The Good Dinosaur
The Good Dinosaur (2015) experienced multiple production issues. The film was in production for six years and it suffered from creative differences, story problems, Pixar multitasking between film productions, and a quality slump the studio suffered from Cars 2 (2011) to Monsters University (2013). Director Bob Peterson was removed from the project in the summer of 2013, just under a year before the film's original release date in May 2014. Peterson moved on to another project, while , , , and stepped in temporarily to work on various sections of the film. In November 2013, due to further delays, Pixar laid off sixty-seven employees of its twelve hundred-person workforce, following the closure of its satellite studio in Canada a month before, when about eighty employees had been laid off, officially to refocus Pixar's efforts at its main headquarters. "For Pixar, it was a dramatic event", said Jim Morris, the studio's General Manager and Executive Vice President of Production. "It was tough on the company. Most studios would have said, 'The movie's fine. It's not bad.' And it wasn't bad; it just wasn't great. We wanted to have a great movie." On October 21, 2014, was officially named the new director. The story was then re-worked, and some major changes included lowering the age of the protagonist and adding the concept of nature itself being the main antagonist. While still remained cast as Poppa in the film (he would later be replaced), he acknowledged the fantastic changes in the script and said that "(The film's) gonna be better than I ever imagined.",In the film, the T-Rexes gallop although in real life they would have run more like birds. However, the T-Rexes are cast in the film as cowboys riding herd on their longhorns. The animators clearly used galloping to fit this trope. Humor is added by the straight posture of the T-Rexes and their short arms which mimics the role of riders holding reins while atop horses (and how many children act while playing 'cowboy').,Poppa: Sometimes you got to get through your fear to see the beauty on the other side.,This sentence appears towards the end and is then encircled in a ring, like the human family towards the end of the movie: "We are grateful to the family and friends of The Good Dinosaur crew your love and support made this film possible.",Featured in Annoying Orange: Trailer Trashed: The Good Dinosaur (2015),This is a very sweet, sentimental film and was very refreshing from Pixar. The latest Pixar films have been either disappointing or too focused on being great instead of fun and enjoyable. I am in the minority of people who didn't enjoy Inside Out. I didn't find it very relatable or emotional and thought the story was contrived. That's where The Good Dinosaur succeeds. It doesn't try to be relatable. It does try to be emotional, and succeeds occasionally, but for the most part, it's just a fun, lighthearted adventure film.

The Good Dinosaur doesn't try to overreach its status to be considered truly "great." It knows what it is and perfectly nails what it does best. People often hate Pixar when they make a film that is different. People hated Cars 2 because it had a story that wasn't trying to touch childhood emotions, but instead create childhood memories for the children who watch it. Brave was criticized for having a princess heroine like regular Disney animated films. People, I suspect, don't like The Good Dinosaur because it doesn't easily fit into every childhood memory or emotionally impact everyone who watches it.

My only major problems with this film is that the story isn't always engaging. It has a few plot developments or character introductions that I found unnecessary to the overall structure of the film. Aside from the story, the animation was stunning and made it easier for me to enjoy watching the film. The animation is more simple and lovable than Pixar's most recent attempt at making a "great" film, Coco. Where Coco strives for complex, layered shots and animation, The Good Dinosaur is simple, digestible, and realistic (the backgrounds) while still being ridiculous enough to appeal to young kids.

Expectations are subverted and common animation movie tropes are avoided. Even the first human child in the film is basically turned into a dog. If this could be appreciated for what it is, and not what it isn't, this could also be a considered a great film, despite its missteps.

3.5/5 stars,