The Good Dinosaur

This movie is dividing me big time - but at the same time it's not at all. Well - hmm.

Let's start with how it looks - no contest, it's Pixar's best looking movie. The animation is absolutely stunning. I could've watched the water for 2 hours. Some of the stuff looks like a photograph.

Here's where it gets tricky. The story is beautifully simple and emotional at the same time. I cried just as much as I did watching Inside Out - and if a movie makes water come out of my eyeballs, it's a movie I would recommend to anyone.

It will hit you like a brick in typical Pixar fashion - poignant, no-fluff, deliberate. It's an INCREDIBLE story of family, learning to live with fear, and making your mark on the world. It's message is one that will stick with me.

The problem is, it's a very familiar story - in the vein of Lion King, Land Before Time, Ice Age, and even Finding Nemo.

I've always been amazed at Pixar's ability to make original stories out of things you would never expect (toys, fish, emotions). The story is technically original - but it's so similar to other things that at times it feels criminal.

After thinking about it for a long time, especially during the writing of this review, I think I've reached my verdict on these similarities - I don't care.

Have I sold out? Am I looking the other way in the face of some serious unoriginality? Maybe. But I love the characters and I loved the story - even if it is familiar.

And it's not a blatant ripoff - everything has its unique twist. The father/son relationship that screams "Lion King" does have its own moments that Simba and Mufasa never had. The movie is more about family than it is about strictly father and son.

It's funny, sad, and heartfelt - but at the same time feels like a new friend trying to replace your old friend. 

Maybe I do care. Hmm.

On the flip side, isn't this supposed to be a kids movie? The kid in me LOVED this movie. It's the aspiring critic in me that's more divided. I'm just a little disappointed that a Pixar movie is giving me these problems.

Here's the bottom line - go see this movie and make your own opinion about it. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I just wish I didn't feel guilty for doing so. At the least, it's a very good movie. I wish I could call it a great movie. If it came out before Lion King, maybe I could.

I guess it all ties back to my first sentence. See what I mean?