History Fridge / TheGoodDinosaur

* Arlo's status as the runt of the litter actually saved him. [[spoiler:When the flash flood hit him, he was swept away and had a lot of room to avoid debris and could swim to the centre.]] Poppa didn't have that; his size meant he would be more likely to hit something. He would also be far less nimble in fast moving flood water. It also let Arlo swim ''under'' some obstacles in the river as well. The end flood did not look wide/deep enough to allow an adult Apatosaurus to be fully submerged.

* How is it that [[spoiler: for all his wandering and absence from the farm, Arlo still gets his mark by the end of the story? Because his Poppa told him he'd earn his mark when he [[ExactWords "took care of that critter"]]. Given Spot is with a family who will keep him out of trouble (and out of the family silo), Arlo took good care of that critter.]]
* Also, [[spoiler: The rock with Arlo's mark is connected to every other mark. [[RuleOfSymbolism He brought a family together (Spot and the human family), and returning to the farm meant his own family was reunited.]] His mark reflects both his journey and Spot's.]]

* Even if [[spoiler:Thunderclap survives the river and his wing heals]], he'll be in for a nasty surprise when he realizes that [[spoiler:the reason he nearly died is because his beloved storm swelled up the river]]...live by the sword, die by the sword.

* Nothing is explicitly stated about how [[spoiler:Spot's parents died]], but there are clues that paint a disturbing picture: [[spoiler:the culprits were none other than the Stormchasers]]. Sure, it might sound too simple, but look at the facts. One, [[spoiler:Thunderclap and his cronies admitted to having eaten humans before; Coldfront catches Spot's scent and calls him "One of the juicy ones!"]] Two, [[spoiler:Spot hid under the fallen tree as soon as he saw the Pterosaurs. Why would he do that? Because he knows from experience that they're dangerous]]. Three, [[spoiler:the Stormchasers' behavior is atypical of Pterosaurs. If they all had a reputation for being ruthless and manipulative scavengers, Arlo wouldn't have called out to them for help]]. In conclusion... [[spoiler:Spot watched his parents get picked apart by pterosaurs]].
** For most of the movie, [[spoiler:Thunderclap and the Stormchasers largely go after "critters" and small animals. It would be easy to assume that they only go after hurt and helpless animals, and only went after Arlo because he was protecting Spot, until you realize that the very first thing Thunderclap said Arlo was asking whether or not he was injured - and once you know it's there, it's hard to miss the disappointment in his voice when he realizes Arlo isn't. It all adds up to a shocking realisation; they've ''killed and eaten'' other dinosaurs before.]]
** Or, even worse, [[spoiler:Spot's parent's were killed by Arlo's. Think about it. Spot would have had to have lived nearby for most of his life and, being as young as he is, wouldn't have wandered far and would have gone for the easiest food sources he knew of. Two young parents would have had to have known where to get extra food for a growing child, in an area with little obvious wild food. Papa, on the other hand, knew exactly how to capture and quickly kill critters like Spot. Almost like he had to do it a few times before...]]

* Meta Fridge Sadness: Why do Spot and Arlo [[spoiler:leave each other, implied permanently, at the end? The filmmakers might have looked at the end product of a horribly TroubledProduction and accurately realized it wouldn’t be [[TorchTheFranchiseAndRun received well enough for a sequel]]. Everyone was truly pulling for this movie, but sometimes [[DownerEnding things just don’t pan out.]]]]

* Arlo's status as the runt of the litter actually saved him. [[spoiler:When the flash flood hit him, he was swept away and had a lot of room to avoid debris and could swim to the centre.]] Poppa didn't have that; his size meant he would be more likely to hit something. It also let Arlo swim ''under'' some obstacles in the river as well. The end flood did not look wide/deep enough to allow an adult Apatosaurus to be fully submerged.

* Also, [[spoiler: The rock with Arlo's mark is connected to every other mark. [[RuleOfSymbolism He brought a family together(Spot and the human family), and returning to the farm meant his own family was reunited.]] His mark reflects both his journey and Spot's.]]

* Why is Arlo so scared in the first place? [[FreudianExcuse Perhaps]] it’s because his brother hit him and his egg when he hatched. Obviously Buck didn’t mean any harm, but even small moments can affect our perception of the world for life.
** A deleted scene actually explains it much better: shortly after hatching, Arlo wanders outside the farm and is attacked and nearly killed by a [[ArtisticLiscencePalaeontology Dimetrodon]] before Poppa saves him, explaining why he grew up so fearful: he was nearly killed and eaten by a huge wild animal before he was even a day old.

** A deleted scene actually explains it much better: shortly after hatching, Arlo wanders outside the farm and is attacked and nearly killed by a [[ArtisticLiscencePaleontology Dimetrodon]] before Poppa saves him, explaining why he grew up so fearful: he was nearly killed and eaten by a huge wild animal before he was even a day old.

** The story sets 65 million years after the Cretaceous and in the present day, so the Ice Age could have already ended. Besides there's plenty of evidence to suggest dinosaurs can perfectly thrive in cold climates.

* Meta Fridge Sadness: Why do Spot and Arlo [[spoiler:leave each other, implied permanently, at the end? The filmmakers might have looked at the end product of a horribly TroubledProduction and accurately realized it wouldn’t be [[StillbornFranchise received well enough for a sequel]]. Everyone was truly pulling for this movie, but sometimes [[DownerEnding things just don’t pan out.]]]]

** Or, even worse, [[spoiler:Spot's parent's were killed by Arlo's. Think about it. Spot would have had to have lived nearby for most of his life and, being as young as he is, wouldn't have wandered far and would have gone for the easiest food sources he knew of. Two young parents would have had to have known where to get extra food for a growing child, in an area with little obvious wild food. Papa, on the other hand, knew exactly how to capture and quickly kill critters like Spot. Almost like he had to do it a few times before...]]

* Also, [[spoiler: The rock with Arlo's mark is connected to every other mark. [[RuleOfSymbolism He brought a family together(Spot and the human family), and returning to the farm meant his own family was reunited]].]]

* Along similar lines, this makes Thunderclap's ultimate fate a case of LaserGuidedKarma. After preying on so many flood victims, he becomes one himself... with the help of of a couple of his would-be meals.

** For most of the movie, [[spoiler:Thunderclap and the Stormchasers largely go after "critters" and small animals. It would be easy to assume that they only go after hurt and helpless animals, and only went after Arlo because he was protecting Spot, until you realize that the very first thing Thunderclap said Arlo was asking whether or not he was injured - and once you know it's there, it's hard to miss the disappointment in his voice when he realizes Arlo isn't. It all adds up to a shocking realisation; they've ''killed and eaten'' other dinosaurs before.]]