The Good Dinosaur is the latest visual masterpiece from the creative geniuses at Disney • Pixar and, in my opinion, it’s a must-see movie this holiday season.
The Good Dinosaur Storyline
The Good Dinosaur tells the story of Arlo the apatosaurus who struggles to find his place in his family and, ultimately, the world. His fears, which have always held him back from “making his mark”, come to the forefront when his life is unexpectedly turned upside down. But, with the help of some unlikely new friends, Arlo learns just how strong he really is.
Why You Should Go See It
No matter your age, fear is something we all struggle with – just like Arlo. And, wouldn’t you know, my five-year-old is going through an everything-is-scary phase right now, so this movie came at the perfect time. The Good Dinosaur helps kids to understand fear, to know that it’s okay to be afraid, while encouraging them to work through it and face it head-on.
“Sometimes you gotta get through your fear to see the beauty on the other side.”
– Poppa, to Arlo
“If you ain’t scared, you ain’t alive.”
– Butch, to Arlo
Not only does it teach some amazing lessons, it’s also visually stunning. The landscape scenes practically took my breath away, and the storm scenes were incredibly real-looking, especially in 3D.
As with any movie that deals with the topic of facing fears there are, naturally, some slightly scary scenes. In The Good Dinosaur, the scenes that are the most jarring involve the circle of life (i.e. animals eating other animals). The scenes seemed scary primarily because we weren’t expecting them – and in 3D (when everything is jumping out at you!) it makes it all the more real-looking.
Overall my kids and I left feeling uplifted and inspired, ready to face our fears and take on whatever comes our way – Arlo style!
Free Printable Crafts and Activities
If you want to share the magic of The Good Dinosaur with your kids, click here to download a zip file of printable activities and crafts.
Anything with the word ‘dinosaur’ (and Disney) is a must see in this house! Thanks for the printable activities 🙂
I’ve been thinking about going to this one!
Omgosh, This is the first of hearing about this one! My sons are going to be in their glory, as they have an obsession for Dinosaurs Lol – Thank you for the post =) Can’t wait to see it
I love a good animated film- can’t wait to see this one!
The more I read about the Good Dinosaur the more I plan to go see it. Learning that fear can be overcome is a good thing.
This movie sounds beautiful! I can’t wait to see it with my grandchildren!
I have read good reviews about this movie, definitely one that we will seeing at some point. Thanks for your review.
Thanks so much for this terrific review, my 6 year old grandson is also going through a phase being afraid of the dark, so it sounds like this movie would help him and us to deal with it.
Found this a good movie but on the scary side for younger ones
We watched this movie and we ALL so loved it so much.
Thank you for your review. I wasn’t sure whether this movie will be interesting for my 4.5 year old. NowI think we should watch it.
My 6 year old is dealing with fear too at the moment. She is not eager to see this show, something in the preview scared her. I think it looks fantastic and am looking forward to seeing it…one day.
I have yet to see this with my girl……today might be a great opportunity, thanks for the inspiration 🙂