Alfre Woodard Movie:

				Salesrank:
		MPAA Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) Media: DVD

Editorial Review:
Dinosaurs come alive like never before in this costly computer-animated film from Disney. After a breathtaking opening (a dino egg is kidnapped), the film changes style; realistic dinosaurs are given human characteristics and voices. The kidnapped egg grows into an iguanodon named Aladar (voiced by D.B. Sweeney), who is raised by lemurs (shades of Tarzan) on a lush island void of other dinosaurs. When a meteorite destroys their island home in a thrilling sequence, the lemur family and Aladar become part of a dinosaur troop roaming the mainland deserts looking for the lush nesting grounds (shades of the fourth installment of the Land Before Time series and Fantasia). Disney's usual mix of modern language (one lemur calls himself "a love monkey") is present, as is its typical capital punishment law: anyone against our forward-thinking hero (or even disagreeing with him) ends up dead. Curiously, the meanies, a pair of carnotaurs following the group, are nameless and voiceless. This more realistic approach might have been a bigger wow, as in the BBC's Walking with Dinosaurs, which looked extraordinary with only a fraction of the budget. The complexity and scope of Dinosaur's visual scale is impressive, and group shots and a point-of-view angle are stunning. Rated PG for general intensity, the film should be a favorite for the 6- to 11-year-old set. --Doug Thomas

Dinosaur [Region 2] Reviews:
Flawless Animation
2009-12-19 - Disney's movie, Dinosaur, combines real, exotic places with 300 million dollar animation in a seamless, truly beautiful film. It is jaw-droppingly gorgeous, and mixed with a soaring musical score, Dinosaur is a delight to the eyes and ears.

The story centers around Alladar, whose stolen egg ends up on an island through a series of breathtaking, rapid events. When he hatches, he is adopted by a family of lemurs (monkeys). The next time you meet him, he and his lemur "brother" have matured. That is when the island and much of the mainland are destroyed by a massive fireball from a fallen meteor. Only Alladar and his lemur family escape to the mainland where they find a devastated, hostile kind of world.

The story is a departure from normal Disney sing-song cartoons. The content is more serious and graphic, without gore. It is more earnest and realistic, but has some great humor. And the facial expressions of the characters are absolutely incredible. So lifelike! It is a journey of the heart.

The thing I appreciate most about the story is the compassion that Alladar and his family show to the mainland dinosaurs. They express the love and loyalty of family, while most of the mainlanders are fractured and wandering and care only for themselves. In the end, the vast and varied "herd" have a life and death choice between a leader who rules by strength and brutality, and a leader who has earned the right because he cares about them.

I recommend this film for all people 8 years old and up. Parents, little ones might be frightened by some of the more intense scenes, as there are deaths, so it would be wise to sit with them, or use discretion if they have tender sensibilities.

Turn your traditional Disney expectations off when you turn on Dinosaur, and enjoy it for what it is.




Dinosaur DVD
2009-12-18 - Amazon always has what I am looking for! Items always as described and I love the Super Saver Shipping!!

terrific movie!
2009-12-15 - I got this movie from Netflix to watch with my 4 1/2 year old grandson. At first he seemed terrified and I wondered if I made a mistake. As the movie moved along, he really got into it and when it was over, he asked me if I could get the movie for him. So I would say it was a success.

Sub-par, badly-aging Disney outing
2009-09-08 - "Dinosaur" has long been forgotten by most people, for good reason. This movie may have been cutting-edge technically 10 years ago, but the CGI work just doesn't hold up technically by today's standards. Still, that doesn't matter a whole lot; kids aren't picky about that stuff. But the technical aspects aren't the major problems with the movie. "Dinosaur" simply fails to engage adults or children (in our case, our 2 year old) at all. After an asteroid strikes the ocean a few miles from our heroes, who manage to not die, they walk around a while until they find a herd of migrating dinosaurs a few miles away from them. The asteroid is never mentioned again and has no bearing on the rest of the movie at all. The dinosaurs walk around a while, engage in predictable and cliched plot points and dialogue, and then it's over. Finally. This movie was a big waste of time for our family. If your kid is really into dinosaurs, he or she may like this, and it would be worth a rental for you. However, it lacks the writing, cleverness and fun that distinguish the top tier Disney movies.

bburgal
2009-06-29 - My child loves it. I bet he has watched it 100 times already. He is 5 yrs. old.