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Dinosaur (2000)

tomatometer

65

Average Rating: 6.2/10
Reviews Counted: 122
Fresh: 79 | Rotten: 43

While Dinosaur's plot is generic and dull, its stunning computer animation and detailed backgrounds are enough to make it worth a look.

67

Average Rating: 6/10
Critic Reviews: 30
Fresh: 20 | Rotten: 10

While Dinosaur's plot is generic and dull, its stunning computer animation and detailed backgrounds are enough to make it worth a look.

audience

48

liked it
Average Rating: 3/5
User Ratings: 66,907

My Rating

Movie Info

Walt Disney Pictures redefined computer animation with this technically accomplished fantasy of prehistoric life, combining live-action backgrounds with computer-generated animals. After a pterodactyl snatches a dinosaur's egg and accidentally drops it while flying away, the egg is rescued by a family of lemurs, who keep it warm until it hatches. They raise the baby dinosaur, named Aladar, as one of their own, and as he grows to adulthood, Aladar protects the primates that he has come to regard

Jan 30, 2001

$135.6M

Buena Vista

Cast

All Critics (122) | Top Critics (30) | Fresh (82) | Rotten (44) | DVD (26)

It wouldn't have hurt to spend some of that money to tell a story as original as the movie's design -- though I'm sure I speak for millions in thanking Disney for not including any stupid songs.

January 1, 2000 Comment
Newsday
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Dinosaur, although still impressive, just misses being a great, truly revolutionary film.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Sacramento Bee | Comment
Sacramento Bee
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You begin to get used to the film's pictorial wondrousness -- to take it for granted, even -- and start to realize that the characters and story are exceedingly mundane, unsurprising and pre-programmed.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Variety | Comment
Variety
Top Critic IconTop Critic

If storytelling is the creative equivalent of water, I should point out it's no surprise these dinosaurs find themselves trekking over endless expanses of dusty, dry terrain.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Washington Post | Comment
Washington Post
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Dinosaur cuts a bland, compliant figure, its narrative and characterizations subservient to splashy feats of CGI legerdemain.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Village Voice | Comment
Village Voice
Top Critic IconTop Critic

A feast for the eyes but a rather routine entry in the respectable folio of great Disney animated movies.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | Comment
San Francisco Chronicle
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Stunning, but can be dark and scary in places.

December 22, 2010 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media | Comment
Common Sense Media

When you have spent $200 million on "the dumber version of The Land Before Time", you deserve everything that comes to you.

November 15, 2010 Full Review Source: Antagony & Ecstasy | Comment (1)
Antagony & Ecstasy

The story doesn't matter much when a movie looks this good, and it's a breakthrough of technical achievement.

August 7, 2008 Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | Comment
Sacramento News & Review

It's the small details, like dino-skin, that Blu-ray really brings to life.

September 19, 2006 Full Review Source: Movie Metropolis | Comment
Movie Metropolis

Aurally and visually this creature feature is a treat.

January 26, 2006 Full Review Source: Time Out | Comment

Parents, you may enjoy the scenery but remember the dinosaurs talk, so bring your earplugs.

December 6, 2005 Full Review Source: Film Threat | Comment
Film Threat

It is the next generation of high technology that further blurs the lines between reality and fantasy.

April 9, 2005 Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | Comment
Reeling Reviews

Accept the concept and it's easy to appreciate the technical wizardry

August 14, 2004 Comment
Reel.com

The movie follows a rather dull tale similar to the 1988 animated film The Land Before Time.

July 2, 2004 Full Review Source: Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY) | Comment

The audience is left with a beautiful setting populated by predictable and largely uninteresting characters.

January 13, 2004 Full Review Source: culturevulture.net | Comment
culturevulture.net

Visually, it's even more astonishing than the high-profile trailers made it look, an astonishing blend of real-life backgrounds and computer-generated characters. It's a shame that the script seems to have been wholly computer generated as well.

May 22, 2003 Full Review Source: Film Blather | Comment
Film Blather

It is an awsome experience, visually; on the story side it's a tad thin.

February 8, 2003 Full Review Source: Film Quips Online | Comment
Film Quips Online

Sadly, there is little sign of the benefits of evolution in the storytelling itself, which sticks too closely to a narrative template seemingly dating back to the Mesolithic era.

December 2, 2002 Full Review Source: Sight and Sound | Comment
Sight and Sound

Dinosaur mixes state-of-the-art visuals with bottom-of-the-barrel scripting.

November 12, 2002 Full Review Source: Pitch.com | Comment
Pitch.com

Utimately it is the look of the film that makes an indelible impression.

October 15, 2002 Full Review Source: Cincinnati Enquirer | Comment
Cincinnati Enquirer

...don't expect much more than eye candy.

October 9, 2002 Comment
Reel Film Reviews

As a result of its breathtaking visual effects, Dinosaur is a landmark film.

August 2, 2002 Full Review Source: ReelTalk Movie Reviews | Comment
ReelTalk Movie Reviews
More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for Dinosaur

I get so emotional looking at the animation of this film. It just looks so real. I strongly believe that time was taken by the writers to further the character development. The only distraction and the only loophole in making dinosaur was the decision to let the dinosaurs speak. However, I know it is the last good film

August 15, 2011
Michael M.
Michael Miller

Super Reviewer

the effects were OUTSTANDING. all together an entertaining film.Grade: B-

February 12, 2011
CreedsDelight

Super Reviewer

    1. Aladar: Stand together!
    – Submitted by Adrian G (3 months ago)

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Foreign Titles

  • Dinosaure (FR)
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