What did I like?
I found my two new favourite animated characters. Alro is the best dinosaur ever brought to life by a computer or pencil, and his unlikely best friend Spot make for an amazing pair of characters. They will bound over the fact both of them are facing the unknown, with one of them prepared and the other scared out of his mind. Their misadventures are hilarious to say the least while they come across a variety of other dinosaurs who will force their bond to grow even stronger. The end of the movie literally brought me to tears which is why I love it so much. The Good Dinosaur hits so many emotions that it is hard for someone to say this movie was not good.
What didn’t I like?
The only part, or should I say characters, I didn’t like were the Pterodactylus. I totally understand every feel good story needs an antagonist, but these three mean-spirited creatures were way over the top. Personally I don’t think they would give any kids nightmares, just they are crazy – in a psychotic kind of way.
Was The Good Dinosaur a good story?
I’ve been told The Good Dinosaur is similar to The Lion King and I’ve read some reviews that question whether the material in this movie is suitable for kids. Sadly I don’t care about all of that because this was an awesome story about two buddies that go on one heck of a road trip across beautiful landscapes. Alro and Spot’s chemistry is something you rarely see in movies, let along kids movies. The story may have recycled parts from a whole bunch of movies, but combined The Good Dinosaur is a really charming story that will have you laugh and cry before the end credits hit.
Notable Performances?
It is extremely hard to list a bunch of notable performances in an animated movie, so I am just gonna go with the two best characters in the film. Arlo the dinosaur is our hero who needs to stop being afraid of everything and become courageous. Through a series of unfortunate events, Alro is forced to face his fears head on which is a charming aspect of the story. No coming of age story would be complete without a hilarious side kick, this time his name is Spot. This little guy is like no other and will have you questioning his motives until you realize he is pretty harmless, which will lead you to fall in love with him. Spot provides all the comedy in the story and is the engine that is driving Alro to find his inner dinosaur and stop being afraid.
Would I recommend it?
My opinion of The Good Dinosaur may be a bit basis here, considering I’ve seen it five times, bought the score, and already pre-ordered it. I’m going to recommend everyone take the kids to see this film because it is heroic, cute, charming, and hilarious. I honestly expect a bunch of you to call me crazy and leave me hateful comments that you didn’t like this film. Like I’ve mentioned many times over, the joy about watching and reviewing films is we can all agree to disagree about what we like and don’t like. There many some scenes in this film you question about being in a kids movies, but the heart of The Good Dinosaur is what brought me to tears, which makes this movies my new favourite animated movie.
my star rating: 9 out 10
imdb: 7.3 out 10 / metascore: 66/100 / rottentomatoes: 76% out 100%
roger ebert: 2.5 out 4 / richard crouse: 3.5 out 5
Ten Stars or Less 
It’s nice to FINALLY see a good review of this. I haven’t seen it yet personally, but I’m trying to keep an open mind about it since I found “Finding Nemo” over-rated and thoroughly enjoyed “Brave,” which is considered by many to be a ‘lesser Pixar film,’ just like this. I’m trying not to be too biased before I see it so I can write an emotionally honest review. You’re right, you like what you like, and people shouldn’t try to bully you out of your opinion. I am a huge film buff and I personally do not particularly enjoy “Citizen Kane,” which would seem like absurdity to some people. I can see it’s value, but I certainly can’t force myself to like and enjoy it, just like you can’t just stop liking “The Good Dinosaur” because of naysayers. Reviews are very objective. Nice write-up!
It was hard to describe how this simple movie made me so emotional, but it tugged at just the right heart strings for me to fall madly in love with it. The Good Dinosaur will be great for someone and others will hate it, I think it deserves a chance and won’t be the worse Pixar movie ever. Thanks for the comment!
I saw this with a 3 year old. She thought it needed Minions…