Finally had a chance to watch Pixar‘s latest animated film, The Good Dinosaur, and once again they have knocked it out of the park. Went to my local Alamo Drafthouse for the afternoon viewing and when I signed up to go I could see I was the only person going. Course, by the time the show started around six more people showed up to watch it as well. From the laughter and happy talk afterward I think its safe to say everyone loved it.
It’s an alternate timeline story. What if the asteroid that struck the Earth missed and the dinosaurs continued on without extinction? Millions of years later they are still the dominant life form and humans just another creature for them to deal with. Its also the story of a young dinosaur Arlo who is fearful of everything and how he learns to cope with it.
Overall, I found the story was well done, as are all Pixar stories, enjoyable, and unique in a way we seldom see anymore from big studios. The fact that Pixar continues to push the boundaries of stories is both a delight and one of the reasons they remain at the top with every movie they release. Even in their sequels they manage to challenge the audience with the story elements to keep it fresh and entertaining. Next years Finding Dory will be the next movie where you will see this in action.
Pixar also continues to push the envelope on what it means to be animation. In The Good Dinosaur they extend their lead in creating natural outdoor scenes far beyond the realism seen in the original Cars into something that’s truly breathtaking and gorgeous. Lots of studios can now do almost photorealistic images which are used for CGI work in hundreds of films anymore. CGI has replaced most if not all scenic locations shoots as its easier to make it up in the computer than to find a place that suits the directors image of the scene. Pixar’s on the cutting edge of that work as every scene Arlo wanders through makes it seem like he is the only artificial element in the scene and not just one of thousands.
Highly recommended, especially if you have kids as they’ll love it.
