“Dinosaur” is a film about a young Iguanodon named Aladar who loses his family and finds a new one among creatures very different from him. It is also a film about a massive asteroid that wipes out his island home, forcing him to cross a desert and join a herd of strangers bound for the Nesting Grounds. The premise is simple and effective, but the execution struggles to keep pace with its own ambition.
Trailer, via jurassic67.
The Premise
The story opens with a young Iguanodon hatching on a tropical island, rescued by a family of lemurs led by Plio and her father Yar. Years later, a giant asteroid crashes into the sea, sending waves and fire across the island. Aladar and his adoptive family flee to the mainland, where they encounter a herd of dinosaurs led by the harsh Kron, a fellow Iguanodon.
Aladar is forced to the back of the herd, where he befriends three older dinosaurs: Eema, Url and Baylene. As the herd travels toward the Nesting Grounds, a pair of Carnotaurus hunt them, and Kron’s lieutenant Bruton and a scout face danger along the way. Aladar eventually saves the herd by digging down to the water table beneath a dried lake, earning the admiration of Kron’s sister Neera.
The Voice Cast
The vocal performances carry the film. D. B. Sweeney plays Aladar with warmth, while Alfre Woodard gives Plio a strong maternal presence. Ossie Davis brings gravitas as Yar, and Samuel E. Wright’s Kron is a commanding antagonist. Hayden Panettiere voices Suri with charm, and Julianna Margulies adds depth as Neera.
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Technical Craft
The film’s visual approach is ambitious. The dinosaurs themselves are computer-animated, but the backgrounds are shot in live action, with locations ranging from the Americas to Asia, including tepuis and Angel Falls. This hybrid approach creates a striking look, though it also draws attention away from the story itself.
The animation holds up well against other films of its era. The dinosaurs move with weight and personality, and the landscape shots are genuinely beautiful. However, the film’s pacing suffers from a slow middle stretch, where the herd’s journey through the desert feels stretched thin.
The Problems
The biggest flaw is the screenplay. The story is thin, and the supporting characters beyond Aladar, Kron and Neera feel underdeveloped. The film runs 82 minutes, yet it takes a long time to get anywhere.
The villain, Kron, is compelling in theory but poorly motivated. He is cruel and demanding, but the film never explains why. The romance between Aladar and Neera arrives late and feels tacked on. The film also leans heavily on musical numbers, which break the tension of its survival setup.
| Element | Strength | Weakness |
|---|---|---|
| Visuals | Beautiful, striking backgrounds | Hybrid approach draws attention from story |
| Voice cast | Strong performances | Underdeveloped supporting characters |
| Story | Simple premise | Thin, stretched pacing |
| Music | Well-composed | Breaks the tension |
The Verdict
“Dinosaur” is a film that looks better than it reads. Its visuals are impressive, and its cast delivers committed performances, especially Sweeney and Wright. But the story underneath is too thin to sustain its own weight.
The film’s score lands at 5.6 out of 10.
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