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It seems like damning with faint praise to call a Pixar movie "nice," but that's the feeling left behind by "The Good Dinosaur," a well-crafted, simple adventure of a dinosaur and his boy.
Set in an alternate world where the meteor that killed the dinosaurs never hit, the movie starts with a family of agricultural-minded apatosauruses working their farm. The runt of the family, Arlo (voice of Raymond Ochoa), falls into the nearby river and is carried far downstream.
In his quest to get home, Arlo is joined by a protohuman boy, whom he names Spot. The boy Spot alternates between Arlo's faithful pet and best friend, as together they encounter ruthless pteranodons, cattle-driving T. rexes (one voiced by Sam Elliott, bless him) and other dangers that stir up little Arlo's worst fears.
Director Peter Sohn, a longtime Pixar animator and artist making his feature directing debut, deploys Pixar's artists to create some gorgeous images, including the most richly realistic nature footage the studio has ever produced.
Screenwriter Meg LeFauve (who worked on "Inside Out") and four others receiving story credit create a gently moving story with flashes of Old West folklore. The story isn't as finely nuanced as Pixar's best work, but it's thoughtful and touching all the same.
'The Good Dinosaur'
Opens Wednesday, Nov. 25, at theaters everywhere; rated PG for peril, action and thematic elements; 94 minutes (plus a 6-minute short, "Sanjay's Super Team").