ChikPapa Very disappointed :(

StunnaKrypto Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Ezmae Chang This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

theresamgill The Good:This movie is gorgeous. As I was watching it with my younger brother (James) and my mom, Mom would comment how you could tell that they sometimes used actual footage and put animation over it. It's so good she was convinced that some of it was real. While I must give the character models award to Zootopia, that movie is edged by the landscapes and nature that play such an integral role in this film.The story-telling is at its best when it relies on the visuals. The middle of the movie basically serves as a quest to return home while Arlo and the boy Spot bond as they meet new dinosaurs. With this bare plot-line, usually something like dialogue or actions is used to make up for it. And this movie takes a WALL-E approach to dialogue and storytelling for the most part, and scenes such as at night in the riverbed when they talk about their families with the sticks and hardly a word spoken, that is the type of moment that engages the audience and proves that Pixar knows how to please people of all ages.It is during these scenes that the hilarious triceratops and cowboy-like t-rexes are met and enjoyed. They add the differing animal backgrounds well enough like Finding Nemo to keep the ball rolling through the minimal plot. Plus, Steve Zahn (Thunderclap) is always a welcome addition.The boy and dog dynamic is a really neat idea introduced after the 30-minute mark, and it not only plays off well, but it also makes sense. What this does is add more progression to the character development, which is one the movie's main focuses.The Bad:Sadly, the story-telling doesn't work very well when it isn't relying on the visuals. The first 20-30 minutes of the film are disappointingly conventional, and add nothing new to the mix (except for eye-popping visuals). Furthermore, there is a much larger sense of predictability that doesn't matter as far as kids are concerned, but older members of the human species will know exactly what to expect.The main character Arlo is honestly a little too annoying. Of course over the span of the movie he is supposed to grow up and overcome his fears, but the transition happens quickly (the movie is just over 1 ½ hours) and without much effectiveness.A third act I would kind of compare to Ice Age has a weird sense of wanting to be emotional and dramatic and powerful, but I think even the filmmakers knew it wouldn't have the lasting impression that their other films achieved. And this goes back to both the predictability and the lack of a consistent base throughout the film.The Ugly:This movie suffered through production Hell. The story wasn't quite right, the release date kept being pushed back, and people were fired and had to be recast. Luckily, it isn't some Batman & Robin disaster of a film-- but it still does suffer.Even with an improved story, it is still one of the weakest in that area as far as Pixar movies are concerned. On the bright side of that, however, that's not the focus of the film. And what it does focus on, the two main characters, it doesn't succeed to the level we expect, and also what it simply needs to be. Basically, it falls flat in most areas. But what is not ugly is the visuals. And this goes beyond just what you see on the screen. This takes into account the genuine moments of the film that don't require clunky dialogue to get the point across. It's just a disappointment that there aren't enough of these moments in the film.You can find this review and dozens of others at gillipediamoviereviews.blogspot.com

Del The person who made this was on a bad acid trip. That's the only excuse I can think of for this thing with horrible story elements! What the producers were thinking when they read the script makes me think the whole crew was stoned. Maybe it was a bet, "I'll make the stupidest movie, sell it under Disney's Pixar, and people will love it!" The premise ... a mentally evolved dinosaur at the dawn of mankind. Man, though he wears clothes and has the hands and dexterity to use tools ... is a dog. Literally. The dinosaur, who can only use his mouth to manipulate tools and items, somehow has ropes and creates baskets, thatched roofs, etc.... somehow creates a farm dwelling in the middle of nowhere, with no other dinosaurs around, in the mountains ... growing corn. Yes. Corn. The cowardly dinosaur falls into the river and gets swept SOOOOO far away that he takes days to get home. But when he falls down a huge swollen waterfall, he just ambles out just a tiny bit winded. I think of all the Disney productions I have ever watched, this is the worst. I would have given it ONE star, except the CGI was really good. Especially with the vistas. The character design ... well, certainly not Pixar's best, that's for certain. So, I gave it 3 stars because kids will enjoy it and visually adults will be good with it ... though I expect most to be as disgusted with the story elements as I was. IF you are going to watch it, I hope you find it for free as I expect you'll be severely disappointed if you pay to watch it.

hammondjh-00479 Bitterly disappointed with TGD. Pixar can do much better than this.

boncdav Other reviews are too extreme in either direction, I feel.Pros: Beautifully rendered, hyper-realistic scenery. I constantly found myself in awe of the sheer artistic talent that went into creating the mountains, trees, and water. I even thought for a second that the water had to have been video-recorded and spliced in. The premise of the movie was also incredibly promising. Detail went into certain aspects of the characters; for instance, Arlo's toes would spread when he put weight on them. Additionally, the movie seemed to be TRYING for positive messages: it's okay to be afraid, not everyone can be judged by their appearance, etc.Cons: Everything else. The characters themselves are not very interesting aside from the first thought of "That's not what I expected." Accents and lifestyles are, however, pretty stereotypical after that. The "good dinosaur" is not really good; he's mostly afraid and looking for help (see below for example). He's jealous of his brothers. The brothers exhibit bullying behavior. There are a couple of scenes that seem to be hinting at drug use. My biggest hangup: There is no reason that the characters had to be a dinosaur and a human. It's like a boy and his dog got re-skinned as these other species in an attempt to draw in a crowd. I wanted it to be more DINOSAUR-ish!!Anyway, I've seen worse movies, but this was a disappointment, especially coming from Pixar. My toddler liked the dinosaur, but she didn't get the subtly projected social messages--negative or positive. I did, and I don't care for most of them.**MILD SPOILER** Arlo does not spare the kid out of compassion, but out of fear. How, then, is Arlo "good?!"