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Dinosaur
2000 82 min United States of America PG 6+
★6.7
Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family
Director: Eric Leighton, Ralph Zondag
Trailers
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EN
EN
Description
An orphaned dinosaur raised by lemurs joins an arduous trek to a sancturary after a meteorite shower destroys his family home.
Budget:
$127.5M
US Gross:
$137.75M
Worldwide:
$354.25M
Starring
D.B. Sweeney
Actor
Julianna Margulies
Actor
Samuel E. Wright
Actor
Awards
Saturn Awards 2001
— Best Fantasy Film
Saturn Awards 2001
— Best Original Score
Key opinion
Dinosaur is widely remembered as a visually ambitious, albeit narratively simple, Disney production that prioritizes serious emotional stakes and moral instruction over standard comedic tropes. While critics often point to its derivative script and dated character animation, many viewers cherish it as an emotionally resonant family film that maintains its aesthetic impact.
| Production | The integration of detailed CGI dinosaurs with live-action background plates remains a visually impressive technical achievement. | |
| Score | James Newton Howard’s grand, dramatic score effectively elevates the film's tone and emotional scale. | |
| Theme | The narrative avoids modern comedic trends, opting instead for a serious, moral-driven approach that emphasizes friendship and perseverance. | |
| Screenplay | The screenplay is largely viewed as a thin, derivative migration story that relies on familiar genre tropes. | |
| Production | Opinions on the animation quality are split; some praise its 90s-era realism, while others feel the character models have aged poorly and lack fluidity. | |
| Emotion | The film’s tone is divisive; proponents appreciate its dark, dramatic, and non-childish stakes, whereas detractors find it a joyless or overly standard action experience. |