I took the kids to see The Good Dinosaur this afternoon. It was good. I understand that many critics are giving it mediocre reviews. I think this is because they are comparing it to Inside Out, rather than letting it stand on its own merits.
I had talked previously about Ciarán’s fear of a movie theater, and how he tried to, and eventually overcame it. Today would be his first time back in a movie theater since July. As we walked in he said to me he was beginning to freak out, but he held out. We sat in the very back row by the aisle. I put my arm around him a couple of times, but he made it through the whole movie.
The key is to not push him. He wants to overcome this fear, and he will. I’m proud of him for being honest about it.
Back to the movie…
As I watched The Good Dinosaur, I was struck by how much of it did not need dialogue. Oh sure, it wouldn’t have had the same humor, but the emotional resonance in the film comes without words. What some are complaining about is the lack of character depth and nuanced story, but there are two main characters, and between the two there is plenty of growth. And the animation is fantastic. But that’s not the point. Really, it was how the dialogue was unnecessary to the film to get the story across. I was reminded of Disney’s film Dinosaur from 2000 which also would have benefited from a lack of dialogue. Everything in that film could have been conveyed just as effectively, if not better, without it. The Good Dinosaur might have been a better film had the dialogue been stripped away.
When we get the film on Blu-ray, and I know we will, I am hoping for an audio option that will allow me to hear only the soundtrack and effects.
Are you listening Disney?