The Good Dinosaur


The Good Dinosaur is a 2015 American animated comedy-drama adventure film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. The film was directed by Peter Sohn and produced by Denise Ream, from a screenplay written by Meg LeFauve, who also wrote the film's story with Sohn, Bob Peterson, Kelsey Mann, and Erik Benson. It stars the voices of Raymond Ochoa, Jack Bright, Steve Zahn, Sam Elliott, Anna Paquin, A. J. Buckley, Jeffrey Wright, and Frances McDormand. The film explores an alternate history where non-avian dinosaurs never became extinct, following a young, timid Apatosaurus named Arlo living on a farm with his family, who meets an unlikely human friend named Spot while traveling through a dangerous and mysterious landscape in order to return home, after being washed downriver.
Development of The Good Dinosaur began with Peterson and Sohn working on the film in 2009, when the former came up with the idea of exploring what dinosaurs represent in the present day and how they are represented in stereotypes. The project was officially announced in 2011, with the release date, plot, director and co-director, producer, and other small details being revealed. During its production, the team encountered various problems, which led to multiple story revisions, as well as changing directors and voice cast. To create a realistic background for the film, the team traveled to various American landscapes, which were later incorporated into the film. Arlo is designed to look distinct and relatable, in order to connect with audiences. In addition, the film pays homage to the Western genre in its themes, character representation, and western North American landscapes. Mychael and Jeff Danna composed the film's musical score, marking Pixar's first film to be scored by two composers.
The Good Dinosaur premiered on November 10, 2015, in Paris, and was released in the United States on November 25 in the Disney Digital 3-D and RealD 3D formats, marking the first time where two Pixar films were released in the same year, following the release of Inside Out earlier that year. The film received generally positive reviews from critics for its animation and themes, though its storytelling was not considered to be up to Pixar's standards. It became Pixar's first box office failure, grossing $332.2 million on a $175–200 million budget, and losing the studio an estimated $85 million. The film received a nomination for Best Animated Feature Film at the 73rd Golden Globe Awards.

Plot

In an alternate history, the asteroid that would have caused the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event passes harmlessly by the Earth, resulting in many animals surviving, including Dinosaurs. Millions of years later, Apatosaurus farmers Henry and Ida have three children: Libby, Buck, and Arlo. While his siblings successfully complete hard tasks and are allowed to "make their mark" on the family's corn silo, Arlo struggles due to his weaker physique and timid nature. Hoping to boost Arlo's confidence, Henry tasks Arlo with guarding the silo from thieving creatures, and watching the "critter trap" set nearby. The trap captures a feral caveboy, but Arlo cannot bring himself to kill him and sets him free. Frustrated, Henry orders Arlo to follow him into a ravine to track the caveboy down, but they turn back home when a severe thunderstorm begins. Henry saves Arlo's life from a flash flood, but is killed by debris.
Without his father, Arlo shoulders more of the workload. He spots the same caveboy robbing the silo; blaming the caveboy for Henry's death, Arlo chases him into the river, and both of them are washed miles downstream. Arlo is knocked unconscious, and awakens to find himself far from home with the caveboy, who ignores Arlo's initial annoyance and tries to bring him food. Arlo warms up to the caveboy after he saves him from a vicious snake-like creature; this feat impresses Forrest Woodbush, an eccentric Styracosaurus who decides he wants the caveboy for a pet. He forces Arlo to compete with him to give the boy a name he will respond to, and Arlo wins the game when he calls the boy "Spot". Arlo and Spot bond as they follow the riverbank back towards the farm. One night, Arlo laments his lost family, and Spot reveals that his own parents are both dead.
Later, when a storm strikes, Arlo suffers a panic attack and flees into the wilderness, losing track of the riverbank. The next morning, Arlo and Spot are noticed by a band of viciously carnivorous pterodactyls, who attack Arlo and attempt to eat Spot. Fleeing the pterodactyls, Arlo and Spot encounter Tyrannosaurus siblings Nash and Ramsey, who drive off the predators.
Nash, Ramsey and their father Butch are in the middle of a cattle drive, but have lost their herd of Bison Latifrons longhorns. Arlo suggests they make use of Spot's tracking skills; Spot successfully locates the longhorns, but Butch senses the presence of cattle rustlers. Arlo and Spot lure the four rustler Dromaeosaurids into the open, allowing Butch and his family to attack and drive them away. Arlo saves Butch's life during the battle; after sharing stories round a campfire, the Tyrannosaurs allow Arlo and Spot to travel with them. Once Arlo spots his home mountains in the distance, he and Spot thank Butch's family and separate from them. They later notice an adult feral caveman in the distance; Spot is intrigued, but Arlo insists they continue on.
As another storm approaches, the pterodactyls reappear, attack Spot, and carry him away. Arlo attempts to intervene, but is pushed off a cliff by one of the pterodactyls and gets entangled in vines. While semi-conscious, Arlo has a vision of Henry, who affirms that Arlo has become braver and encourages him to go after Spot. Arlo frees himself, runs through the storm until he catches up to the pterodactyls, and, with Spot's help, he fights them off and sends them floating down a river. Spot is also knocked into the river, just as a landslide triggers a megatsunami. Arlo leaps into the water to shield Spot, and the two are washed over a waterfall. Arlo drags himself and Spot to the shore, where they rest before continuing on.
As they approach Arlo's home, the caveman returns with his wife and children. They and Spot show great interest in one another, so Arlo reluctantly encourages Spot to go with this new family instead of staying with him. The two share a heartfelt goodbye, and Arlo returns home to his overjoyed family, making his mark between those of his father and mother on the silo.

Voice cast

  • Raymond Ochoa as Arlo, a 10-year-old Apatosaurus
  • * Jack McGraw as Young Arlo
  • Jack Bright as Spot, a 7-year-old human caveboy who befriends Arlo
  • Sam Elliott as Butch, a Tyrannosaurus who runs a "ranch" filled with prehistoric "longhorns"
  • Anna Paquin as Ramsey, Butch's daughter
  • A. J. Buckley as Nash, Butch's son
  • Jeffrey Wright as Poppa Henry, the father of the Apatosaurus family
  • Frances McDormand as Momma Ida, the mother of the Apatosaurus family
  • Marcus Scribner as Buck, Arlo's older brother
  • * Ryan Teeple as Young Buck
  • Maleah Padilla as Libby, Arlo's older sister
  • Steve Zahn as Thunderclap, the leader of a gang of pterodactyls
  • Peter Sohn as Forrest Woodbush, a Styracosaurus who has various animals perched on his horns
  • Dave Boat as Bubbha, the leader of a gang of Dromaeosaurid rustlers
  • Mandy Freund as Downpour, from Thunderclap's flock
  • Steven Clay Hunter as Coldfront, from Thunderclap's flock
  • Hank Azaria as Frostbite, who is the brother of Coldfront and from Thunderclap's flock
  • Alan Tudyk as Windgust, from Thunderclap's flock
  • Carrie Paff as Lurleane, a Dromaeosaurid who is a member of Bubbha's pack
  • John Ratzenberger as Earl, a Dromaeosaurid who is a member of Bubbha's pack
  • Calum Mackenzie Grant as Pervis, a Dromaeosaurid who is a member of Bubbha's pack

    Production

Development

In 2009, Bob Peterson came up with the idea of exploring how dinosaurs are represented in the modern day. Soon afterwards, Peterson and Peter Sohn began working on the film. On June 20, 2011, Disney announced that an untitled Pixar animated film would be released on November 27, 2013.
The project was referred to as The Untitled Pixar Movie About Dinosaurs at the D23 Expo on August 21, 2011, which revealed the plot, director and co-director, producer, and other small details. On April 24, 2012, Pixar officially revealed the film's title as The Good Dinosaur.
Peterson stated: "It's time to do a movie where you get to know the dinosaur, what it's really like to be a dinosaur and to be with a dinosaur." He said that his inspiration for the film came from a childhood visit to the World's Fair where he was impressed by "dinosaur animatronics." Sohn described the film's title as "deceptively simple", which "has more meaning than it seems". He additionally explained: "Arlo has a lot of issues when he's born. He's fearful and he's weak and he's disconnected from the family because of these issues and he feels like he's not worthy, and so he finds a way to become worthy."
In April 2012, Pixar announced that the film's release date had been shifted from November 27, 2013, to May 30, 2014, with Walt Disney Animation Studios' Frozen taking its place. On August 9, 2013, it was announced at the D23 Expo that Lucas Neff, John Lithgow, Frances McDormand, Neil Patrick Harris, Judy Greer, and Bill Hader had joined the cast of the film.

Revisions

By mid 2013, Peterson had been removed from the film due to story problems Peterson could not solve in the films' third act. Peterson was absent from the D23 Expo where Sohn and producer Denise Ream presented footage from the film. Peterson moved on to another project he developed at Pixar while Ream replaced producer John Walker, who left to work on Disney's own Tomorrowland. John Lasseter, Lee Unkrich, Mark Andrews, and Sohn stepped in temporarily to work on various sections of the film. In September 2013, The Good Dinosaur was pushed back from May 30, 2014, to November 25, 2015. According to Ream, the primary reason for the rescheduling was because "the story was not working, period, full stop, it just was not where it needed to be." In November 2013, due to the delay, Pixar laid off 67 employees of its 1,200-person workforce, following the closure of Pixar Canada a month before, when about 80 employees had been laid off, officially to refocus Pixar's efforts at its main headquarters.
In August 2014, Lithgow revealed in an interview that the film had been dismantled and "completely reimagined" and that he was expected to rerecord his role in the next month while mentioning that McDormand was still part of the film. In October 2014, Sohn was announced as the new director of the film. In November 2014, it was reported that new elements had been added to the story, such as treating nature as the film's antagonist.
In June 2015, it was announced that the majority of the cast had been revised. Of the original cast, only McDormand retained her role in the film. It was revealed that Neff had been replaced by Raymond Ochoa, and Lithgow had been replaced by Jeffrey Wright. Arlo's three siblings, to be voiced by Harris, Hader, and Greer had been cut down to a single brother named Buck, voiced by Marcus Scribner, and later, a sister named Libby, voiced by Maleah Padilla. It was also confirmed that the farmer aspect was still part of the film.