MOVIE OF THE WEEK #2 (11/25/15): THE GOOD DINOSAUR

"I know – I wasn't expecting to see you, either!" A young Apatosaurus named Arlo greets a new species unbeknownst to him that he will eventually come to know as "Spot" in a scene from Disney•Pixar's latest animated adventure, THE GOOD DINOSAUR. Credit: 2014 Disney•Pixar. All rights reserved. 

WATCH THE TRAILER(S) HERE: 




KEY VOICE CAST MEMBERS: Raymond Ochoa, Jeffrey Wright, Frances McDormand, Marcus Scribner, Jack Bright, Steve Zahn, Maleah Nipay-Padilla, Ryan Temple, AJ Buckley, Ana Paquin and Sam Elliott

WRITER(S): Meg LeFauve (screenplay); Peter Sohn, Erik Benson, Meg LeFauve, Kelsey Mann and Bob Peterson (story)

DIRECTOR(S): Peter Sohn

WEB SITE: Disney.com/thegooddinosaur

60 SECOND PLOT SUMMARY (OR AS CLOSE TO THAT TIME AS ONE CAN MAKE IT): Arlo (voiced by Raymond Ochoa) is a young apatosaurus who is the runt of his family. Not as strong as his older siblings Buck (voiced by Ryan Temple) or Libby (voiced by Maleah Nipay-Padilla), but his poppa (voiced by Jeffrey Wright) and momma (voiced by Frances McDormand) love him all the same. Wanting to make his mark, Arlo is given a chance to serve as the protector of silo on the family farm, tasked with keeping out any trespassers.

That's when he encounters Spot (voiced by Jack Bright), a "critter" who keeps stealing the family's corn – and everything in his life changes forever.

Now away from his family after chasing Spot into the surrounding wilderness, Arlo has to find a way to get home ... But it seems the only one willing to help him just happens to the reason he got lost in the first place (Spot). Arlo comes to have an unexpected appreciation for his friend once he learns they have much more in common than he initially suspected, leading the two to take on an adventure that will see them both grow up exponentially and forge a friendship that might last long beyond their youth ...

WHO WILL LIKE THIS FILM THE MOST? Longstanding fans of classic Disney movies; kids who like dinosaurs and don't know of their nature as Jurassic Park-style monsters; Sam Elliott fans

WHO WON’T (OR SHOULDN'T) LIKE THIS MOVIE? Adults who don't like overtly cute Disney movies; Pixar fans who enjoy the company's more emotionally or storytelling revelatory work like The Incredibles and Inside Out; those who have trouble getting past the predictability of the story to enjoy it as a whole 

SO, IS IT GOOD, BAD OR ABSOLUTELY AWFUL? Save for one classic Disney "here comes the family tragedy that affects young main character), The Good Dinosaur is a fairly lighthearted tale that will satisfy those who have long enjoyed its animal-based coming of age tales. 

There is nothing out of the ordinary to be found in The Good Dinosaur, which plays to both its advantage and disadvantage. For example, the simple nature of the story makes it easy to digest and follow while teaching basic life lessons/morals/sticking to common themes (family is important, growing up is a process, the person who you think is your enemy may in fact end up becoming your best friend, etc.) while serving up the usual eye-catching visuals. 

On the negative side, The Good Dinosaur feels very familiar to anyone who has watched their share of Disney movies. (Truth be told, I'm a fairly easy guy to make cry at a movie, but I saw the film's emotional climax coming 10-15 minutes before it happened, so the eyes stayed nearly completely dry even without needing the cover of 3D glasses.)

This, while fine for younger viewers or anyone who enjoys a cute story, The Good Dinosaur is definitely not Disney-Pixar's strongest outing, but it's formidable enough to entertain younger crowds (and have them ask for plenty of apotosaurus toys come this holiday season).

OVERALL RATING (OUT OF FOUR POSSIBLE BUCKETS OF POPCORN):