In Defense Of The Good Dinosaur
To some, The Good Dinosaur is the Pixar film that viewers avoid talking about. For some reason, it is viewed as the worst among many treasures (they don’t seem to remember that Cars 2 exists) and is thusly criticized.
To this author, this trend is vastly incorrect and the film is one of the most creative features to come out of Pixar Studios. It is an emotional and deep story with incredible visuals that deserves more recognition.
The Concept
The Good Dinosaur is part speculative fiction, and part “a boy and his dog story” with a dash of an old Western film thrown in. These different pieces from multiple genres make this film extremely unique from the start.
For those unacquainted, the film is based in a world where the asteroids that were supposed to kill off the dinosaurs missed the planet. Because of this, they were allowed to evolve and develop things like farming, herding, and even religion.
With this base, the story had a massive toy chest to draw from, and what the writers chose from that chest made it even better.
Arlo, an apatosaurus and the movie’s protagonist, lives on a farm with his parents and two siblings. They plant and harvest corn, construct a silo to store their food, and have a chicken coop (although this is admittedly odd since they don’t eat chickens or eggs).
Since the dinosaurs didn’t go extinct, humans are now the less advanced species and are considered “critters” by most dinosaurs. Spot, the human who befriends Arlo, is basically a dog, but with some human tics.
All of these different ideas are meticulously thought out and feel very natural. Simply put, it’s insanely creative how the Pixar team combined so many dissenting elements into something, unlike other films.
The Story
Pixar didn’t falter at all in their ability to craft a complete, compelling, and emotional story when they crafted The Good Dinosaur. Much like their previous films, it shows great character growth, and every little detail matters in the end.
The obvious interpretation is the film’s lessons on fear. Arlo is a cowardly dinosaur and lets his fear get in the way of himself and his family. He can’t feed the chickens without running scared and his brother claims he messes up everyone else’s chores in the process.
After his father dies, Arlo chases Spot, accidentally falling into the river in the process, and has to learn to push through his fear. The film displays a good lesson that being afraid is ok because it matters more what you do with fear than trying to be absent from it.
This is a good theme and lesson, but far from the most interesting one discussed in The Good Dinosaur. Legacy and living up to one’s parents is a much deeper theme that Arlo explores in the story.
This theme kicks off when Arlo and his dad are chasing Spot through a rainstorm. Arlo can’t keep up and ends up hurting himself which causes him to declare to Poppa that he can’t do this and “I’m not like you.”
His dad replies with a brilliant line: “you’re me and so much more.”
With his dad’s passing, Arlo has to take up the reins to try and make up for his dad’s missing labor. The family is in a dire situation and needs Arlo to take a new role that scares him.
He tries to be like his father which doesn’t work out for him. He continues to struggle through his adventure with Spot largely because he’s dedicated to this idea of being fearless like Poppa, but he should really try to be fearless like Arlo.
The most brilliant scene in the movie that displays this idea happens when Arlo is having a daydream. He thinks he’s being led back to his home by his father, but he won’t respond to Arlo. As he lets Poppa keep walking, he notices that he doesn’t leave any footprints.
The visual shows how Arlo can’t be his father. He physically can’t follow in his footsteps but has to create his own. Poppa will always be a part of Arlo, but as previously explained, he’s “so much more.”
Through his journey with Spot, Arlo learns how to be a caretaker and a part of his family in his way. He becomes the dinosaur his father knew he could be all along and finds his role in life.
This theme is much more interesting than conquering fear because it touches on something everyone will have to experience as parents are lost. How do we honor our parents’ legacy while also making our own path?
The Visuals
Landscape animation is another huge strength of this film. Everything looks well-textured and beautiful and the variety of settings that Arlo must journey through is incredible. Forests, plains, desert, or snow, this film has everything.
There are also a good number of visual gags that add to the storytelling. A great example is when Arlo runs towards what appears to be a brontosaurus, but as he gets closer, he sees that it’s two T-rexes with their heads together.
The visual storytelling is simply top-notch and there are no dull moments.
Conclusion
Pixar isn’t known for creating bad films (except Cars 2 again. I will now leave the matter alone), and The Good Dinosaur is not the one that breaks this tradition. It may be a bit different than the studio’s standard palette, but it maintains the emotional and deep storytelling that the company has always supported.
This film shouldn’t be the kid who gets picked last a recess, it should be up there with the likes of Toy Story and Finding Nemo. Hopefully, this article will convince more of why this is the case and allow The Good Dinosaur the clout it deserves.
