Dinosaur is the story of a young dinosaur - an iguanodon - named Aladar. As an egg, through a series of mishaps and miracles, he ends up on an island and in the hands of Plio, a kindly, motherly lemur. He is raised by the lemurs and becomes part of their family, a playful (and large) brother. However, the island is destroyed by a fall of fiery meteors, along with most of the rest of their world, and Aladar and his lemur family begin a long trek to find a place to survive. They join a dinosaur herd, led by the ruthless martinet Kron, whose philosophy that only the strong survive leads Aladar into direct conflict with him when Aladar insists that the weaker members be protected, not left to die. In the course of the journey to the fabled Nesting Grounds, Aladar faces danger, learns of his own courage and resourcefulness, becomes a leader, and finds love.
This movie doesn't break any molds when it comes to originality - the plot, script and characters are typically Disney - but it is enjoyable and often exciting, with good characters. Where it excels is in the animation. Mixed live action backgrounds and CGI create a world of breathtaking beauty and power, and it is easy to forget that the characters aren't actually real. This is particularly impressive with the dinosaurs, and for any dinosaur fan, this is as big a treat as Jurassic Park.
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Main Characters:
The iguanodons:
Aladar (voice
D. B. Sweeney) - Raised by a kindly lemur family, Aladar ends up pitting
the lessons of love and helping each other against the harsh "survival of
the strongest" world of Kron. He uses all his courage and intelligence to
get himself and his family and friends to the Nesting Grounds, and earns
the role of leader.
Neera (voice
Julianna Margulies) - Kron's sister is a pretty iguanodon who scoffs at Aladar
at first, but she soon learns to appreciate him - especially the way he gets
along with children, but also his resourcefulness and courage.
Kron (voice
Samuel E. Wright) - The leader of the herd going to the Nesting Grounds, Kron
is a martinet with no pity for those too weak to keep up with the pace he
sets. He refuses to change or accept any new ideas, and on this particular
journey, he pays dearly for his stubbornness.
Bruton (voice
Peter Siragusa) - Kron's 2nd in command, Bruton is as harsh as his boss. He
obeys every command Kron gives him, no matter how difficult it is for him,
and is fiercely brave.
The lemurs:
Plio (voice
Alfre Woodard) - The intelligent, wise, and kindly Plio adopts and raises Aladar.
She is the voice of reason in the group, the natural leader of the lemurs.
Yar (voice
Ossie Davis) - Plio's father has his share of wisdom, if not so much as Plio.
He's grumpy in a comical way, and tries to be dignified, although events
tend to thwart that.
Zini (voice
Max Casella) - Zini is a smart-aleck who can't be put down, even by the worst
events, such as being rejected by every female lemur on the island. He seems
foolish, but often has good ideas.
Suri (voice
Hayden Panettiere) - Plio's young daughter is bright and cheerful and loving,
but is also adventurous, which sometimes gets her into trouble.
The other dinosaurs:
Eema (voice
Della Reese) - The elderly Eema is struggling to make the hard journey to the
Nesting Grounds. She has a wise-cracking personality, and she likes to complain,
but she makes droll jokes out of all their troubles.
Baylene (voice
Joan Plowright) - The last of her kind, and at least as elderly as Eema, Baylene
is a gentle creature. She almost gives up, but traveling with Aladar and
the others gives her renewed purpose.
Url (no
voice) - Url is like a dino dog. Devoted to Eema, he accepts Aladar at once,
to Eema's surprise. He seems goofy, but he's actually quite smart in a practical
way.
Favorite images:
~ Kat
For more images, see the Dinosaur gallery!