Film Preview: The Good Dinosaur (2015)

Page Revisions:

(June 7, 2015) Original
(July 26, 2015) New Trailer (#2) / New Poster (#2) / Page Redesign
(October 11, 2015) New Trailer (#3) / New Posters (#3-#7)
(November 22, 2015) New Posters (#8-#11)

Release Date:

November 29, 2015

Synopsis:

From IMDb: “After a traumatic event unsettles a lively Apatosaurus named Arlo, he sets out on a remarkable journey, gaining an unlikely companion along the way – a human boy.”

Poster Rating: C- / C+ / B+ / C / C- (4) / B / C+ / B-

SEE ALL POSTERS BELOW
Review: (#1) You puts the handprint on the dinosaur and it suddenly makes the dinosaur cooler. I recognize the symbolism, but that doesn’t make this a very interesting teaser poster.

(#2) It’s a beautiful piece of artwork, but it lacks any real magic or sustenance for fans of the Pixar brand.

(#3) A nice design that accentuates the film’s artistic elements while creating a fascinating visual style. (#4) We have our primary characters now in a lifeless poster with no background distinctiveness. (#5-#7) This series of character posters is not up to Disney’s typical standards. The backgrounds are lifeless and the taglines are cheap and lack creativity.

(#8) A continuation of the prior poster set, so nothing new of note. (#9) It would be endearing if it didn’t also feel so calculated. (#10) Very similar to design #4, but that doesn’t really improve its quality. It just makes it feel redundant. (#11) Definitely a cuter design than some of the previous, but it just doesn’t quite have that Pixar magical luster one would expect.

Trailer Rating: C- / C- / D+

SEE ALL TRAILERS BELOW
Review: (#1) They’ve set up the premise nicely, but that premise doesn’t seem to have much room to grow. Teaser trailers can give us our first glimpse at a film and make it seem appealing or disappointing and this is coming down on the disappointing side.

(#2) There are scenes jumbled together to look as if they’re the same scene, which is a bit distracting if you’re paying attention. The graphics are stunning except when the dinosaur characters come on screen. It’s a hodge podge of styles that don’t seem to gel very well. It’s no surprise this film was in production hell for so long.

(#3) It’s really sad to see a studio like Pixar churn out a film that looks so clunky and unappealing. Apart from the gorgeous background designs, the characters are blocky and childish. The humor is lackluster. The emotional resonance is almost non-existent. This looks very much like a movie that deserves to be tossed in the bargain bin before it’s released. Perhaps it’s better than it looks, but it would have to be a lot better.