It's
been a long time since I watched a Disney movie. I used to think that they were evil.
I still do, but Dinosaur isn't evil. Dinosaur seems to be an attempt to turn Disney away from its usual horrendously boring formula. I know I'll probably get crucified by The Man for saying this, but, hey, guys . . . Disney movies do not have good plots! There is a giant dartboard in the Disney animation studios, and every 3 years Michael Eisner comes down from on high and begins The Great Dart Throwing.
EISNER: Okay (throws) the Vice President (throws) and an alien (throws) had S&M sex. Get you're asses to work. I have spoken!
Okay, so maybe that won't become an "epic animated adventure", but you get the point right? Every few years the company hands over the script from Snow White to another crop of hacks an says, "Here, we had some luck with this thing last time. See if you can remake it again."
Now, with Dinosaur it finally appears that the folks at Magic Kingdom are trying to break their mold. They aren't brave enough to go all the way with it, but Rome wasn't built in a day. We still get the All-American hero (you know, the independent think who comes to save the day when the Old Ways no long work), only this time he's an Iquanadon named Aladar (D.B. Sweeney).
In the opening sequence, Aladar's family is scattered by an attacking "Carnotor" (hey, it's what all the plant eaters call the meat eaters, so, whatever) and his egg is flown to a deserted island in a Pterodactyl beak. This allows the movie to showcase its real accomplishment: breathtaking visuals. Disney movies are almost never lacking for those, but with this, . . . you have to see it for yourself. You really do.
Anyway, Aladar is dropped into a family of leamers and raised as one of their own for years. But once he's become a giant among them the feelings of "do I really belong here" creep in. At least a meteor obliterates the island before he can sing a song about it.
Homeless, Aladar and his diminutive adopted family join up with a gigantic herd made up of dinosaurs that never lived together, much less migrated together. (But I've seen to many movies with this mistake to think bitching about that will make a difference. Let's move on, shall we?) Leading the heard, and driving them with a single minded, Darwinian attitude is Kron (Samuel E. Wright). To Kron, the strong will survive and the weak will slow down the flesh eaters. Charming fellow.
Of course, so we can deliver a feel good message, Aladar falls in with those who lagers at the back of the heard and falls in love with Kron's sister, Neera (Julianna Margulies). With their former green sanctuary destroyed, and Carnotors coming up close behind, the heard must reach a new sanctuary before Kron's single mindedness kills everyone. Hmmm . . . it would be so nice if an independent thinker were to step in, take control of the heard, and save the day, wouldn't it?
First, let me say that this movie looks most excellent. The characters and environments (cartoons are such better actors then people) are fleshy and well realized. The cinematography (thank you David R. Hardberger and S. Douglas Smith) and direction (thank you Eric Leighton and Ralph Zondag) are beautiful. There, I said something nice about a Disney movie.
Now to the writing. Robert Nelson Jacobs' and John Harrison's screenplay pushes in envelope for an animated movie in several ways. Mostly the action sequences, but also there's Kron. For the first time in a long time we have a villain who doesn't cackle like a maniac while explaining his plans to a couple of idiotic henchmen. (How come villains never hire smart people?) Kron's viewpoint actually has a leg to stand on, I just happen to like Aladar's a bit more.
Characters though . . . Disney still needs to work on them, as most of the people in this flick are the standard collection of stereotypes (the snobbish love interest, the wacky friends, etc.,). Maybe with more practice, Disney can learn to make its character's personalities as 3-D as their bodies.
But those visuals . . . whoa. Stunning vistas, glorious sunsets, frantic chase scenes . . . it's like, whoa. At least that's something.
