The Good Dinosaur (2015)

[Ezen Baklattan]

16 hours ago, tribefan695 said:

 

Generally you're opening a can of worms when you talk about plot contrivances in animated movies, but I think there's a perfectly reasonable explanation for that one: Spot put up a struggle, and the pterodactyls decided to force him into that branch and try to wear him down before eating him. I imagine they all wanted a piece anyway and weren't going to let Thunderclap just gobble him up

I understand that it's silly to complain about it in most animated movies, but in this case, they just seem too jarring, especially as they play against the shown weakness and fears of these characters (Spot was clearly terrified of the pterodactyls when he first saw them). I even thought during the movie, "Man, CinemaSins is going to have a field day with this one."

 

Frankly, I liked Sanjay's Super Team a lot more.

[AniNate]

It's not too far of a stretch to say a survival instinct kicked in at some point for Spot. Presumably that was something he needed ever since his parents died.

Really, nothing in this movie stuck out to me as particularly egregious. Maybe Arlo's perfect aim with the branch was a little over the top but since the job was pretty much done at that point anyway I didn't mind it

[BourneFan #1]

It might have been because I had low expectations going in but I thought The Good Dinosaur was pretty good. All the emotional moments hit and it was a fun time. I thought the shaman was great and my family kept asking me if I was sure that this was animated because of how hyper realistic the background was. My only complaint was that shock humor such as cute creatures getting violently eaten was used fairly often. 8/10

Edited December 7, 2015 by BourneFan #1

[AniNate]

It was only played for laughs one of those times and I thought it worked.

Nice to see some people coming around on this though. By the time Finding Dory comes out I hope a lot of articles will be prefacing mention of this movie with the adjective "underappreciated"

[StarSaber]

I loved it! My favorite Pixar movie since TS3. I thought it was quite emotional. Hoping to see it again.

[Ezen Baklattan]

I will admit that this was probably among the most difficult movies for Pixar to get right, even barring the production difficulties. It's a relatively out there premise.

[BK007]

On December 5, 2015 at 6:33:32 PM, tribefan695 said:

 

I guess I just think the decision to design the cartoonish characters against the realistic backgrounds was an ambitious move in itself and wasn't deserving of the vitriolic reactions a lot of people were giving it. And since the movie is a fantasy I don't see a point in complaining that they didn't do enough research, especially since our ideas of dinosaurs and evolution may look completely different in ten years anyway

I shouldn't make any guarantees but I think you'll at least find that this movie offers a lot more on a storytelling level at least if you're willing to give it a second look. There's a lot of subtle visual cues that I know I missed the first time I watched it. The contemplative, visual driven tone Sohn promised was the reason I was looking forward to this movie so much and am so actively defending now that I've seen it.

 

I'll definitely watch it again. I want to see if it can work with me not paying attention to the dialogue. 

 

But, in regards, once again, to character design. I just made a point, in the box office thread, that Pixar has never really been great with character design. I am just realising it now.

 

It's not so much that the designs are cartoony, but they are generic. They just don't work because they are so undistinguishable and rote. It looks like a poorly funded cartoon on a underfunded TV channel as opposed to a deliberately simplistically designed character from Pixar or rather, any animation studio. 

 

You say it is fantasy, but look at HTTYD. The art of books show the kinds of animals/creatures they used as models or inspiration to create the dragons. I remember them using animals from the cat to the kangaroo to the rhinoceros etc. These were just bad. Look at We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story or The Land Before Time, even those had better designed characters, even if they were "normal". These were just badly designed normal characters, which makes it so much worse. 

[AniNate]

It might've been more of an issue for me if Arlo's family were in the movie for a very long time. But as a contrast to Spot and the world around him I feel his design really works

Though how often is it in real life that you can tell a family of a species of non humans apart very easily? I get that maybe it's not photogenic and it may indeed have put people off the movie but I still think there's something to be said for trying to make your animals not too obviously distinguishable.

[Goffe]

The Good Dinosaur lacks nearly everything that made Pixar movies so special. Originality, a smart story, a well thought protagonist arc, a great villain, intelligent dialogue and memorable supporting characters are all missing here. The insanely beautiful visuals is the only thing it has in common with other Pixar efforts.

 

And what's up with the movie trying to turn every scene in a cuteness Fest? Annoying as hell. 

 

Also, I really can't anymore with all animated movies attributing dog kind behavior to anything or anyone other than an actual fucking dog.

 

Its best moment was when Arlo tells about his family to Spot, but even then it goes for too long. To give you an idea, TGD highest points can't even match Brave and Bug's Life.

 

If you think this looks way too derivated, you're right.

 

Second worst Pixar.

 

50/100

Edited February 11, 2016 by Goffe

[narniadis]

B/B- it was worth viewing in the theater, but after IO (which was always the concern - comparing two releases in the same year) you couldn't help but be let down. The idea that it was a bit disjointed sounds right - like they drew up a bunch of ideas in the story process and then strung them together to make a film and while some of them work others dont and it makes for a film that is as uneven in tone as the visuals are spectacular. Here's to hoping that originality doesn't depart but comes roaring back with Coco.

[AniNate]

The Good Dinosaur lacks nearly everything that made Pixar movies so special. Originality, a smart story, a well thought protagonist arc, a great villain, intelligent dialogue and memorable supporting characters are all missing here. The insanely beautiful visuals is the only thing it has in common with other Pixar efforts.

 

And what's up with the movie trying to turn every scene in a cuteness Fest? Annoying as hell. 

 

Also, I really can't anymore with all animated movies attributing dog kind behavior to anything or anyone other than an actual fucking dog.

 

Its best moment was when Arlo tells about his family to Spot, but even then it goes for too long. To give you an idea, TGD highest points can't even match Brave and Bug's Life.

 

If you think this looks way too derivated, you're right.

 

Second worst Pixar.

 

50/100

So how would you have cut that scene? Because I thought it flowed perfectly with every shot having a purpose

Unfortunately I can't find a clip that doesn't cut off the build-up to Arlo joining in the howling at the end. I would not have cut that

[Goffe]

1 hour ago, tribefan695 said:

So how would you have cut that scene? Because I thought it flowed perfectly with every shot having a purpose

 

Unfortunately I can't find a clip that doesn't cut off the build-up to Arlo joining in the howling at the end. I would not have cut that

I think I would have condensed that beginning and I would have cut after Arlo says "I miss them".

 

Maybe just one firefly flying by them while they settled by the river would suffice. Then at the end, after he says he misses his family for the second time, we would stay with (silent) Arlo for about 2 or 3 additional seconds. Maybe a distant shot of them lying down in the sand. Fade out.

[AniNate]

But you can't lose the howling ritual. It's establishing a personal connection between the two and comes into play later, most importantly when Arlo's looking for Spot after the pterodactyls take him. And I think it was important to show them interacting with the fireflies in a playful way, because that's how they linked to his dad.

I guess this is related to you not liking Spot being characterized as a dog, but I think he's still more than human enough for it to feel novel. This scene wouldn't work with an actual dog unless you heavily anthropomorphized it, and with this conceit I find a human acting like a dog more buyable than a dog acting like a human

[a2k]

I liked this movie more than Brave. I prefer a dog-like Spot to the 'talking dogs' of Up.

Not up to the highest Pixar standards (though has the best visuals) but still a good film.

Deserved more than 120m for sure.

B

[Goffe]

I just told you what I thought would make the scene better. If it raises some issues, that would another entirely different matter.

 

Personally, I think we didn't
 need the howling moment because Spot and Arlo were already establishing a personal connection throughout their journey. 

 

In my mind, the pterodactyls would have never kidnaped Spot to begin with (I rolled my eyes hard in that scene, saw it coming a mile away), so we wouldn't need the howling moment for that either. Besides, didn't we see Spot howling before this particular scene? Which would render that moment even more pointless.

 

About the firefly thing, we had already seen Arlo playing with them earlier in the film, and like I said, one firefly passing by them would make Arlo remember his father and consequently his family.

 

And why couldn't Spot act like a normal cave kid? A boy and his pet conceit sounds lot less interesting imo.

 

The dog thing got on my nerves because every fucking animated movie is doing that these days (the horse in Tangled, the bird creature in The Croods, the food animals in Cloudy 2, the Reinderr in Frozen to name a few).

[AniNate]

Spot is a normal cave kid. He just has some dog like mannerisms. He still has the intelligence and empathy of a 6 year old human. A dog wouldn't have the first clue about the symbolism of those sticks.

Apart from its practical use in the climax the howling is an aural symbol of their bond. Yes, Spot had howled before but at that point Arlo hated his guts, and him joining in this time represents a change in that dynamic. I think it's a real shame to let its dogness get in the way of the emotional catharsis it's supposed to be.

The difference between Spot and those other characters is he's not played for laughs, at least not nearly as much. His dogness is just part of who he is and how he's been nurtered.

[BK007]

8 hours ago, Goffe said:

I just told you what I thought would make the scene better. If it raises some issues, that would another entirely different matter.

 

Personally, I think we didn't
 need the howling moment because Spot and Arlo were already establishing a personal connection throughout their journey. 

 

In my mind, the pterodactyls would have never kidnaped Spot to begin with (I rolled my eyes hard in that scene, saw it coming a mile away), so we wouldn't need the howling moment for that either. Besides, didn't we see Spot howling before this particular scene? Which would render that moment even more pointless.

 

About the firefly thing, we had already seen Arlo playing with them earlier in the film, and like I said, one firefly passing by them would make Arlo remember his father and consequently his family.

 

And why couldn't Spot act like a normal cave kid? A boy and his pet conceit sounds lot less interesting imo.

 

The dog thing got on my nerves because every fucking animated movie is doing that these days (the horse in Tangled, the bird creature in The Croods, the food animals in Cloudy 2, the Reinderr in Frozen to name a few).

 

 

With you on the faux dog thing.

 

It's like dogs are the only animals on Earth. How original.

 

Anyway, I tried to watch this again, but I could not. Just hearing the characters turns me off. Arlo's family, the pterodactyls, the T-rexes and the hillbilly raptor things just are incredibly grating. It strives to be adult but it's such a child's movie. 

 

So disappointing to say that it is the second worst Pixar movie, and in general, a lousy movie. 

[Ezen Baklattan]

...it wasn't the worst Dinosaur themed movie of 2015?

[BK007]

1 hour ago, Spaghetti said:

...it wasn't the worst Dinosaur themed movie of 2015?

 

 

That's if you expected anything out of the average Jurassic Park series. Take away nostalgia, and they are pretty damn mediocre blockbuster movies.

[Empire]

45 minutes ago, BK007 said:

 

 

That's if you expected anything out of the average Jurassic Park series. Take away nostalgia, and they are pretty damn mediocre blockbuster movies.

Nah, Jurassic Park is one of the best films of all-time & I think The Lost World is really good. The other 2 are fucking awful though.