Dinosaur Review (Updated)

Dinosaur


Release Date: 15th June 2000 - Australia


Production Companies
Walt Disney Pictures (presents)

The Secret Lab (TSL)
Walt Disney Feature Animation

Distribution
Walt Disney Studios Motion
Pictures Australia


Genre: Animation/Family

Rating: PG

Runtime: 82 minutes

Budget: $127,500,000

Box Office Gross: $349.822,765 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary 

The story revolves around

Aladar, an Iguandon

dinosaur who becomes

separated from his species

as a hatchling. He grew

up on a tropical island

with a clan of lemurs.

After a deadly meteor

shower leaves their world

in ruins, Aladar and his

lemur family flee the

mainland. There, they

join a group of migrating

dinosaurs in their frantic

search for a new, safe

nesting ground. During

their treacherous journey,

the herd faces several

dangerous obstacles,

including a shortage of

water and food, as well

as the ever-present threat

of bloodthirsty predators.

Thanks to his innovative

thinking and compassion 

or the "misfit" members

of the herd, Aladar finds

himself in conflict with

the group's stern and

heartless leader, Kron,

and his loyal lieutenant,

Bruton. With the support

of Kron's sister Neera,

Aladar reluctantly

challenges the "traditional

ways" and demonstrates

that adaptability and

cooperation are the keys

to survival. 


Voice Cast 
D.B. Sweeney - Aladar
Ossie Davis - Yar
Alfre Woodard - Pilo

Max Casella - Zini 

Hayden Panettiere - Suri
Samuel E. Wright - Kron
Peter Siragusa - Bruton
Julianna Margulies - Neera  

Joan Plowright - Baylene
Della Reese - Eema

Crew
Director - Eric Leighton
Story/Director - Ralph Zondag
Based on an Original
Screenplay - Walon Green
Story/Director of Story - Thom Enriquez
Story/Screenplay - Robert Nelson Jacobs and John Harrison
Additional Story Material - Rhett Reese
and Shirley Pierce
Producer - Pam Marsden
Co-Producer - Baker Bloodworth
Production Designer - Walter P. Martishius

Art Director - Christy Maltese

Story Artists - Darryl Kidder, Roy Meurin,

Frank Nissen and Ray Shenusay 

Story Artist/Supervising Animator: Bron - Dick Zondag

Additional Story/Visual Development Artists/

Character Designers - Ricardo F. Delgado

and Doug Henderson

Visual Development Artists/Character Designers -

Ian Gooding and Mark Hallett

Visual Development Artist/Character Designer/

Journeyman - David Krentz

Additional Visual Development Artist/

Lighting TD - Jim Aupperle
Additional Visual Development Artists -

Barry Atkinson, Hans Bacher, John Bindon,

Justin Brandstater, Marek Buchwald,

Brooks Campbell, Peter Clarke, Guy Deel,

Paul Felix, Brian Franczak, Mike Gabriel,

Jean Gillmore, Derek Gogol, Eric Goldberg,

Valerie Grineau, Carlos Huerte, Caroline Hu,

Terry Isaac, Buck Lewis, Rick Maki,

Serge Michaels, Craig Mullins,

Peter Oedekoven, Tina Price, Craig Paul,

William Stout, Christophe Vacher and

Marcelo Vignali
Directors of Photography: 1st Unit -

David R. Hardberger and Steven Douglas Smith

Production Managers - Tamara Boutcher

and Carolyn Soper

Digital Production Manager - Jinko Gotoh

Supervising Animator: Aladar - Mark Anthony Austin 

Supervising Animator: Plio - Trey Thomas

Supervising Animator: Yar - Tom Roth

Supervising Animator: Zini - Bill Fletcher

Supervising Animator: Suri - Larry White

Supervising Animator: Kron - Eamonn Butler

Supervising Animator: Neera and Juvenile Dinosaurs -

Joel Fletcher

Supervising Animator: Baylene & Url - Mike Belzer

Supervising Animator: Eema - Gregory William Griffith

Supervising Animator: Carnotaurs & The Herd -

Atsushi Sato
Special Effects Supervisors - Robert H. Spurlock,

Roy Goode and Al Broussard
Visual Effects Supervisor - Neil Krepela

Lighting TD/Compositor/EFX Artist/
Visual Effects Supervisor: Exotic Unit - Wally Schaab

Lighting TD/Visual Effects Supervisor: 1st Unit -

Terry Moews

Lighting TD/Additional Visual Effects Supervisor:

1st Unit - Richard E. Lehmann

Additional Supervision - Dennis Blakely,

Ken Brain, Mark A. Lasoff and Mary Jane Turner
Digital Effects Supervisor - Neil Eskuri

Effects Lighting Supervisor - Chris Peterson

Effects Compositing Supervisor - Jim Hillin

Model Development Supervisor - Sean Phillips

Look Development Supervisor - Cliff Brett

Workbook Supervisor - David Womersley 

Editor - H. Lee Peterson

Associate Editor - Mark Hester
Sound Designer and Supervisor/Sound Effects

Recordist (Uncredited)/Supervising Sound Editor

(Uncredited)/Re-Recording Mixer - Christopher Boyes

Supervising Sound Editor - Frank E. Eulner

Sound Effects Editors - Ethan Van der Ryn,

Scott Guttieau and Andrea Gard

Assistant Sound Designer - Beau Borders

Re-Recording Mixers - Terry Porter,

Mel Metcalfe and Dean A. Zupancic 

Foley Artists - Dennie Thorpe and Jana Vance

Foley Mixer - Tony Eckert
Additional Vocal Arrangments/Choir Conductor -
Lebo M
Music - James Newton Howard

Sound Recordist and Mixer - Shawn Murphy 

Executive Music Producer - Chris Montan

Music Production Manager - Tom MacDougall


Review
DINOSAUR has impressive CGI animation that matches the effects of the Jurassic Park films. It also features beautiful live-action landscapes combined to create this visual experience. However, the biggest problem with the movie is that its plot is too similar to The Land Before Time. Additionally, the way that the characters talk and act in the film is rather unnecessary, and the dialogue is clunky. It's a shame that Disney was trying to walk in Pixar's shadow. Still, I particularly enjoyed the opening scene and the music score by James Newton Howard.

While DINOSAUR isn't a bad movie, per se, it's not quite the worst Disney animated movie, but it is bland and average. With a better plot, characterisation, and an absence of dialogue except for narration, as was intended, it would have been a well-loved Disney classic that everyone is excited about and enjoyed.

Star rating: (3/5) Average

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