Awesome Music: The campfire song when they invent music (would you expect less from a film that has the involvement of two Beatles?).
Designated Hero: Atouk comes across as this, yes he was being bullied and used as an unsafe food tester; but then there's his drugging of Lana in an attempt to rape her (which indirectly was the cause of him being banished), and his later attempt to kidnap her. There's also the yandere behavior on Tala's part.
Ugly Cute: With his chubbiness, perpetual goofy grin, and anthropomorphic gestures, the T. rex looks less like a frightening predator and more like a big loveable oaf.
Unintentionally Sympathetic: Tonda is the bad guy, and he's a jerk ass... but at least he's looking out for his tribe, and he was also shown to be genuinely upset when he lost Lana to the river (despite that because of his status he would be able to easily get another mate), so did he really deserve the beating (and possible death), he got in the end?
Visual Effects of Awesome: The film was well-financed, having two Beatles attached and all, and it shows in the special effects animated by Randall Cook and an uncredited Jim Danforth, who also designed the monsters. While you can tell where they blocked off the shot to allow for the matte of the horned lizard and the T-rex, the stop-motion effects on them are quite smooth and the lighting matches well. Not to mention that they were designed to look real but cartoonish to match the whimsical humor. The T-rex is so well animated you really get the feeling he isn't mean, he's just an animal hungry for people is all.
