)
    One review said that the water in the river had more character than any of the actual characters.

  5. #5
    Screenwriter Lazlo's Avatar
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    Pretty much loved this. Story is well-worn territory but it's so sweet and fun and clean and emotional that it can be forgiven. Also, the water is fucking phenomenal. Beautiful movie in every sense of the word.
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  6. #6
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    The first act of this (or the portion before Arlo got lost, at least) really had my heart sinking, with how bland and most un-Pixar-like it is. Most of the action is spelled out in and accompanied by banal dialogue, the film's mission statement about overcoming your fear is repeated again and again, and it's loudly cutesy in a way the studio almost never was.

    So it's telling that when Arlo got lost and teamed up with a wordless human boy, some nuance finally kicks in so the film is able to work on more levels at last. Still, the sudden improvement doesn't rely only on the compelling struggle to communicate and connect (although that "family circle" scene is breathtakingly lovely and moving), it's also that after having the heo released into the world, Pixar's usual respect for the audience of all age suddenly revs up as well.

    It's a story about surviving in the wild and overcoming odds and fears, and the film doesn't skimp on nature's hardship and physical violence that are a little stronger than average for an animated film, helping drive the message home. Fights can leave characters bruised or with cuts; some animals really do eat other animals; cartoon gore is used effectively and within its PG rating. There's even a surreal kinda drug trip sequence that's brief but highly invigorating. (Nice little detail I noticed: when Arlo cried, it left a salty white trace on his face)

    The aftereffect of that first act's weakness doesn't wholly go away: the characterization is still a little skimpy, characters don't fully come into their own, and some story tangents feel half-baked or unfinished. But the astonishing visuals on display (the most realistically beautiful 3D animation ever?) become a strong character of its own, letting us get soaked into the world. And even though characters are not as rich as in Pixar's past films, this still packs the studio's usual wallop when it comes to stressing both "bitter" and "sweet" in their message; that final sequence is vintage Pixar lump-in-the-throat ending: it's inevitably appropriate, yet highly affecting and emotional. Almost wrecks me good.
    Last edited by Peng; 12-07-2015 at 03:45 AM.
    Midnight Run (1988) - 9
    The Smiling Lieutenant (1931) - 8.5
    The Adventures of Robinhood (1938) - 8
    Sisters (1973) - 6.5
    Shin Godzilla (2016) - 7.5

  7. #7

    Humans best pets.

    The Good Dinosaur.
    Peter Sohn, 2015.

    What did I like? Arlo and Spot make for a good pairing, Spot brings the best of Arlo and I find amusing to see humans as wolves/dogs. Plus, Spot is the most adorable little critter. And they're funny while they trip balls. It's safe to say they are the best part of the movie.

    Other things I liked... any scene with fireflies. It's possibly when the animation is at it's most beautiful (and that's saying something).

    What didn't I like? The movie gets a little less interesting when the pterosaurs and T-rexes arrive. It's cute to see the movie turn into a western of sorts but ultimately the (strong) core is Arlo and Spot.

    Final thoughts: It's unusually simple for a Pixar movie, but that same simplicity gives it a certain stark sort of beauty. It reminded me of The Call of the Wild (one of my favorite novels ever) at times.

  8. #8
    Moderator Dead & Messed Up's Avatar
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    Yeah, once it's just the dino and the kid, the film works. I was almost ready to hate the movie after its tedious, predictable opening, especially given that the creators just made it a western culture with dinosaurs - I was losing my mind like I did while watching "Cars," wondering how they're speaking, how they tie knots without any prehensile appendages, why their dumb culture looks exactly like our dumb culture, why dinosaurs stopped evolving, how humans evolved when dinosaurs didn't die out and clear an evolutionary path for them, why even bother with the meteor missing us when the human behaves like an animal. Why not just make it an animal?

    This is cute and all, but goddamnit.

  9. #9
    The Pan Qrazy's Avatar
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    I found there to be a strange disconnect between the character animation and world animation. The latter is amazing and some of the best I have ever seen. The former is... why are those dinosaur's joints discoloured again? Story was a weird mix of standard Pixar the feels and first act tedium. I liked how unique the film was though even if it didn't work a lot of the time.
    The Princess and the Pilot - B-
    Playtime (rewatch) - A
    The Hobbit - C-
    The Comedy - D+
    Kings of the Road - C+
    The Odd Couple - B
    Red Rock West - C-
    The Hunger Games - D-
    Prometheus - C
    Tangled - C+

  10. #10
    Replacing Luck Since 1984 Dukefrukem's Avatar
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    Too many Lion King parallels and an abrupt ending.

    Why did the Good Dinosaur get to leave his mark anyway? What did he contribute to the farm/family?
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  11. #11
    In the belly of a whale Henry Gale's Avatar
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    Finally, a Pixar movie with a drug trip sequence!

    Probably the most contently minor thing they've made by a mile. Like, even Cars 2 seemed to be trying to do something as different as its predecessor as possible with a globe-trotting, action-packed spy movie with an goofily inept sidekick at the centre. I mean, it mostly failed anyway, but it made the fresh attempt.

    Even though The Good Dinosaur is clearly technically marvellous, putting the absolutely world-class animated landscapes and gorgeous microscopic detail aside, I'm not sure what else it really sets its ambitions on other than doing a fun buddy road-movie / slightly western genre riff with a dinosaur and an adorably feral human child as the switcheroo. It's like Homeward Bound, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Midnight Run, and The Road rolled into one, but y'know, with dinosaurs. And even that sounds more remarkable than it actually is.

    Otherwise, totally agree with you guys that it ends better than it starts, but even then ends kinda rushed. If it had found a way to spend more time just with Arlo and Spot and not bump into so many annoying characters along the way (the T-Rex's were cool, but Sam Elliot just has that ability) then I think it would've been a stronger film for it. Even if it had gone full-on Ron Fricke with the visuals for way too long in the middle and I doubt anyone would've cared (except maybe those in charge of executing the animation and keeping the budgeting down).

    I dunno, at this point, even though Inside Out was only a year ago, between Pixar making this and Dory, and mothership Disney Animation doing Big Hero 6 and Zootopia, I can't help but look forward to Moana and Gigantic more than Coco and Toy Story 4. (I expect Cars 3 to amiably go vroom in between.)

    Very mild yay.
    Last edited by Henry Gale; 06-28-2016 at 09:29 AM.
    Last 11 things I really enjoyed:

    Speed Racer (Wachowski/Wachowski, 2008)
    Safe (Haynes, 1995)
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    Beastie Boys Story (Jonze, 2020)
    Bad Trip (Sakurai, 2020)
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    The Hunger (Scott, 1983)
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    Chungking Express (Wong, 1994)

  12. #12
    A Platypus Grouchy's Avatar
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    I'll not bring anything new to the table here. The first act is heart-sinkingly bad, but once Arlo gets lost, the film founds a new breath of life.

    The animation is simply gorgeous. Most of the "Yay" is really because it's hard to deny the aesthetic beauty of a movie like this.

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