‘The Good Dinosaur’ is Not for Kids

I recently watched the supposed kids' movie The Good Dinosaur, but believe me, this isn't a movie for children, especially small children, and is rated PG. I realize that this movie came out in theaters about a year ago and finally made it onto to DVD in February, so I'm a little behind in my review but better late than never.

I don't watch a lot of television shows or movies at home, but my grandchildren brought this movie home the other night so I sat down to watch it with them. Without giving away any spoilers, hopefully, this Pixar/Disney movie is built around the familiar storyline of a young dinosaur named Arlo, who gets separated from his family, and the adventures he has with a young human called Spot as he makes his way home and tries to make his mark on this world.

One nice twist is that this is based on the premise that the Earth wasn't hit by an asteriod and the dinosaurs never became extinct. As a matter of fact, they even start farming and building up stores of food to survive the winters and the humans are doglike creatures. Unfortunately this is the only real original aspect to this show and the entire movie has a bleak undertone filled with graphic cartoon violence and horrifying creatures that Pixar forgot to give a softer edge. The other thing this movie lacks is the comedy aspect normally found in these types of children's shows.

There was one scene of wonder and awe when Arlo's dad wakes him up one night to take him out to a field filled with firefly-like insects that make the entire area glow when they sweep their tails across the tops of the tall grass. The ending of the movie is a bit of a tear-jerker, but all in all it's film that I'll probably never sit down and watch again. The only thing this show left me with was the desire to watch the Land Before Time.