A film review by Mark O'Hara Copyright © 2000 Mark O'Hara

I read a review of the latest Disney animated film DINOSAUR in which the writer stated the faces of the animals were amazingly expressive without seeming human.

Come on.

The whole conceit of almost any animated fare starring animals is that they must be humanized. Personification is the name of the game. In this film we do see compelling animation, the sad and happy expressions of the lemurs who adopt a baby herbivore (Aladar, voiced by D. B. Sweeney), and even the fierce grimaces of the leaders of the herd (Kron, done by Samuel E. Wright, and Kron’s right-hand man Bruton, voice of Peter Siragusa). Wonderful animation – computer-generated images superimposed upon enhanced backgrounds filmed at real places around the globe. But these creatures talk and laugh and play: there’s an ugly/cute anklyosaur that plays a doggie-like role. And Aladar’s Modern-age thinking goes against the theories of most behavioral scientists: how many dinos do you think disregarded their survival instincts to help out differently-abled brachiosaurs and triceratops?

So, we have to suspend just as much disbelief as we do in watching other animated adventures.

This adventure starts with a carnivorous dinosaur, horned and fierce, charging into the nesting ground of herbivores. Dinosaurs of various species scatter, and Aladar’s egg is the only one not crushed from his mother’s particular nest. We watch the egg change hands a few times, from an egg-sucking thief who drops it in the water, to the pterodactyl that drops it into the forest over an island far out into the sea.

On this island Aladar hatches and grows up among a family of lemurs – animals that did not actually exist during the Mesozoic era. We witness the typical shenanigans that go on among the young ones – the playful monkey-like lemurs as well as the huge Aladar. It’s not hard to tell that the newest animation techniques are the only original element in this film. Clearly, we have seen the plot many times. Think THE LAND BEFORE TIME, or even the TARZAN films for their themes of exile, selflessness and personal redemption. Disney was firing on all pistons when they produced THE JUNGLE BOOK; here they have let go another film that is pleasing to look upon but not very deep, another JUMANJI.

The meteor shower is quite an accomplishment, the gigantic and fiery rocks slamming into the sea around the island, causing the animals to flee to the mainland for their lives. Also eye-catching are the vistas through which Aladar and his small, shaggy family travel – moonscapes as well as lovely meadows and ranges of real mountains. When they meet up with the herd led by the grouchy Kron, the characters trudge through what looks like the Old West, plains cracked by dryness, canyons and rocks everywhere.

Perhaps the film would be more compelling with stronger conflicts. What’s going on here is that a couple of cousins of the T-rex are stalking the herd, which consists of an amalgam of dinos, the rear brought up by Joan Plowright’s Baylene and Della Reese’s Eema, a couple of aged but still game beasts who appreciate Aladar’s kind and gentle approach toward migration. Will the herd, and particularly the crusty but lovable oldsters, elude the drooling, evil carnosaurs? Secondarily, will Aladar survive threats from the leader of his own pack, Kron, whose sister he seems to be falling in love with? The sister, Neera, by the way, is voiced by Julianna Marguiles, in a competent but unremarkable performance.

Music is also unremarkable, from the pen of James Newton Howard. Most of it seemed transparent, accompanying the action scenes well enough.

The actors do wonders in this thinly-plotted work. Besides the main characters listed above, Max Casella does a nice comic turn as a lemur called Zinni. Ossie Davis plays a cantankerous grandfather lemur, Yar, his raspy voice imbued with character.

Who is the most likely audience for DINOSAUR? Children. It is rated PG for some scenes of violence, but these are used to suggest the realities of living in a world dominated by carnivores. Nowhere do we glimpse anything too graphic – only one long-range killing, a couple of fight scenes, the skeletal remains of a fallen dinosaur. Modern kids will not be scared. This film has gotten a lot of hype, and indeed its trailers looked slick and awesome. But the movie as a whole is a collection of clichés bound together by some very nice animation (though even some of this looks plastic and fake-y). Disney’s best bet was releasing it now, in May, so that it would not be buried by the hopeful blockbusters of summer.

	Running Time: 84 Min | Rated: PG | US Release: May 19th | More >>

Related Links:

• Official Site
• Cinemenium :: Dinosaur
• Upcomingmovies.com: Dinosaur
• Dinosaur - An Animation Artist Movie Site