For weeks now my family looked forward to seeing Disney/Pixar's THE GOOD DINOSAUR. The film looked like a great story of a young dino coming of age and having a mini adventure with a savage human child.

Note: I was invited as media to the screening. No other compensation was received. Any personal views expressed are always 100% my own.

But the story I watched during the screening was quite different and darker then the clips I've shared (and watched) these past few weeks.

THE GOOD DINOSAUR has a darker story-line and you should be prepared. Because I sure wasn't!

So what happened? Where did the film cross line of storytelling into a semi horror flick?

For me, it started with the Dad's death. Don't be surprised by this, we all knew that was gonna happen. While that idea is sad enough, the way the dad dies is a bit traumatic. I'm an adult and I felt uncomfortable. I can't only imagine the way the young kids in the audience felt. One young child in the theater cried out Papa! Seriously not a good feeling there.

From then the death theme is very strong with scenes of dying (inappropriately literally!), or facing the possibility of pending death (seriously!). Those scenes are not good and it makes it hard to enjoy the other scene which are about celebrating life, discovering the wonders of the world and sharing in an adventure.


Yes those scenes are in there also. And those scenes are wonderful and I wish more of the main focus of the movie. The mental and physical journey that Arlo (voice of Raymond Ochoa) takes is enough to entertain and delight families.


And the back story of how Arlo and his dino family learned to live on a earth that wasn't hit by an asteroid, is an interesting one. I mean who taught the dinos to farm?! And why do they have western accents? There's some interesting things happening there.


Then there's the other dino characters. You'll discover a hippy Triceratops, some red neck Raptors, and a trio of herding Tyrannosaurus Rexs.


Let me just go on record now and say I LOVE those T-rexs and hope to see more of them. Even if they do tell scary stories by bonfire.

So what's my verdict about Disney/Pixar's THE GOOD DINOSAUR?

I'm sad to say I don't recommend this film for younger children then 8 years old. And even that I'm nervous about. But if your child is old enough to handle the dark death themes and has a thing for dinos then take a chance. Now that you know what to expect.

THE GOOD DINOSAUR, opens in theaters on November 25, 2015.



MOVIE SYNOPSIS

"The Good Dinosaur" asks the question: What if the asteroid that forever changed life on Earth missed the planet completely and giant dinosaurs never became extinct?

Pixar Animation Studios takes you on an epic journey into the world of dinosaurs where an Apatosaurus named Arlo (voice of Raymond Ochoa) makes an unlikely human friend. While traveling through a harsh and mysterious landscape, Arlo learns the power of confronting his fears and discovers what he is truly capable of.

Directed by Peter Sohn and produced by Denise Ream (“Cars 2”).

For more information, visit www.movies.disney.com/the-good-dinosaur

Like on Facebook: www.facebook.com/PixarTheGoodDinosaur
Follow on Twitter: www.twitter.com/TheGoodDinosaur
Follow on Instagram: www.instagram.com/TheGoodDinosaur