 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Dinosaur
- Review Date: May 18, 2003
- PG
- Genre: Family and Kids
- 2000
Common Sense Media says
Stunning, but can be dark and scary in places.
Parents say
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this movie is dark and scary at times. Characters are frequently in peril and some are killed. A three-year-old sitting near me cried for more than half of the movie. But most kids find enormous appeal in the idea of creatures that are amazingly huge and powerful and reassuringly long departed. While they may not connect to these characters the way they do with the animated films, most kids will like watching the dinosaurs and will find the conclusion satisfying.
What's the story?
Aladar is an orphan Iguanodon raised by monkey-like lemurs. When flaming meteors destroy their home, they join a group of dinosaurs trying to find food and water. The leader of the group, Kron, insists that stopping to help the older or slower dinosaurs is too dangerous. But Aladar shows the others that cooperation, teamwork, and kindness make more sense because then everyone gets a chance to contribute.
Is it any good?
DINOSAUR's resolution brings to mind another dinosaur -- a big, purple one on PBS. Aladar just is not that interesting a character. Disney worked very hard to make sure that the faces of the dinosaurs were expressive, but should have worked a little harder on giving them some more complex and subtle emotions to express. Even in a movie for kids, it is not enough for the characters to overcome some external challenge. What makes a story get into your heart is seeing the characters learn and grow and overcome internal challenges. It is a marvel of skill, but does not have half of the heart or wit of either of the Toy Story movies or A Bug's Life.
The technological mastery is dazzling to watch, though, especially the textures. Fur, scales, eggshell, water, and goo are all so vivid you can almost feel them. It is a shame that the story and characters are not as strong as the visuals, though that will be more of a problem for the adults in the audience than the children.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the narrator's comment that "sometimes the smallest thing can make the biggest changes of all." What is the "smallest thing" and what are the changes? How did being treated with kindness change the way some of the characters behaved? How did making Baylene feel needed change the way she behaved? Why was Aladar's point of view so different? Could it have been due to the loving way he was raised? How did Aladar help Neera see things differently? Families may also want to talk about how the lemurs decide to "adopt" the huge dinosaur, and about how some species were intolerant of others. Older children may want to talk about Kron's view that the only way to keep some members of the herd alive was to sacrifice those who could not keep up, and the way his behavior showed that he believed the only way to maintain power was to refuse to listen to anyone else.
- Show:
- All members
- Parents
- Teens & kids
AGE
a really intense movie
i saw this movie when i was 4 and it was scary. There where many scenes of great peril and scary images of huge very real looking t rex. I would say that 7 year olds will enjoy but even then be careful.. it's a scary movie.
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
Good movie but might be too dark and scary for little kids.
I saw this movie on TV on the Disney XD channel today, I watched it with my daughter who is in Preschool. I have not seen this movie since I was 6 that I thought it would be good to show it to my young daughter this but now I regret showing her this. The movie did started off good and my daughter was not scared but when we were 30 minutes into the movie she left the room screaming. Very disappointing that this movie scared my daughter because I saw this movie when I was little and it did not scared me at all. I guess I should have show her the land before times instead. Overall this movie is great, the graphics are good and the acting is great!
Was this review useful?
|
|
Kid, 11 years old
August 7, 2011
AGE
Pretty good!
Good movie! The beginning is a little violent though.
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
Good animation, but they basically copied the story from The Land before Time. A little dark and dreary at some places. Kids will enjoy this one.
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
Decent Movie
Worth seeing if the kids know about evolution and creationism
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
A great life Experience!
Excellent movie illiciting history (presumed), responsibility, leadership, life experience, and rolemodelling.
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
A great movie but with a few strong scenes
A good movie, I loved it and the music. Although a few scenes may be a tad intense for little kids. Like a Conator (which is a sharper version of a T-Rex) chases them and hunts them down. One creature gets bitten on the back and eaten behind a dust cloud (showed distant) A dead dinosaur is eaten. One character makes himself bait so the rest could excape. Dispite these things, the movie is great, and I love it either way, but a few children may not. The humar is good though, and the characters are loveable. Pleo is an excellent mother and suporter, Yar is just a funny grandpa, Zini has a few hormones bouncing around but he's alright, and Zuri is just a cute but feisty lemar. Aladar is one of the most caring people in the movie, he sticks behind with two elderly dinosaurs (one voice is Della Reese) who are too weak to make it with the rest of the herd, he defends them even when he gets knocked to the ground, and he is very close to his adoptive family. And it basicly has a happy ending. I'd suggest ten and over because of the violence, but above that it's an excellent film.
Was this review useful?
|
|
| Topics: | dinosaurs |
| Studio: | Walt Disney Pictures |
| Directors: | Eric Leighton, Ralph Zondag |
| Cast: | D.B. Sweeney, Hayden Panettiere, Julianna Margulies |
| Genre: | Family and Kids |
| Run time: | 86 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | May 19, 2000 |
| DVD release date: | January 30, 2001 |
| MPAA rating: | PG |
| MPAA explanation: | intense images |
Review It
Great alternatives handpicked by our editors
Already seen it? What do you think?
More from Common Sense Media
Top advice and articles
