The Good Dinosaur: More like Pretty Good Dinosaur

Soon Arlo is lost in the wilderness, trying to find his way home, accompanied by that growling, doglike child (Jack Bright), whom Arlo befriends and names Spot.

Pixar’s always been one of the pioneers of computer animation, and The Good Dinosaur is no exception. Arlo, our protagonist, is a young, clumsy Apatosaurus eager to prove himself to his family, who don’t seem to have much patience for his inability to help around the farm.

Arlo and Spot in the Good Dinosaur.

The delay also left Pixar without a movie to show in 2014 – its first year without a picture since 2000 – and forced the studio to double down this year with Inside Out, which has made more than $851 million at the worldwide box office.

For a lavish gift of animation this Christmas season, consider “The Collected Works of Hayao Miyazaki”, a newly released Blu-ray boxed set of all 11 feature films by the man who has been crucially inspirational to Pixar’s filmmakers.

Arlo (Raymond Ochoa; A Christmas Carol) is one of three sibling dinosaurs. Poppa (Jeffrey Wright; The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part I) is afraid he never will, so he plans a test for Arlo.

Like all Pixar flicks, this one is beautifully done and combines live shots from Jackson Hole, Wyo., Yellowstone and parts of Montana and OR with animated dinos and a human.

The story takes place in an alternate world where dinosaurs never became extinct. This resourceful little creature leads Arlo through some scrapes and adventures, some more amusing than others. Don’t believe a word of the not so flattering reviews as they’re written by older jaded critics that have seen everything. The production for the movie began in 2009 with Bob Peterson and Peter Sohn as co-directors and a targeted Thanksgiving 2013 release. The move was significant because The Good Dinosaur will be Pixar’s first film to open outside of the summer season since The Incredibles in 2004.

Disney/Pixar has had its fair share of family classics over the years, and with that kind of currency they can be forgiven for Cars 2. But with the help of a new friend, he goes on a journey where he learns to be more fearless. As far as my dazzled eyes could tell, Pixar somehow found a way to transport Roger Deakins and an Imax camera back to a prehistoric, ahistoric earth, and gave him an unlimited budget for lenses. (Yes, dinosaurs are farmers and ranchers and whatnot in this reality.) Easily frightened by even the most harmless of things – like the chickens he has to feed – Arlo is encouraged by his tender father Poppa (Jeffrey Wright) to “make his mark” on something in this world. But the dino-boy isn’t even able to feed their chickens without incident, so when Henry tasks Arlo with killing the “critter” that’s been feeding off their corn supplies, he’s setting the boy up for disaster. As the character with the most lines his deliveries are all very earnest, in the way of children, as well as Arlo’s confidence that blossoms across his physical and emotional journey. If the kids need to go, there are two good times.

There is enough of a charm and sweetness to carry The Good Dinosaur and the friendship between Arlo and Spot is nicely defined and portrayed. I saw “The Good Dinosaur” in 3-D and the colors were comparable to “Inside Out”.