The Good Dinosaur – Blu-Ray Movie Review

From the innovative minds of Disney-Pixar comes a hilariously heartwarming adventure about the power of confronting and overcoming your fears and discovering who you are meant to be. THE GOOD DINOSAUR asks the question: “What if the asteroid that forever changed life on Earth missed the planet completely, and giant dinosaurs never became extinct?” In this epic journey into the world of dinosaurs, an Apatosaurus named Arlo makes an unlikely human friend, a boy named Spot. While traveling through a harsh and mysterious landscape, he learns the power of confronting his fears and discovers the true bond of family.

This Pixar gem flew in under the radar. I do not think it did well in the box office, certainly not like most other Pixar film, which is a shame. The story is great for kids. It teaches about overcoming your fear and the importance of a loving family. These are things that shaped our lives as we grew up and they are just as important for today’s kids. Arlo gets separated from his home when he is washed downstream during a rainstorm. He is befriended by Spot, a young Neanderthal child. Together, they journey back to the base of Clawtooth Mountain where Arlo’s family farm awaits.

Along the way, they meet interesting characters and learn some valuable life lessons. Be aware that there are some real dangers along the way and at least one character dies, so keep that in mind if you have wee little ones. The animation in this film is nothing short of astounding! I have never seen such photo-realistic images before; rain dripping from a leaf, clouds in the afternoon sky, waterfalls and vegetation. It actually looks better than real. I would love to live in this world (minus the man-eating creatures that lurk about). However, the characters are very Pixarish…meaning cute and loveable. Would this movie look better in 4K? I don’t know how it could, except for some fancy HDR. This movie is demo quality and the story worthy of your movie collection. Recommended!

The picture and sound are flawless. Being completely digital, how else would a Pixar film look? Colors are saturated and just pop off the screen. Sounds surround you constantly throughout the movie; thunder storms, rock slides, stampedes and flying dino attacks. What will movies like this look like in the next five years? Wowzers!

Besides a DVD there is: Sanjay’s Super Team, True Lies about Dinosaurs, Recyclosaurus, Every Part a Dinosaur, A Filmmaker’s Journey, Following the T-Rex Trail and some deleted scenes.