BLU-RAY REVIEW: THE GOOD DINOSAUR
2/22/2016

OVERVIEW: 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. While traveling through a harsh and mysterious landscape, Arlo learns the power of confronting his fears and discovers what he is truly capable of. The perfect adventure for the whole family stampedes home on Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, Digital HD and Disney Movies Anywhere February 23.

SYNOPSIS: 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. While traveling through a harsh and mysterious landscape, Arlo learns the power of confronting his fears and discovers what he is truly capable of.

FILM REVIEW:  "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? Pixar Animation Studios takes you on an epic journey into the world of dinosaurs where an Apatosaurus named Arlo (voice of Raymond Ochoa) makes an unlikely human friend. While traveling through a harsh and mysterious landscape, Arlo learns the power of confronting his fearImagine if you will the great meteor that supposedly killed off all the dinosaurs several gazillion years ago, missed the earth. Everything is different. Dinosaurs have evolved and are intelligent, they farm and form families that stay together. And thus we meet an Apatosaurus family. Momma and Poppa, big brother Buck who is all brawn and toughness. Sister Libby who is determined and strong. And then there’s Arlo. Arlo is what some might call the runt. Not only small in size but small in spirit. Arlo is afraid of his own shadow, but Poppa believes in him. Everyone on their little farm pulls their weight and makes their mark, but Arlo seems to be having a harder time finding out how he will do so. There are such sweet moments in this film as Poppa Henry tries to help his little Arlo find his courage. As he tells little Arlo “you are me and more”. Oh, so sweet. As the years go on, the family works the farm and works hard to store food for the winter. But something seems to be getting into their food storage. Some kind of critter… and so Arlo now has a chance to make his mark… catch that darn critter! When Arlo first meets the critter, he hates him with all his body and soul, but time and experience can change things and so spot comes into the picture. Spot is a human, played very much like a dog. Just as our pets can teach us many life lessons, Spot will end up teaching Arlo a lot with no words.

Thus a true adventure begins. Arlo will go through so much, emotionally, physically and spiritually. He will meet many characters, see so much and weather many storms. I took my little Godson Anthony, aka I’ll Bubba to see the film and it was such a cool experience to see this movie from a five year olds perspective. The animation was superb, so much so that Li’l Bubba thought it was all real. As a parent, I must warn you that there is subject matter that you might have to talk out with your child, some emotional moments and there are some slightly scary parts for any one 5 and under but overall such a fun film. Most of the voice over actors are pretty new, at least to me, like Raymond Ochoa as Arlo, Jack Bright as Spot (although its mostly grunts, and howls), and Marcus Scribner as Butch, but all did an awesome job. There are a few very recognizable voices such as Momma, voiced lovingly by Frances McDormand, Poppa Jeffrey Wright is strong and soothing, Steve Zahn as Thunderclap (crazy is all I have to say), Anna Paquin as Ramsey, John Ratzenburger as Earl and Sam Elliot very recognizably voicing Butch. Arlo will go through so much, will learn so much and will grow more than even he could have imagined.

The film is precious and perfect to take your little one. I even know a teenager or two (Marcel) who can’t wait for it to come out. This is good movie night film for the whole family. Enjoy!
s and discovers what he is truly capable of.

Review By Priscilla 

BLU-RAY: The film is presented in widescreen in a 2.39:1 aspect ration preserving its theatrical format. The picture is just flawless. Not only the picture looks great in this release, also the sound it is good, a 5.1 Dolby Digital in English that provides a good complement to the picture. It also includes  English, French  and Spanish subtitles.

VIDEO:
Widescreen (2.39:1) 16x9

AUDIO:
English DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1/Dolby Digital 5.01 Latin Spanish, Canadian French

Subtitles -English SDH, Latin Spanish, Parisian French

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Blu-ray™ unleashes the power of your HDTV and is the best way to watch movies at home, featuring 6X the picture resolution of DVD, exclusive extras and theater-quality surround sound.

DVD offers the flexibility and convenience of playing movies in more places, both at home and away.

DIGITAL HD with UltraViolet™ lets fans watch movies anywhere on their favorite devices. Users can instantly stream or download.

A THEATRICAL SHORT – Sanjay’s Super Team - Sanjay loves the world of cartoons and comics, while his father tries to draw him into his Hindu traditions. Reluctance quickly turns into awe-inspiring adventure as the boy embarks on an amazing journey, returning with a new perspective they can both embrace.

TRUE LIES ABOUT DINOSAURS - We know – it’s preposterous to think Apatosaurs spoke English. Learn more about what separates the fictional dinosaurs of “The Good Dinosaur“ from what scientists know about real dinosaurs.

RECYCLOSAURUS - Pixar takes creative competition seriously. Maybe a little too seriously. Watch as “The Good Dinosaur” crew competes to see which department can create the best dinosaur ever…using only discarded items from the studio’s “free table.”

THE FILMMAKERS’ JOURNEY - Finding your way from an idea to a film takes a lot of exploration. Director Peter Sohn and his fellow filmmakers talk about the challenging, inspiring, and unexpectedly emotional experience of making “The Good Dinosaur.”

EVERY PART OF THE DINOSAUR - The filmmakers talk about the special animation challenges of “The Good Dinosaur” – including figuring out how to animate a dinosaur who’s really a boy, and a boy who’s got the spirit of a dog.

FOLLOWING THE T-REX TRAIL - Follow the filmmakers as they travel to a working cattle ranch and meet the McKays, a close-knit family whose work ethic, generosity, and stories inspired the T-Rex ranchers of the film.

COMMENTARY - Commentary from director Peter Sohn, story supervisor Kelsey Mann, supervising animator Mike Venturini, director of photography/lighting Sharon Calahan, and supervising technical director Sanjay Bakshi.

DINO BITES - Montage of original animated pieces produced to promote “The Good Dinosaur.”

HIDE AND SEEK - A short animated clip produced to promote “The Good Dinosaur.”

DELETED SCENES

o The Attack - An idyllic introduction to the family farm is cut short when a savage predator attacks the newborn Arlo. With an introduction by Director Peter Sohn.

o Building the Silo – An admiring Arlo is thrilled to follow along as his father builds a silo for the family farm. With an introduction by Director Peter Sohn.

o Waiting for Poppa – Arlo awaits the return of his beloved father on a stormy night, only to be greeted with tragic news. With an introduction by Director Peter Sohn.