What
this year's animated Disney film lacks in plot, it more than makes up for in
style. “Dinosaur” tells the story of Aladar, an iguanodon whose
egg was snatched and dropped on a remote island. When Aladar hatched,
he was taken in by a band of lemurs who raised him as their own (reminiscent
of Pumbaa and Timon deciding to help save Simba in “The Lion King.”)
Aladar grows to adolescence among the lemurs and forms a friendship akin to
kinship with them before he and his family are forced to leave their island
for the mainland.
Once
on the mainland, Aladar and the lemurs hook up with a herd of various types
of dinosaurs, led by Kron, an iguanodon with respect for the traditions and
a keen sense of survival of the fittest. Within the group, Aladar
befriends the older dinosaurs at the rear of the herd, the ones who are most
likely to be left behind to fend for themselves as the group tries to reach
their nesting grounds where they hope to find succor amidst a land
devastated by drought.
Many
of the traditional Disney themes are included in “Dinosaur.” Aladar is different from the group which raised him, yet
has managed to learn positive behavior.
He places duty to others above his own well-being and sees worth in
everyone. The antagonists in
the film are the self-centered Kron and his allies as well as the
animalistic carnotaurs, dinosaurs who allow their predatory instincts to
guide them rather than using any intelligence.
The
animation in “Dinosaur” is incredible.
The animals were created using computer animation and demonstrate how
far the state of the art has come. Throughout
the film, the landscapes and dinosaurs look real enough that the viewer
wonders where Disney managed to find actual dinosaurs to act in the film. The only thing to break the illusion of actual dinosaurs is
the fact that they almost all speak in English.
Although normally, I would not recommend a film based on its special
effects, I would recommend “Dinosaur” even if it did not have a plot to
support the effects.
That
said, the film ends leaving the viewer a little dissatisfied.
The plot is simple and straightforward, leaving many areas where the
writers could have added depth or multiple storylines to the tale. While a claim
could be made that this would alienate some of Disney’s core youth
audience, many of their successful animated films have subtle nuances which
are either lacking or only hinted at in “Dinosaur.”
Like
many Disney films, “Dinosaur” does have some scenes which might be a
little too intense for some viewers (young and otherwise).
Near the beginning of the film, the disastrous meteor shower which
forces Aladar and the lemurs from their island may scare some viewers. Similarly some of the scenes with the carnotaurs might be a
little too intense. Despite the
violence and the realistic look to the feel, there is little overt gore in
the film.
While
“Dinosaur” is not in the same league as the best of the Disney animated
films, it has a look and a subject which will appeal the a broad range of
viewers. There is enough of a
plot to maintain interest while the computer graphics are enough to fill in
when the plot tends to falter. “Dinosaur”
is a beautiful film which deserves to be seen and enjoyed for the technical
spectacle it presents.
Return to
 |
|
Thanks to
for webspace. |
