It’s impossible to rave enough about the elemental beauty of The Good Dinosaur. In its sunlight-speckled vistas it recalls Lord of the Rings; in its swaying fields, Malick; and in its rain-soaked grit, Miyazaki. Every frame is a love letter to the beautiful power of nature.

Nature provides most of the story too, with Arlo (Ochoa) battling the caprices of a humorously imagined prehistoric food chain. It’s often a surprisingly bleak journey, but one faced with heart and resilience.

The plot is a little unambitious, but there are a few heartbreaking moments of visual storytelling that make up for it.

An irresistible slow-burner whose beauty is unforgettable, but little more than skin-deep.

RATING: 4/5

INFORMATION

CAST: Raymond Ochoa, Jeffrey Wright, Frances McDormand, Steve Zahn, Anna Paquin, Sam Elliott

DIRECTOR: Peter Sohn

WRITERS: Meg LaFauve (screenplay & story); Peter Sohn, Erik Benson, Kelsey Mann, Bob Peterson (story)

SYNOPSIS: An epic journey into the world of dinosaurs where an Apatosaurus named Arlo makes an unlikely human friend on his journey to return home.