Dinosaur

Disney’s “Dinosaur” is an anthropomorphic fable revisiting the great dinosaur mystery. Dubbed “The Secret Lab,” Disney reportedly spent 80 million dollars to invent a digital studio capable of rocking the animation world. By blending computer-generated characters onto digitally enhanced real-life scenic backgrounds—filmed in Australia, Venezuela, Western Samoa, Hawaii, California and Florida—animators were able to create “photo-realistic” animation to detail a fairytale about dino-struggle for survival in an abruptly altered Earth.

“Dinosaur” may be Disney’s evolutionary answer to Dreamworks’ “The Prince of Egypt.” Like baby Moses drifting down a river full of dangerous obstacles, the Iguanodon egg carrying baby Aladar (D.B. Sweeny) goes through several life-threatening dangers before being safely delivered to Lemur Island. Although we do not get to see him grow into adulthood, Aladar is adopted and raised by a family of lovable lemurs (cute monkeys—mother Plio (Alfre Woodard), her father Yar (Ossie Davis), and kids Suri (Hayden Panettiere) and Zini (Max Casella).

“Dinosaur” is not totally family-friendly. Due to intense violence that may be nightmarish for young children, Dinosaur joins “The Black Cauldron,” as Disney’s only other PG-rated animated film. Arguably, the frightfully loud dino-growls from the fiendish, predator dinos provide the scariest moments. Moviegoers will observe a pack of vicious Velociraptors and a duo of cannibalizing Carnotaurs (larger tyrannosaurs) preying on weaker alienated dinosaurs—those left behind. Depicted as having reddish skin with devilish horns and saliva dripping from razor-sharp teeth, the Carnotaurs make especially terrifying homicidal villains.

Co-directors Ralph Zondag’s and Eric Leighton’s visual commentary on the lost world advances the impact theory of mass extinction. After a catastrophic meteor shower obliterates Lemur Island, Aladar and his adoptive lemur family wind up on the sweltering mainland where they join up with a travelling herd of herbivorous (plant-eating) dinosaurs. The scorched Earth terrain appears hopelessly uninhabitable, but hopes to reach the fertile “nesting grounds” provide encouragement to the herd.

Relentlessly leading the progression of dinosaurs are the gruff drill sergeant Kron (Samuel E. Wright) and his lieutenant, Bruton (Peter Siragusa). These protective Iguanodons are willing to sacrifice the slower dinosaurs for the safety of the entire herd, since time is all that separates them from their carnivorous (flesh-eating) predators. Aladar does not give up on the needy dinos so easily.

Aladar befriends Baylene (Joan Plowright), the venerable Brachiosaur (a taller Brontosaurus), and Eema (Della Reese), the weather-beaten Styrachosaur (resembling a Triceratops). His conscientious respect for life catches the attention of Kron’s sister Neera (Julianna Marguiles), and obligates him to challenge Kron’s command. Kron’s stone-faced marching orders ultimately gives Neera reason to endorse Aladar’s compassionate leadership approach to survival.

Neera’s support enables Aladar to guide the herd to a dino-garden of Eden. With an abundance of water, the community of good-natured dinosaurs inherits a new beginning. Life continues to thrive long after the meteor shower’s aftermath (like Mt. St. Helens after the eruption). Aladar and Neera become proud parents, and his stepbrother, Zini, finally finds a mate. Although the catchy musical tunes are nonexistent, you can almost hear “The Lion King” music playing in the background: “The Circle of Life.”

Costing around 200 million dollars to create its digital dinosaurs, Disney’s behemoth technological marvel should usher in an all-new animation style. The abbreviated run-time (a mere 75 minutes to the closing credits) roughly equates to 2.7 million dollars per spectacular movie viewing minute. Hopefully, for the increasingly desensitized children of a new millennium, “Dinosaur” will not become the comet that deposits the model G-rated musical Disney animation style onto the vault Disneyland shelves of the forgotten. Or even worse, innocent children adopt evolutionary make-believe over the Bible’s answers in Genesis.

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