The Good Dinosaur – Our Review

Disney Pixar’s The Good Dinosaur is in cinemas – and we went to see it a couple of weeks ago.

the good dinosaur

The Good Dinosaur is the latest Disney Pixar animation, and one H was desperate to see – her love of dinosaurs and our love of Pixar films meant we went, of course.

So what happens when several million years ago, that asteroid hurtling towards earth misses? Fast forward several million years later, and dinosaurs rule the earth, and we get to meet Arlo the Apatosaurus, born to parents Henry and Ida, as well as his two siblings Libby and Buck. Arlo is shy, unconfident and timid. He’s given a task of setting up traps to protect their silo – and eventually comes across Spot, a young feral caveboy who has been stealing their corn. Arlo captures Spot but sets him free.

In the meantime, the classic Pixar ‘thing’ happens, death. Arlo then sees Spot, who he blames for the death, chases him, hits his head on a rock and ends up being saved by him. Both then try to make their way home, meeting several characters along the way and becoming friends in the process.

How scary is The Good Dinosaur? It has its moments – but as with all Pixar films, it’s family friendly – just think of the relationship between Arlo and Spot as a person and their family pet – except Arlo is the human and Spot is the dog. I found it charming and enjoyable.

Watch the trailer here –

The Disney Store have recently launched some toys from The Good Dinosaur – we were sent a Spot Small Toy (rrp £12.95) and a Tin Art Case Set (rrp £12.95) to review. H loves the Spot toy – he’s quite small but has the characteristics of the caveboy – and I would say Spot probably steals the film, so H was happy. The Tin Art Case Set has everything you’ll need for any colouring or writing you might need to do – pens, pencils, crayons, paints, felt tips, ruler and rubber plus a notebook, and a pair of young-child friendly scissors (i.e. without blades).

We think it’s a fine selection of The Good Dinosaur merchandise, and it’s available in store and online now – see the slideshow below for what’s on offer!

Inside Out – Movie Review

We bought tickets today for Inside Out, the new Disney-Pixar film which was released in the UK this Friday just gone.

Inside Out is about the emotions inside 11 year old Riley’s head – Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust and Anger who live in Headquarters. Riley’s parents move from their happy home in Minnesota to San Francisco. Where she once thought positive things, the more negative emotions take over – and when sadness keeps touching happy memories, Joy becomes concerned, which leads to both Joy and Sadness being sucked out of Headquarters and into Riley’s long-term memories.

They need to make their way back to Headquarters, but it isn’t straightforward. In the meantime, Fear, Anger and Disgust control Riley which doesn’t go so well either.

Are there any scary bits?

While this is graded U there are parts which could be classed as mild peril – a giant clown appears (worth mentioning as some kids have a fear of clowns), but overall it isn’t scary. If you have a fear of broccoli, however…

Are there any sad bits?

Yes! I sat there with tears streaming down my face, though for H she seemed more accepting of it. It’s along the lines of a character who sacrifices themself.

Are there any funny bits?

Loads. Plenty for adults too – and for fans of The U.S. Office you’ve got Phyllis voicing Sadness (so perfect), Mindy Kaling (Kelly) voicing Disgust, and Rashida Jones makes an appearance as the Cool Girl’s emotions. It works on both levels so well, heartwarming, funny and sad.

It goes without saying there’ll be merch opportunities everywhere for these characters, which are in the Disney Store right now. The end leaves it open for Inside Out 2, though nothing has been confirmed (to be fair, it has only just come out and it sounds like Pixar aren’t in a hurry). I recommend going to see it – some younger kids may need parts explaining to them, but overall we found it easy to follow, H was laughing out loud so many times, and I had a good old weep at least three or four times (I’m a softy).

Watch one of the trailers here