WesternAnimation 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.
WesternAnimation A beautiful movie hampered by a scattershot theme
At the end of The Good Dinosaur, I was left with conflicting emotions: the movie is visually beautiful, artistically solid, internally consistent, and emotionally stirring... but why wasn't I satisfied?
After pondering it for a while, I think the problem is in the core of the movie. Not that it doesn't have one, but it has several, and never really settles on what that is. Is this a coming-of-age tale of Arlo's steps into adulthood? Is it about the bonding between a dinosaur and his boy? Or how former antagonists can become friends once they know more about each other? Is it about learning how to overcome your fears? Is it the hero's journey with a jurassic cast? Is it a beautifully-rendered nature documentary? In truth, The Good Dinosaur is all of these things at once, and ends up leaving each one in various incomplete stages of storytelling.
The film is further hampered by the muddled character development; while you do feel for Arlo and Spot, it's uncertain at the end just how they have grown from their adventures, making the whole thing feel simply like a loose sequence of set pieces, only some of which are strong enough to engage the viewer into becoming invested in their growth.
In the end, The Good Dinosaur is exactly that — good. But one wishes it was great...
WesternAnimation It's okay
That's pretty much all that I can sum this movie as. Like, it's amazing how just okay this movie is.
The story is nothing original. At all. It's just your average Growing Up Through Hardships story that a lot of other movies already did. There's very little truly memorable moments in this movie, aside of a few stranger scenes (like the throwaway character of a loony dinosaur who surrounds himself with various critters to "protect" him). Almost all characters our hero encounters are there just for a couple of scenes at most, only to be completely forgotten once Arlo (our hero) moves on.
Also, one criticism I have to bring up is that I find myself rather disappointed in their decision to have the feral human child - Spot - be essentially just a dog in a human body, down to a dog-like name. I mean, come on. The trope of doggyfying non-dog creatures has been done to death, and it's baffling how almost completely straight this trope is played throughout the entire movie. In my opinion, the most interesting portrayal of Spot was when during a rather quiet scene, he briefly dropped his dog shtick and showed signs of human intelligence by silently explaining his backstory to Arlo. That was a touching moment, and a really nice way of showing instead of telling, not to mention adding a bit of depth to Spot. But as the movie went on, they pretty much abandoned that completely in favor of him acting entirely like a dog. Such a waste...
And as many have already noted, I do have to mention that the environment is way too realistic compared to the cartoony characters. It's not that bothersome most of the time, since your attention is centered on the characters' actions, but the movie has several wide shots in it showing off the environment, and during these shots, it's painfully apparent how photorealistic everything looks and how the characters stick out like a sore thumb. It's especially baffling when you consider that during the production of Finding Nemo, the creators allegedly had to tone down the realism of the water because it looked "too real".
That being said, for all the lack of really memorable moments, I do have to say that the movie has a lot of heart in it. It has this indescribable charm to it that makes you love the characters and really hope for them to make it out alright. Arlo is the lovable cowardly doofus, and Spot is the affectionate, protective simpleton. And if there's one thing that in my opinion stands out the most about this movie is the amazing use of lots of quiet moments and Show Don't Tell moments, like the one I mentioned earlier. I think what I like the most about this movie is that overall, it's fairly quiet and peaceful, going through with its narrative at a relaxed pace.
Overall, this movie is okay. It's no masterpiece or a must-watch, and it's severely lacking in originality, but for what it is, it's a charming little piece of Pixar magic.