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'The Good Dinosaur': The script is functional, the animation is not memorable

( PG ) ( Monitor Movie Guide )

'Dinosaur' centers on apatosaurus Arlo (voiced by Raymond Ochoa), who must find his way back to his family and encounters a little boy, Spot (Jack Bright), along the way.

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Pixar/Disney/AP
'The Good Dinosaur' stars Jack Bright and Raymond Ochoa.
  • By Peter Rainer Film critic

A good rule of thumb when making kidcentric animated movies is this: When in doubt – dinosaurs!

The latest Pixar movie from Disney, Peter Sohn’s “The Good Dinosaur," is fairly tame by the most inventive of Pixar standards. The script is more functional than funny, and the animation, while adept, is not altogether memorable.

Still, this fantasy about an apatosaurus named Arlo who must find (and fight) his way back to his family plays a bit like “The Odyssey” for tykes. Along the way he befriends a “critter” sidekick, the little cave boy Spot, who steals the show whenever he’s center stage, which is not often enough. Celebrity voices include Frances McDormand, Jeffrey Wright, and Steve Zahn, but the only one you’ll likely identify without prompting is Sam Elliott as a big (I think) T. rex. I didn’t know southwestern accents were prevalent in prehistory. Grade: B (Rated PG for peril, action, and thematic elements.)

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