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DINOSAUR
review by C.J. Henderson
REVIEW: Okay--we've all seen this movie from the folks at Disney before: a youngster is separated from his parents and ends up being raised in a totally different environment than the one nature intended. Because of this lessons are learned that help the student triumph over adversity later in life. This is key to such previous films as "Bambi" and "Tarzan," and seen in part in a lot of their other efforts. This time around, the youngster is Aladar, an Iguanodon who ends up experiencing his Disney-induced separation anxiety as an egg. After a wild ride across a 65,000,000 year old landscape, the egg comes to rest on a dinosaur-free island, one inhabited chiefly by a colony of lemurs. The hatchling is adopted into their tribe and life goes well until a devastating meteor shower brings life as Aladar and his immediate lemur family know it to a crashing halt. The island is destroyed, and the clan is forced to seek food and shelter elsewhere. Escaping to the mainland, the group joins a herd of migrating dinosaurs searching for the same things: water, food, and a place that isn't crawling with sharp-toothed killers. Even within the relative safety of the herd, however, Aladar's problems don't come to an end. He may have finally found a world where the possibility of feminine companionship has become more than a dream, but he has also reached a place where he is no longer the biggest and strongest critter around. On top of that, the girl he likes is the sister of the herd's fascist leader. His natural tendency toward communal caring (he was raised by mammals, not lizards) tends to upset those in charge. And, of course, there are carnivores everywhere. Now, of course, there's going to be a happy ending, and, of course, your kids are going to want to see it (and own the tape and get the McDonalds tie-in products, et cetera). The question is, do you want to see it with them? The answer: there's no reason not to. Even if you're tired of kiddie fare at this point, there are still some reasons to give this one a chance. First off, there are no songs. For those adults who enjoy animation but are getting tired of all those chirpy pseudo-show tunes, finally, they've been left out of the formula. Second, and more important, DINOSAUR marks the first time a movie has been made using all live action backgrounds with all computer-generated characters. In close-up the dinosaurs may be a little too cutsie for some members of the audience, but when the camera pulls back, the screen is filled with the most realistic dinos-on-film ever presented. And third, the film is up to the usual Disney standards. Sure, maybe we've seen the basic plot from them before, but so what? Who ever complained when Sinatra came out and sang "New York, New York?" You don't fault people for doing what they do best. Especially if they can put a good twist on it. And DINOSAUR is definitely different. First off, the violence level is a bit elevated. There's nothing gratuitous--it's simply a more realistic looking picture than a cartoon, which calls for a more realistic storyline. Dinosaurs have never been noted for their gentle ways, especially when faced with extinction. There is chasing and biting and killing befitting the era. Still, it's Disney chasing and biting and killing, so there really isn't too much danger of trauma. On top of that, there's the curiosity factor. Back when George Lucas wanted the best possible effects for his films he created the Electric Light & Magic special effects house. With digital film making becoming ever more important in Hollywood, Disney sank something like $100,000,000 into creating TSL (The Secret Lab), their own version of ILM, to make this picture, the first completely digital film in the world. In all honesty, it was worth it. The money is on the screen from the first moment of the film. DINOSAUR is simply a stunning visual experience. On top of that, the voice talent does a fine job, the story moves along quickly, the jokes are at least adequate (for adults, that is. Kids seem to love them), the soundtrack is terrific and, as mentioned before, there are no songs. Who could ask for anything more? As far as animated films go, they don't come a whole lot better than this. Deducting for the slightly tiring reuse of the same old storyline, we still have to award this one a slightly less then perfect score. Enjoy! OFFICIAL
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SYNOPSIS:
A tale that predates man, told with key elements borrowed from the
story of Moses, Kipling's "The Jungle Book," and Burroughs' "Tarzan."
It is all skillfully woven together into a brilliant animated feature
that break through the generation gaps.