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The Good Dinosaur 4 Feb Go To Dinosaur World

Disney•Pixar’s “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?

Bring Dynamic Characters to Life

The heart of “The Good Dinosaur” is the friendship that develops between Arlo and Spot—two characters who begin the story at odds. They don’t share a language and—at least at first—have little reason to come together at all. But thanks to a life-changing journey and a host of characters—good, bad, big and bigger—Arlo and Spot find common ground and a relationship that will change them both forever.

Behind the characters was a phenomenal team of artists, storytellers and technicians tasked with crafting the look and personality of each. Says producer Denise Ream, “Everyone came together to nurture the characters and make this story special.”

“The Good Dinosaur” also features an extraordinary roster of voice talent. “We were lucky to work with a number of incredible pros along the way and our story ultimately led us to this amazing and talented group,” says director Peter Sohn. “We’re all taking this journey with Arlo, and it’s been a privilege to see these performers bring our characters to life.”

American Northwest to Walk in Arlo’s Footsteps

Director Peter Sohn and Pixar’s team of artists and technical wizards went to great lengths to create colorful personalities, to capture the magic of nature and—above all—to tell a compelling and believable story. The effort—as with all films at Pixar Animation Studios—began with in-depth research.

The team consulted experts about dinosaur anatomy and child psychology. To develop their own tone and style, filmmakers referenced a host of iconic films—Western films like “Shane,” Carol Ballard movies like “The Black Stallion,” plus “Lawrence of Arabia,” “Top of the Lake” and “Stand By Me,” among others. A few members of the team visited the American Northwest to brainstorm Arlo’s homestead, the effects team got themselves swept down the American River, and research trips to Juntura, Oregon, and to regions surrounding Jackson Hole, Wyoming, immersed the filmmakers in the landscape where Arlo would soon find himself hopelessly lost.

The idea of getting lost was a theme from the get-go. In fact, says producer Denise Ream, it was the motto of an early research trip to Wyoming to go horseback riding near the Teton Range and river rafting down the Snake River. “We put a trip together to immerse Peter and a few other members of our team in that world,” she says. “We went into it hoping to get lost—to have that feeling that anything can happen without warning.”

Filmmakers also went rafting down the Snake River while in Wyoming. The experience provided first-hand reference for creating the river sequences in the film. But it was a guide’s ability to read the river and locate a fallen GoPro camera that really struck filmmakers.

Create Breathtaking Setting

Filmmakers wanted to capture the full scope of the environments they researched. According to production designer Harley Jessup, their experiences in the American Northwest not only illustrated nature’s power, but also its beauty. “The area has a fantastic variety of landscapes, ranging from the Jackson Valley and the Tetons to the amazing geysers and waterfalls in Yellowstone. We studied the grasslands of Montana and the mesa’s in Wyoming’s Red Desert, then incorporated all of it in Arlo’s journey.”

Their awe of nature’s beauty and power inspired the filmmakers to make the wilderness a character in itself and not just a setting for Arlo and Spot. “The golds and reds from the aspens were incredible—and the cottonwoods—I’ve never seen anything like that before,” says director Peter Sohn. “The landscape is so huge. It makes you feel tiny. There’s such a simplicity to the graphic nature of the place that it felt perfect for making a giant animal like a dinosaur feel small.”

Arlo and Spot face an array of antagonists during their adventure—from raptors who are scrappier than they look, to the pterodactyls who are up to no good. But it’s nature that gives them their biggest challenge: flash floods, sudden weather changes, a raging river that has no mercy and a treacherous trek that will test the protagonists like never before. With the environment playing such a key role in the story, filmmakers knew it had to be spectacular. The world had to aptly illustrate the enormous journey Arlo had before him—its breathtaking beauty, and its inherent risks.

Synopsis

"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? Pixar Animation Studios takes you on an epic journey into the world of dinosaurs where an Apatosaurus named Arlo (voice of Raymond Ochoa) 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.