The Good Dinosaur
The Good Dinosaur is a 2015 American animated comedy-drama adventure film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. The story reimagines a world where dinosaurs never became extinct, focusing on a young Apatosaurus named Arlo who, after a traumatic event, gets separated from his family. Arlo forms an unlikely friendship with a human cave-boy named Spot as they embark on a perilous journey through a vast and dangerous prehistoric landscape to find his way home. The film is targeted at a family audience, particularly older children and pre-teens, and explores themes of overcoming fear, loyalty, and finding one's place in the world. It features stunningly realistic animation of natural environments contrasted with stylized characters, but contains several intense and emotionally challenging scenes that may be frightening for very young viewers.
Concerns
Violence
HighThe film contains moderate to heavy depictions of violence, including physical altercations, predatory attacks, and the impactful death of a main character's parent. Characters sustain visible injuries, and the struggle for survival in a harsh environment is a central element, making some scenes intense for young audiences.
Arlo's father, Henry, is swept away and presumably dies in a violent river storm while trying to protect Arlo. Arlo and Spot are repeatedly attacked by predatory creatures such as pterodactyls and a snake, often resulting in chases and fights for survival. Arlo frequently falls and crashes, sometimes sustaining painful-looking bruises and mild red cuts on his legs.
Scary & Intense Content
HighThe movie contains numerous frightening and emotionally intense scenes, including a parent's death, perilous natural disasters, separation from family, and encounters with menacing predators. These elements can be quite upsetting and scary for young children, leading to reports of distress from parents.
Arlo's father, Henry, dies tragically in a violent flood, which is shown and is a significant emotional event. Arlo frequently faces life-threatening situations, such as being swept away by gushing rivers, falling off cliffs, and being cornered by menacing pterodactyls like Thunderclap. Spot and Arlo are trapped in a river and fall down a waterfall, creating suspense as their survival is briefly unclear.
Profanity
MediumThe film includes some mild and modified coarse language, primarily euphemisms and name-calling. While not overtly offensive, certain phrases are used in moments of frustration or conflict, contributing to the intensity of situations.
Euphemisms like 'dang' and 'shoot' are present in the dialogue. Name-calling such as 'yellow belly,' 'coward,' and 'cluckers' is used to express insults or fear. One source also notes an 'unfinished bulls—.'
Substance Use
MediumThe film includes a scene where characters inadvertently consume fermented fruit, leading to a brief hallucinogenic experience. This portrayal, while not promoting drug use, clearly depicts altered states of consciousness.
Arlo and Spot eat some rotting (fermented) fruit found on the ground, which causes them to have vivid hallucinations involving distorted body parts and characters' heads exchanging places. They wake up with headaches, indicating an unpleasant aftermath.
Disrespect & Rebellion
MediumThe film presents instances of sibling rivalry and mild disrespect, mainly through teasing and name-calling. Arlo's initial timidity and fear could be interpreted as a form of non-conformity to his family's expectations of courage, but his journey ultimately focuses on overcoming these traits rather than glorifying defiance.
Arlo's brother, Buck, is shown hitting his dad and siblings with a stick and teasing them, pushing them to the ground. Name-calling such as 'yellow belly' and 'coward' is directed at Arlo due to his timid nature.
Anti-Christian Themes
MediumSome Christian reviews note that the film's underlying naturalistic worldview, which depicts an alternate history where dinosaurs evolved and humans appear as primitive 'critters,' implicitly contradicts a biblical creation view. Concerns were also raised about the characterization of the storm-worshipping pterodactyls, Thunderclap and his followers, as a 'Westboro Baptist Church type of character' due to their zealous, destructive, and manipulative interpretation of 'the storm' providing 'relevation'. Additionally, the accompanying short film 'Sanjay's Super Team' features Hindu religious elements.
The movie’s premise of dinosaurs evolving and primitive humans coexisting is seen by some Christian reviewers as an implicit contradiction of biblical creation (Genesis 1:27). The pterodactyls, led by Thunderclap, are portrayed as a cult that worships storms, claiming 'the great storm provides' and that looking into its eye brings 'relevation,' which some reviewers interpret as a negative allegorical representation of religious zealotry. The animated short 'Sanjay's Super Team,' shown before the main feature, depicts a Hindu meditation ritual involving gods and a demon, which some Christian parents found objectionable.
LGBTQ & Gender Identity
LowComprehensive searches for LGBTQ+ and gender identity themes within 'The Good Dinosaur' yielded no confirmed representation of LGBTQ+ characters, relationships, or explicit discussions of gender identity. While other animated productions and creators associated with Disney/Pixar have featured such content, there is no evidence to suggest its presence in this specific film.
Searches for 'The Good Dinosaur' combined with terms like 'lgbtq', 'gay', 'lesbian', 'transgender', 'queer representation', and 'LGBTQ characters' did not return any specific content related to this film. Information found referred to other animated series like 'Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous' and 'Dino Ranch' or general discussions about Pixar/Disney's broader history with LGBTQ+ representation, not 'The Good Dinosaur' directly.
Romance and Sexual Content
LowThe movie is devoid of romantic relationships or sexual content. The focus remains strictly on the platonic bond between Arlo and Spot, and the theme of family love. There are no suggestive dialogues, gestures, or nudity present.
Multiple parental reviews explicitly state 'None' of concern regarding sexual references or nudity. The human character, Spot, is depicted wearing a basic 'leaf diaper,' which is non-sexual in nature.
Witchcraft & Occult
LowThere is no witchcraft, sorcery, magic rituals, demons, or explicit occult themes within 'The Good Dinosaur' itself. The main narrative is set in an alternate prehistoric world focusing on survival and personal growth. However, the short film 'Sanjay's Super Team,' which accompanied 'The Good Dinosaur' in theaters, does depict Hindu gods and a demon.
The core movie, 'The Good Dinosaur,' focuses on a naturalistic alternate history where dinosaurs evolved. The preceding short, 'Sanjay's Super Team,' features a Hindu meditation ritual where a boy daydreams about Hindu gods battling a demon. This content is external to the main feature film.
Other Notes
Target Demographic
Not recommended for children under 7, with parental guidance suggested for ages 7-9. The film's depiction of a parent's death, intense survival situations, predatory creatures, and moments of genuine peril can be distressing for younger viewers. While it offers positive messages, the emotional weight and scary elements necessitate a slightly older audience.
Additional Notes
The film's animation is widely praised for its photorealistic landscapes, particularly the natural environments and water effects. While the core story focuses on Arlo's journey of courage and friendship, the visual intensity of some scenes, combined with emotional themes of loss and separation, is a recurring point of concern for parents of very young children. There are no significant differences across theatrical, extended, or director's cuts reported, as it is a standalone feature film.
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