I definitely think this movie deserves a little more praise than it got. If it had come out in 2014 like it was supposed to, it probably would have gotten somewhat better review and broke even with its budget, but it was hurt by its lofty predecessor Inside Out and its odd release date. The main strong suits of the movie are obvious from the trailers, with the background being animated superbly and the characters being likable. The movie doesn't sneak in as much comedy as Pixar movies usually do, but the jokes they have hit home (the Styracosaurus with his spirit animals is hilarious). The attention to detail definitely matches what we have come to expect from Pixar, and the dinosaur-human blend was definitely thought through (the dinosaurs use their natural abilities for civilized purposes in creative ways). I don't mind the cartoony design that much, and it actually makes sense in a way, as the dinosaurs have evolved 65 million years. That said, the film is a little weaker than what we expect from Pixar. The story is a lot more grounded than usual, with no outstanding message or particularly clever storytelling devices. Most fantastical devices in Pixar movies have a real-life metaphorical meaning to them that you don't think about very much while watching (the house in Up is about attachment), but The Good Dinosaur's plot devices don't stand for anything profound, with Arlo's achievement literally being him making his mark. The story is also a lot less challenging than usual (similar stories have been done before successfully), which makes sense given the sudden change in writing, but it may disappoint some who expect stories that only Pixar could have made come alive while this story could have been done by anyone else. However, this movie is definitely better than Brave, Monsters University, and the Cars movies, but it has gotten worse reviews than some of those movies have. Those movies also don't have very risky storylines, but they don't add very much to their respective genres, but this movie does. In short, it's not the best Pixar film, but it's more on the level of Bug's Life with better graphics than the level of Brave or MU.
Better than it's given credit for, but it's no Inside Out
I definitely think this movie deserves a little more praise than it got. If it had come out in 2014 like it was supposed to, it probably would have gotten somewhat better review and broke even with its budget, but it was hurt by its lofty predecessor Inside Out and its odd release date. The main strong suits of the movie are obvious from the trailers, with the background being animated superbly and the characters being likable. The movie doesn't sneak in as much comedy as Pixar movies usually do, but the jokes they have hit home (the Styracosaurus with his spirit animals is hilarious). The attention to detail definitely matches what we have come to expect from Pixar, and the dinosaur-human blend was definitely thought through (the dinosaurs use their natural abilities for civilized purposes in creative ways). I don't mind the cartoony design that much, and it actually makes sense in a way, as the dinosaurs have evolved 65 million years. That said, the film is a little weaker than what we expect from Pixar. The story is a lot more grounded than usual, with no outstanding message or particularly clever storytelling devices. Most fantastical devices in Pixar movies have a real-life metaphorical meaning to them that you don't think about very much while watching (the house in Up is about attachment), but The Good Dinosaur's plot devices don't stand for anything profound, with Arlo's achievement literally being him making his mark. The story is also a lot less challenging than usual (similar stories have been done before successfully), which makes sense given the sudden change in writing, but it may disappoint some who expect stories that only Pixar could have made come alive while this story could have been done by anyone else. However, this movie is definitely better than Brave, Monsters University, and the Cars movies, but it has gotten worse reviews than some of those movies have. Those movies also don't have very risky storylines, but they don't add very much to their respective genres, but this movie does. In short, it's not the best Pixar film, but it's more on the level of Bug's Life with better graphics than the level of Brave or MU.