Dinosaur Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
You have never seen anything like this.
Long before humans appeared on the planet, dinosaurs ruled the earth. On a little off-coast island, a clan of lemurs finds a dinosaur egg, hatching. Since there are no parents, the lemurs take care of the newborn, Aladar. Years later, a medium meteor goes down close to the island and the shockwave forces its inhabitants to flee to the continent. There, Aladar and his family meet other dinosaurs for the first time as well as real dangers. The destruction caused by the meteor here has also forced a herd of different herbivores to move to a remote valley that can provide food and protection against the carnivorous predators following after. Since Aladar grew up with a different understanding of the ways of the world, his way of helping others first isn't accepted within the herd, but soon it is proven that reason may be better than panic.
| D.B. Sweeney | Aladar |
| Alfre Woodard | Plio |
| Ossie Davis | Yar |
| Max Casella | Zini |
| Hayden Panettiere | Suri |
| Samuel E. Wright | Kron |
| Julianna Margulies | Neera |
| Peter Siragusa | Bruton |
| Joan Plowright | Baylene |
| Della Reese | Eema |
| Cathy Cavadini | Additional Voices |
| Eric Leighton |
| Ralph Zondag |
6.20 out of 10 (6582 votes)
Visitor Reviews
They did this with a computer? Come on, I can do better with a couple of days and 3DSMAX!
posted on 27 Jul 2009I was utterly unimpressed with this movie. Being a 3D model designer I have done better looking stuff on my PC with 3DSMAX in only a couple of days. As for the dinosaurs themselves, when I was younger I was fascinated by dinosaurs, and I collected a lot of scientific books on dinosaurs. The things they put on screen were not dinosaurs as we know them, they were incorrectly colored, they didn't move correctly, nothing was right! On top of all this where was the plot? Oh, I see the plot came from "A land before time", haven't they had enough years to come up with something better? Let's go further, I thought that Jurassic Park protrayed dinosaurs better, looked better and felt better than this movie, and Jurassic Park is what, 8 years old?My thoughts, just stay away, after all the hype the Disney channel was giving this movie you'll be so disappointed that your wallet will hurt from shelling out all that money so you and your family could see it. They should be giving us our money back on this sub-par film.
The Problem with Dinosaur
posted on 03 Jul 2009OK, so the animation is extraordinary. And the opening scene leaves you breathless. And the sound is great. But..."Dinosaur's" greatest achievement, its animation, is also its greatest hindrance. If the characters in this movie had been animated the old way, say like "The Lion King", their completely anthropomorphized story would have been easier to get into. But the animation is so photo-realistic that it pulls you in the direction of wanting to believe everything you see on the screen. Meantime, the completely unreal story and characters (dinos that talk, have a sense of duty that overrides their sense of survival, etc.) keeps you constantly aware that you're watching a man-made fantasy.
The result is a short circuit, unintentional of course, but a short circuit nevertheless.One problem with buying into "Dinosaur" is the familiarity contemporary audiences have with animal behavior and with the history of dinos and the evolution of the earth in particular. After 1,001 National Geographic shows on the subject, it is impossible to even remotely buy that any animal would risk their own survival to save a beast from a different group, or that different groups of animals would herd together, or that a dino who got beaten up by a bigger one will come out in his defense moments later out of a sense of duty. But it's a fantasy, you say. True, and it might have worked if the visuals had been unrealistic too, but somehow the fact that they aren't creates a kind of inconsistency that kills it.One more thing that doesn't help matters: the story is poor and lacking in depth or originality. Why, I wonder, would Disney invest so much money on a story that from the get-go must have reeked of predictability? Well, it doesn't matter -- they'll make their money back and then some, and that's what matters to them. One thing is for sure: the great dinosaur movie has not been made yet.Got any ideas?
The most beautiful animations
posted on 25 Jun 2009'Dinosaur' is a good and very entertaining movie. It has a nice story although it is very predictable. The movie didn't feel completely like a Disney movie, which it is, and I still haven't figured out why that is. I think it just looked too real. Especially the scenery is so perfect and beautiful it felt more like a real movie. The dinosaurs look more animated but they still look very much like real dinosaurs. In 'The Lion King' the animals were beautifully drawn, but it was not computer animation so it felt right. 'A Bug's Life' has beautiful computer animations but the insects didn't look like the real (creepy) insects. Of course it was close enough to see what insect we were talking about, but you know what I mean. It says much about the animations in this movie and I would say that is the main reason you should see this one.
Stunning but annoying.
posted on 10 May 2009Points to this movie's creators for the rich, sometimes breathtaking look of the film, but I don't know where to begin listing all the things about the story that I found annoying. This is NOT a movie for small children; my 8-year-old niece would have found it emotionally rough going. It's harsh and violent. So is nature, yes, but this is supposed to be entertainment, not a documentary. I came away feeling disappointed.
It's Disney - What Did You Expect!!
posted on 10 May 2009I don't think it'll be considered a spoiler if I tell you that Disney has followed it's tried and true formula. Think "Tarzan" but at a little bit slower pace. What Disney does well, very well, is make you sit up and say "Gee, I didn't know that animation could look like that." It's fun for the family but you might want to consider leaving the really little ones home with a babysitter - unless you like that terrified look and nightmare screams in the middle of the night.
A waste of time, money and talent.
posted on 04 May 2009While the visuals are definitely special, they are the only thing this movie has going for it. All it is is another generic Disney animated film with a plot that resembles the studio's own Tarzan far too closely. Also, Disney decided to give the story a happy ending, even though it is common historical knowledge that none of the Dinosaurs survived.Even so, the movie might have actually been better had Disney decided to keep the songs out of the film for once. The Disney Animated Musical Numbers (DAMN) have gotten far too old, and frankly, the genre of the musical, animated or otherwise, has been soundly beaten to death by Disney. Of course, without the songs, the film would have been even shorter than its already short 70 minute run.In short, this film was colossal, a colossal waste of time, money and talent. Dinosaur should have been left extinct.If you really want to see a deeply detailed computer animated movie, I suggest you wait until the Summer of 2001, when Final Fantasy is released. That film shows far more promise in all aspects. Realistically animated humans, environments, and a deeper plot line should have people forgetting all about Dinosaur, if it isn't already forgotten by then.
Fantastic awe-inspiring family entertainment! ****1/2 out of 5
posted on 02 May 2009This is a film that will delight viewers time and time again.It's terrific family entertainment that isn't afraid to venture into darker territory. There are carnivorous dinosaurs chasing herbivores and a giant asteroid that crashes towards earth. As tense as these scenes can be, it's okay. This is a Disney film that shows us in the end we can get through things by sticking together. Ultimately I feel that is the moral of this film and it's a good one.The music by James Newton Howard happens to be one of his best. It's beautiful and adventurous with themes that evoke a sense of wonder.The look of the film is fantastic. The dinosaurs look quite real and the scenery is nothing short of breathtaking.It's a film that contains all the right elements for a family masterpiece. Perhaps, my only wish is that it was a bit longer, but it is what it is and I am more than happy with it. It's a film that earns it's place along the great Disney classics such as The Lion King, Toy Story, Mary Poppins, and all the other classics.Bravo Disney!
Disney's Dinosaur, A Forgotten, ill-fated, yet awesome live action/CGI film
posted on 16 Apr 2009Remember Disney's unbelievably bad CGI film from 2000, Dinosaur (A Disney CGI film with talking dinosaurs and monkeys?!!!! What were they thinking?!!!!!)? As you know, Disney's Dinosaur is a forgotten, ill-fated, but awesome animated masterpiece. Well, For all the bitching and moaning that has been raging over the plot, characters, and scientific inaccuracies of the film, you folks find Dinosaur lacking in the soul and spirit of the earlier 1988 screenplay and you thought it was way too Disney. You even thought it is the Plan 9 From Outer Space of Dinosaur movies. They all make mistakes, but Dinosaur was a honest one.A Critical And Commercial Disaster, Dinosaur is a movie that all of you who went to see Jurassic Park in the theaters and Watch Walking with Dinosaurs on TV would like to forget.You consider Disney's Dinosaur as the worst Disney 3D cartoon of all time. And it even put you, the fans and critics off even more than Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Well, there are a lot of you out there who are purist about Dinosaur (2000). There are praises for the CGI and Live Action Backgrounds, but the main blasts came from all of you who are opposed to the plot, the characters, the inaccuracies and such.This was Disney's great dream of making a dinosaur movie, but when it was released on May 19, 2000, and died a dog's death, the trust you put to this company is now broken. Dinosaur's critical and commercial failure led to the bankruptcy of the Secret Lab. In your eyes, Dinosaur is not a great blend of CGI and Live Action Backgrounds--It was a failure to you, plain and simple. And that film is not a mistake that Disney or the others will eager to repeat!!! None of you wanted it. But the CGI, the Live Action Backgrounds kick ass! But...I Have a question. What Shall Disney do to improve and make over Dinosaur and to answer all of you who hated this, Disney's Dinosaur? Well anybody answer my question, please. Thank you.-Timothy Robert McKenzie
Stunning CGI in a Disney movie for all ages
posted on 25 Feb 2009First of all this is a Disney movie for all ages, and as i watched it i was admiring the great Cgi's(computer generated images) but also thinking to myself, What a simple and yet so complicated movie, not much of a spectacular movie in terms of "super" entertainment but who says being a simple story can't be good?Well some reviewers said that the movie should have had more scenes like in the first 10 minutes, yes it would have had more impact , but survival , in which the rest of the movie is focused on, isn't some playground and even children should know it, of course it ends well, but the script and story weren't so "shiny" and appealing in the middle of the movie to show the cost of survival and the possible extinction of an entire species.Spectacular graphics and picture, perfect voices (not those sweet as in a normal Disney movie, but almost real like in normal life), stunning sceneries, great story, a mix of phantasy and some true facts( scientists are never sure how it really happened-The extinction of dinosaurs), and above all a movie everyone would like to have on a DVD collection.9 out of 10 Excellent
That was it?
posted on 01 Feb 2009When I saw Dinosaur for the first time back in May 2000, I was thinking to myself, "That was it?". First off this movie shouldnt be called "Dinosaur", it should start with "The Land Before Time". This was as bad, if not worse than the sequels to "The Land Before Time". The story lines are identical. Here is a question, They spent 12 years making this film, and this was the best story line they could come up with? Plus people are saying that the CGI is outstanding. Believe me, they arent that amazing. The Jurassic Park Trilogy is much better than this sad try at a movie. Go out and buy Jurassic Park or The Lost World: Jurassic Park. Also go ahead and start planning to get Jurassic Park III on video when it comes out on December 11th. Do not waste your time with Disney's Dinosaur.0 out of 10
A Charming, Warm Hearted Film
posted on 28 Jan 2009I went into Dinosaur expecting the worst, considering the poor reviews I read. I actually ended up enjoying this film quite a bit. The plot was typical disney formula, ripped almost entirely from Tarzan, yet I found myself delighting in the on screen drama like a small child. Dinosaur is a very engaging movie that succeeds because it portrays nature in a realistic manner (no doubt responsible for the rare PG rating for a Disney animated feature), all the while managing to keep that magical charm Disney is famous for. The technology here is simply astounding as well.
Wonderful
posted on 12 Jan 2009Finally Disney has created an animation that isn't sugar-sweet!What usually bugs me about Disney's films is the constant bursting-into-song sequences that clog up the stories, and the comic side-kicks that keep making bad jokes. No such thing in Dinosaur! It's a serious movie that is very sad and partially cruel: a wonderful tale of courage and survival, told with respect for the audience, with unpresidented animations. The dionsaurs merge seemlessly into the real surroundings, and they move and look absolutely real. Finally, computer animations have reached the stage where it doesn't look animated anymore!I was also very touched by Aladar's attempts to save the old dinos, and although I'm a grown-up, I jumped in my seat when the carnotaurs emerged. There was violence in this film: cruel battles between carnivores and herbivores. And surging through it all there is a feeling of sadness and loss, for a world that is about to fade away into the pages of history.Thus, it's not for the smallest children, but it's a great story that treats it's audience with respect and pays homage to that great lost Earth that was buried in the dust millions of years ago.9/10
Family at one moment and too realistic the next.
posted on 31 Dec 2008Dinosaur By Dean KishCan Disney's most ambitious computer animated movie ever survive the onslaught of the summer? Dinosaur tells the tale of an ambitious dinosaur named Aladar (voiced by D.B. Sweeney) who is plucked out of his mother's nest and carried off to some unsuspecting primates. As he grows he accepts the frisky primates as his family. Just as the yearly mating ritual begins, Aladar's surroundings are engulfed in a cosmic event forcing Aladar to scoop up his adopted family and flee the safety of their island. Returning to the real world proves a challenge for Aladar and his adopted primate family as they try so hard to fit in with a huge migrating herd. Dinosaur's amazing visuals and breath-taking scenery shots hold you breathless as you escape into a world completely fixated on the instinct of survival. What seems to be the fault associated with Dinosaur is the story and emotion associated with its characters. Sure when Disney creates animated characters our human emotions and actions are often placed into the hearts of the depicted characters but here it seems almost strange. Here we have photo realistic surroundings and characters trying to be lifted from dinosaur history books. A couple years back a breakthrough film called `The Land Before Time' embraced the idea of telling a dinosaur story using Disney-style animation. It was a marvelous accomplishment but here it's very weird. That very thing addresses some issues concerning what exactly is cartoon-violence and what is real to you and your child. Some scenes are vicious and profound as we watch Aladar's constant struggle for survival in an untamed world. Through these scenes we do have to wonder which particular audience was the film being aimed. I know for younger viewers the realism and the intensity in the art of survival may be too much to handle. It's hard to judge which exact child may cringe while another might be excited. Dinosaur has pushed the envelope in regards to how real we really want to get with animation. The plot elements that baffled me were during Aladar's communication with the huge titanic Brachiosaurus, Baylene (voiced by Joan Plowright). In the introduction scene to Baylene, she is a giant and Aladar is worried about being stepped on. But as he gets to know her she seems to shrink and not be that large at all. And to top it all off Aladar is able to fit Baylene, himself and three other dinosaurs in a cave. That must be some cave and how come the herd never could see a cave that huge? Sure I am being analytical on a family film but the film is trying for as much realism as necessary. Dinosaur is more convincing and real than the `Land Before Time' but no where near as family or sincere as that film. I think it tries to be family at one moment and too realistic the next. (3 of 5) So Says the Soothsayer.
If you like animation or dinosaurs, you shouldn't miss this film.
posted on 23 Dec 2008Overall, Disney has managed to create the best dinosaur animation to date. Grand scale, great dinos and a seamless blend of the real world and computer. Walking with Dinosaurs has a slight edge on realistic movement, but Dinosaur is the overall winner. Kids will love it as will animations freaks like myself. Those of you who are concerned about plot development, continuity or any other technical aspects of story development, you are watching the wrong movie. This is basically a 3D Disney cartoon. Entertainment is the key and Dinosaur delivers.
"Land Before Time" updated? Maybe, but it works.
posted on 21 Dec 2008I had to see this film twice because the audience was so disruptive the first time. Now that I have been able to enjoy the film better, I finally feel that I can write a comment. I agree with everyone else that the story is little more than "The Land Before Time" revisited, but I still think it works (for the most part). But the score by James Newton Howard is just magnificent. Kudos to the sound effects wizards for concocting the sounds of the raptors. I also like the fact that there is no sound when the meteor hits, but you hear the surge afterwards. And Samuel E. Wright is absolutely perfect as Kron, the stern herd leader. As for the film's visuals, I will say nothing about them because they speak for themselves when you see them.
I will say, however, that I wish they had shot the film in the 2.35:1 widescreen format, but I am sure they had their hands full with the 1.85:1 format. But I enjoyed "Dinosaur" the second time around.
Great animation, same old story
posted on 19 Dec 2008The animation in this movie, taken on its own, would be worth a 10. Too bad they couldn't come up with a better story. The plot is a mixture of Disney's own Tarzan and of The Land Before Time, and there's not one piece of this story that hasn't been done a million times before. It's also disappointing to see the dinosaurs animated so realistically, yet acting like (in the typical Disney mode) humans in animal form - a more courageous movie would have dealt with the creatures in their own right, without the cute and totally unrealistic dialogue.On the whole, the movie strikes a good balance in appealing to different age groups, but some scenes may be scary for young children, and the film requires a few big leaps of faith for adults.Rating: see it for the animation - the predictability of the plot will make it easier to notice details such as the lemurs' realistic fur.
Fun for, well, not quite all of the family...
posted on 11 Dec 2008The tag-line for Dinosaur is 'You have never seen anything like this', and it's a fair statement. Dinosaur is stunningly detailed, top-heavy with beautifully framed images and perfectly paced scenes filled with discovery and adventure. It's just a pity I'm not nine years old because I've certainly heard all this before many, many times over. Honestly, surely Disney realize that grown-ups take kids to see these things? It's hard to imagine a more formulaic plot and the dialog and characterization could only be this trite on purpose (maybe someone lost a bet). Kids will love it, and I guess that's the main thing, but it's not hard to see why Pixar has stolen Disney's thunder at the box office.
A dinosaur Apocalypse for kids that can be too scary!
posted on 11 Dec 2008If you've got kids, take them to see this movie! It's incredible -- sort of. BUT, personally, I wouldn't take kids under 7. It's kinda scary in places, and when the Carnosaurs eat the friendly dinosaurs -- or when the family of monkees gets killed -- the kids will ball their eyes out. They don't need to see whole families wiped out and eaten at that age. Call me conservative or something, but I just don't see how that helps kids.The story is basically the same as THE LAND BEFORE TIME --dinosaurs looking for a safe haven. Here we have the a meteor shower which supposedly is going to lead to their extinction -- but the meteors fall like rain. It's nasty and all that... but hardly good science. Plus, the dinos act just like people, and that is sort of a put off -- especially because of the way the film begins -- very nature based and keen on painting a realistic visual.The graphics are at times incredible and at other times blurry and indistinct. This animation was supposed to be the best ever -- I thought some of the shots were just that, and then most of it was bland and dark. I've noticed that most of these computer animation shots are dark --
perhaps because if they were lit up enough the eye'd be able to spot all their flaws. I dunno. But it was annoying and the effect was like watching a drive-in movie at dusk, before it's completely dark -- the color and detail is sort of washed away. I think that explains it well enough.But the story did have a good message, and it was clear and strait-forward enough. And at least it was a family movie that adults could sit through without getting stomach cramps and wanting to vomit in the aisle -- I think I'll pass on the new Pokemon movie coming out this summer, I don't care how much my nephew begs!I give it 2 stars all along... perhaps a bit more from a kid's perspective. But I'll say this much... my nephew (little JJ) was far more excited about the film BEFORE seeing it than he was afterwards (he even got us a couple dinosaur hand puppets and we sat in the theater attacking each other before the movie started! :). And at one point in the film he even said, "Uncle Johnny, this is a bad movie." He said that when the Carnosaur was eating the poor defenseless dinosaur.Sure, that may well be the "real world" and all that... but too much for kids.
A technical masterpiece
posted on 27 Jul 2009I think the summary says it all. Although the story has been told before, it is great. Kids and adults will love this movie. Kids will love the story, and adults will love the visual aspect. This one deserves to be in your collection.T