'The Good Dinosaur': Entertaining with messages galore (IANS Review - ***)

Film: "The Good Dinosaur"; Voiced by: Jeffrey Wright, Frances McDormand, Raymond Ochoa, Jack Bright, Steve Zahn, Sam Elliott, Anna Paquin; Director: Peter Sohn; Rating: ***

Emotionally charged, Disney-Pixar's "The Good Dinosaur" is a lively prehistoric toon film packed with lessons galore for its young audiences.

With the premise, "Sometimes you need to get through your fear to see the beauty on the other side," this is the coming-of-age story of Arlo, the youngest of the three Apatosaurus dinosaur siblings.

Papa and mama dinosaurs along with their three children lead a content life by farming. While everything is hunky-dory, Arlo is the odd one in the lot. To overcome his anxiety, the clumsy and fearful, Arlo is told by his dad, "Earn your mark by doing something big."

Arlo is given the responsibility of protecting the home-grown corn, which he sincerely tries to do. But then following a freak accident, a tragedy occurs where he loses his father.

Then a subsequent encounter with a critter who keeps raiding the family's food stock leads both Arlo and the critter to be swept downriver away from home.

They get lost in the wilderness and over a period of time they bond with each other and have an adventurous journey back home.

While Arlo speaks, his companion the "critter" in fact is a small human cave boy called Spot, who only makes some incomprehensible sounds. Together, they make an excellent odd pair that provides enough entertainment to keep you hooked.

Visually, with a colourful palette and a vast array of landscapes the setting is almost real and eye catching. It seems as if the animated characters are being drawn on actual locations.

Though the animals in the universe are cartoonish, they resonate with the right blend of emotions, making them apt for a compelling viewing.

The script written by Meg LeFauve, is simple, lively and enthusiastically layered to enthral its viewers.

The voices lent by the ace cast are energetic and engaging and the background score elevates the viewing experience.

This film, replete with messages, is bound to appeal to parents and young viewers.