The Good Dinosaur is good, not great

Movie:    The Good Dinosaur

Rating:    PG

Grade:   B

In a Nutshell:    This is Pixar’s second release this year after the huge hit “Inside Out”.   It’s not their best film, but it's still very sweet. Don’t get me wrong, though…there are some great things about it.  

It’s pretty tough to top Toy Story, The Incredibles, and Finding Nemo.    What it DOES top is animation genius when it comes to the impressive landscapes and backgrounds that almost look like cinematography.  Truly impressive.  I sat next to my son who is an animation artist for Blizzard Entertainment and we just kept saying “Wow!” with every new scene.

This film asks the question: “What would happen if the meteor that was supposed to hit planet Earth and destroy the dinosaurs, didn’t?”   The result is a movie that feels like an odd western, a coming-of-age movie, as well as a spiritual journey that the kids will love.

Uplifting Theme:

·         “You have to earn your mark by doing something big or something bigger than yourself.” – Poppa

·         “Sometimes you gotta get through your fear to see the beauty on the other side.” – Poppa

·         “You can’t get rid of fear.  It’s like Mother Nature, but you can get through it and find out what you’re made of.” - Poppa

Things I liked:

·         The beach scene at night is very touching and will break your heart.  The circle imagery at the end made me drop a tear or two.

·         Sanjay Patell created a film short before the feature film begins, which is sweet and interesting.

·         The cast includes the voice talents of Academy Award winners Frances McDormand (Momma) and Anna Paquin (Ramsey). 

·         What’s a Pixar movie without the voice of John Ratzenberger?  He voices the character of Earl.

·         Magical fireflies!

·         The story is touching and simple.
      I love the moment when Arlo is "born" and clings to his dinosaur shell with big eyes.  So cute.
      The body movements and facial expressions of all the creatures are absolutely fantastic.
      The dinosaur with the "protectors" made me laugh out loud and the groundhogs made the kids in the audience squeal with laughter.

Things I didn’t like:

·         While the landscape animation is unbelievably gorgeous, the design of the dinosaurs seems too simple in comparison.  In fact, the two elements don’t seem to go well together at all.  Fortunately for Pixar, kids won’t care.

·         This movie was supposed to come out in 2014, but there were so many delays and job losses from this production that it made its late 2015 release.  Somehow, you can feel the unevenness in the final product.

·         Don’t overthink this movie too much.  I mean, we’re supposed to believe that these dinosaurs created devices and tools and built homes, all without fingers.

·         It’s somewhat jolting to see the human in the film acting like an animal, almost like a pet dog.  He is pretty doggone cute though.

·         The “driving the herd” scenes made me think of the adorable movie "City Slickers".   

·         I got tired of hearing so many country hick accents and was surprised that Pixar didn’t create more diversity.

Funny lines:  

·         “Nash, get out of your sister’s bubble.” – Poppa

·         “If you’re pulling my leg, I’m going to eat yours.” - T-Rex


      Sweet line:
      *  "I'm not like you!"  - Arlo
          "You're me and more." - Poppa    His father is very loving and encouraging.

Tips for Parents:

·         This is a charming movie, perfect for family entertainment.

·         There is some adult humor that parents can appreciate.
·         There’s a disgusting, large insect scene that will surprise you.
      No bad language or inappropriate behavior.
      There's a strange hallucinogenic moment you might need to explain to your kids.

Planes: Fire and Rescue doesn't reach movie altitude

Movie Title:  Planes: Fire & Rescue

PG, 1 hour 24 minutes

Grade:  C+

In a Nutshell:  You know when you make a Xerox copy of another actual Xerox copy and the quality gets worse each time?  That’s kind of this movie. The first Planes movie was a spinoff of the successful Cars franchise, but landed with a thud.  So what’s a movie studio to do?  Make a sequel!  No doubt the merchandising for little boys will be big.

For a movie about airplanes, it just doesn’t quite reach the altitude we all wish it did.

If your kids loved the first Planes, then go for it; you’re in for more of the same.  If you and your kids were bored out of your minds the first time around, skip this one.  You can read my movie review from the first Planes movie here.  Go watch Frozen again.

Uplifting theme: 

• Heroism
• Friendship
• Responsibility

Things I liked:

• Every animated film is better with the awesome voice talents of Patrick Warburton. Seriously.  Put him in everything.
•  The scenery was beautiful as “we” flew over deserts, mountains, and meadows.
• It’s better than the first Planes , but that still doesn’t make it an actual good movie.
• It’s definitely geared towards the tots.   
• It’s always fun to hear the lovable voice of John Ratzenberger.

Things I didn’t like:

• There were quite a few sexual innuendos intended to entertain parents, such as “How’d you like to rub tires?” and “We wore off the treads on our honeymoon” and “Yeah, they’re real.”    Not classy.
• I love Modern Family’s Julie Bowen and was happy to hear her voice the character of Dipper.  Unfortunately, I didn’t like Dipper at all.  She’s an airplane who constantly throws herself at Dusty for some cheap laughs.  Great role model for little girls, eh?
• I’m kinda tired of the obligatory fart jokes in lil tyke flicks.
• I got a little dizzy with some of the aerial dips and tricks.
• The most emotional scene was one with two old RV’s who expressed their love for each other.  Sweet, right?  Well, yeah, except their loving words were spoken in between inappropriate sexual innuendos and winks towards the parents. 

Did you notice?

• The planes and cars watched a “George Lexus” movie.   (George Lucas)
• Later they watched “CHoPs”..."139 episodes of lawbreaking love".... like the old CHiPs: The Complete First & Second Seasons .

Funny lines:

• “It’s a mysterious mystery.” – little bulldozer
• “This is so exciting, I’m going to overheat.” – random car in a group scene

Tips for parents:   I thought some of the fire scenes were scary and could frighten little ones.  Otherwise, the movie is mostly harmless fun.