SNAPSHOT
The Good Dinosaur asks the question: What if the asteroid that forever changed life on Earth missed the planet completely and giant dinosaurs never became extinct? In this epic journey into the world of dinosaurs, an Apatosaurus named Arlo makes an unlikely human friend. While traveling through a harsh and mysterious landscape, Arlo learns the power of confronting his fears and discovers what he is truly capable of. (official synopsis via IMDb)
You have to hand it to Pixar – they have a way with imaginative premises.
In the case of The Good Dinosaur, it’s a doozy.
What if that pesky asteroid that obliterated all dinosauric life on Earth 65 million years ago had instead got whistling on by into the great galactic beyond, and humanity and dinosaur had ended up sharing the same real estate?
And what if one Apatosaurus in particular by the name of Arlo (voiced by Raymond Ochoa) had ended up forming a special bond with a human boy called Spot (voiced by Jack Bright) and gone on an amazing revelatory journey across landscapes fearful and unknown.
What then, wonders Pixar, what then?
Why The Good Dinosaur, of course, that while it looks more conventional than the out of the box, multicoloured deep-inside-the heart-and-head wonder of Inside Out, nevertheless promises all the laughter and touching emotion that Pixar is rightly known for.
As Screenrant reveals, the new international trailer gives us more of a look at the poignant interplay between Arlo and his “pet” Spot, and also at many of the other characters in the film including a bunch of sassy T-Rexs:
“… a new Good Dinosaur international preview (see above ) also includes voice work by other cast members. To be exact, we hear Jeffrey Wright (Boardwalk Empire, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1 & 2) as Poppa, Arlo’s father, along with Sam Elliott (Justified, Grandma) as the “tough T-Rex named Butch,” whose scarred exterior is a reflection of his age and experience. Presumably, the two T-Rexes seen alongside Butch and Arlo here are Nash and Ramsey, the characters in the movie voiced by A.J. Buckley (CSI: NY) and Anna Paquin (True Blood), respectively.
“Spot (Jack Bright), the human who becomes Arlo’s companion/ “pet” in The Good Dinosaur, is once again featured heavily in both the film’s latest trailer and its newly-released UK poster (see below). The relationship between the two characters serves as the “heart” of the Good Dinosaur narrative — and by the look of it, the Arlo/Spot dynamic in the film should provide its fair share of pathos and humor alike. Other Good Dinosaur characters who have smaller, yet all the same key roles in the adventure plot include Arlo’s brother, Buck (Marcus Scribner), and Arlo’s mother, Momma (Frances McDormand), alike.”
It all looks quite wonderful, another rich and rewarding excursion into the transcendentally beautiful world of Pixar.
The Good Dinosaur opens in USA 25 November 2015 and Australia 26 December.