Common Sense Media Review
Stunning, but can be dark and scary in places.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 6+?
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Dinosaur
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 12 parent reviews
Based on 20 kid reviews
Kids say this movie features stunning animation and some entertaining elements, although it can be quite dark and intense for younger viewers, with scenes of violence and peril. Many reviewers recommend it for older children, highlighting both its captivating visuals and a few strong, scary scenes that may send younger kids running away in fear.
- stunning animation
- dark themes
- violent scenes
- unsuitable for young kids
- family appeal
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
In DINOSAUR, 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?
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. Aladar just is not that interesting a character. Even in a movie for kids, it's 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 the Toy Story movies or A Bug's Life.
The technological mastery of Dinosaur 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 adults than kids.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the narrator in Dinosaur says that "sometimes the smallest thing can make the biggest changes of all." What is the "smallest thing," and what are the changes?
Families may also want to talk about how the lemurs decide to "adopt" the huge dinosaur, and about how some species are intolerant of others.
How does being treated with kindness change the way some of the characters behave? How does making Baylene feel needed change the way she behaves?
How do the characters in Dinosaur demonstrate teamwork and integrity? Why are these important character strengths?
Movie Details
- In theaters : May 19, 2000
- On DVD or streaming : January 30, 2001
- Cast : D.B. Sweeney , Hayden Panettiere , Julianna Margulies
- Directors : Eric Leighton , Ralph Zondag
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Walt Disney Pictures
- Genre : Family and Kids
- Topics : Animals ( Dinosaurs , Wild Animals ) , Adventures , STEM
- Character Strengths : Integrity , Teamwork
- Run time : 86 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : intense images
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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