Dinosaur Blu-ray offers decent video and great audio in this enjoyable Blu-ray release
Set 65 million years ago, DINOSAUR tells the compelling story of an iguanodon named Aladar, who is separated
from his own kind and raised by a clan of lemurs, including the wisecracking Zini and the compassionate Plio.
When a devastating meteor shower plunges their world into chaos, Aladar and his family follow a herd of
dinosaurs heading for the safety of the "nesting grounds." As the trip becomes one pulse-quickening adventure
after another, it also forges friendships that no hardship can destroy.
For more about Dinosaur and the Dinosaur Blu-ray release, see the Dinosaur Blu-ray Review published by Martin Liebman on August 18, 2008 where this Blu-ray release scored 3.0 out of 5.
Sometimes the smallest thing can make the biggest changes of all.
Dinosaur is a title that was buried under the avalanche of subsequent
animated motion picture mega-hits we have all enjoyed in recent years.
Computer-animated motion pictures such as Wall●E,
The Polar Express,
Beowulf,
Ice Age, and Bee Movie, have
taken the world by storm, leaving hand-drawn animated films historic relics when compared to
these more visually robust computer-animated films. While Dinosaur performed
admirably in theaters and is a decent enough film, when recounting the best animated films of
the decade the fact remains that Dinosaur probably doesn't crack all that many top-ten lists.
With no single memorable character that
instantly comes to mind such as the popular Lightning McQueen, Scrat, Woody, Buzz Lightyear,
or Shrek,
Dinosaur simply doesn't capture the imagination and remain ingrained in our brains like
the cream of the crop of early 21st century animated films.
Extinct? What do you mean we're extinct?!
Dinosaur is the story of a mass migration of prehistoric creatures after a meteor shower
devastates the land. A band of primates called Lemurs discover an egg from which a dinosaur
hatches. Despite worries that this carnivore will simply devour the tribe when it comes of age, it
is accepted into the clan and named Aladar (voiced by D.B. Sweeney, The Cutting Edge).
When Aladar is fully grown, the meteor strikes, and he and his adoptive family go in search of
safer, inhabitable lands. They meet up and join a mixed herd of dinosaurs traveling to "the
nesting grounds," a sanctuary of sorts that should provide food, water, and shelter for the herd.
Led by the stubborn Kron who believes only the strongest of the herd should survive and usurp
all the resources along the way, the herd can only be headed for disaster. Aladar must do
everything in his power to convince the herd to turn from the leadership of Kron and follow a
more logical path to their safety where everyone, the weak and strong alike, has an equal
opportunity to survive.
Unfortunately, Dinosaur is one of the more unoriginal movies I've seen. In fact, the
entire
animated canon of dinosaur-centric films seem lacking in originality and substance. There is
generally the outsider who is raised by, lives with, or is close friends with a drastically different
species, generally ones much smaller than the primary character. The main character is usually
misunderstood or ignored by the superior dinosaurs, but ends up being right about everything at
the end. Likewise, "bad guys" are hard-headed and self-centered. Oh, let's not forget some sort
of
migration. That's what we have here, and while it's not bad, watching Dinosaur is like
having a bad case of Deja Vu. Films like The Land Before Time before it, and Ice Age: The
Meltdown
after it, offer similar themes. Dinosaur does offer impressive visuals, though they are
quickly beginning to show their age. The environments look fantastic, of course. They are not
animated but are rather real with the animated characters inserted. Unfortunately, the
character-enviroment interaction isn't always seamless, but considering how far technology has
come in only the few short years since the movie was released, it's impressive nevertheless.
These dinosaurs, whether or not they are accurate to the eyes of a paleontologist, look great,
especially in their close-up shots. Dinosaur was a groundbreaking film in its day,
much like Beowulf is today, but
like that film, Dinosaur is almost all glitz and glamour and style with little substance.
Dinosaur stomps onto Blu-ray with a 1080p, MPEG-2 encoded, 1.85:1-framed transfer
that
is expectedly sharp and clean, but the visuals aren't quite up to par with the finest animation
we've
seen on Blu-ray discs such as Cars and Ratatouille.
Dinosaur's transfer doesn't appear to be extremely sharp. It looks soft and lacking in
depth. Fine details seem muted and definition is mediocre. Whether we look at medium-distance
or wide shots, there is a lack of sharpness and detail on objects and backgrounds. Close-up shots
fare better in the detail department, especially considering the textures of the dinosaurs
themselves. All the ridges, humps, and wrinkles on their bodies stand out nicely. There is some
noticeable edge enhancement in the transfer, but it's never visible in abundance. Look at the
vines hanging down from a tree in chapter five. A noticeable halo surrounds each one.
Color banding is also noticeable in some darker shots after the meteor attack. Colors are never as
vibrant as they are in some other animated films, but that seems to be more due to the intended
look of the film rather than a shortcoming of the transfer. Dinosaur generally sports
earthy tones -- grays, tans, and greens -- during daylight shots, but much of the movie also
takes place at night or in caves where black levels hold up well enough, and there is never a
major loss
of detail. Still, the image never pops off the screen during its brighter sequences as we've come
to expect from discs such as Cars, which manages to burst off the screen in every
scene. All in all, Dinosaur is a disappointment
visually. It's not bad, but a few nagging issues and a generally uninteresting look make it pale in
comparison to many other discs out there, animated or otherwise.
Disney brings Dinosaur to life on Blu-ray with a PCM 5.1 uncompressed surround sound
audio track. The attack sequence at the beginning is one of the highlights on the disc, and proves
that the audio far outshines the video quality. Your entire room will rattle at the sound of the
roaring and the vicious stomps of the heavy beasts on the Earth. Directionality and sound panning
are both excellent as the action flows seamlessly around the listening area in all directions.
Surrounds are nicely employed throughout. Some echoing of voices in chapter 21 inside a cave is
especially impressive. The meteor storm in chapter six is another highlight of the track. Loud,
engaging, and immersive, bass is ever-present, the music is loud, albeit with a hint of a harsh edge
to it, and the surrounds never quit. Dialogue is natural and front-focused, never lost under the rest
of the soundtrack and presenting no volume issues. This soundtrack is just fine, about what is to
be expected of an above-average Blu-ray audio mix.
Dinosaur arrives on Blu-ray with a few special features to satisfy fans. First up is a
commentary track with co-directors Rob Zondag and Eric Leighton, digital effects supervisor Neil
Eskuri, and visual effects supervisor Neil Krepela. This quartet does an admirable job discussing the
technology and animation of the film, as well as the themes and ideas found throughout the film.
Blu-Scape - "Origins" (1080p, 6:12) is a breathtakingly
beautiful animated short film by director Louie Schwartzberg that might give you an idea of what all
of those "natural wonders" Blu-ray discs might have to offer. The picture quality itself is not the
best on the feature (noise, a horizontal line over parts of the image, and the like are present), but it
is well-made and visually stunning insofar as the places it shows. The feature can be looped if
you so choose. Movie Showcase will take viewers to three scenes that represent the best
in Blu-ray audio and visuals the film has to offer. Finally, The Monster Cloud (1080i, pillar
boxed, 4:10) is a closer look at one of the most important and visually exciting moments from the
film.
Dinosaur is a good enough film, but unlike some of the best of the recent wave of critically
acclaimed and audience friendly animated films, it simply doesn't have staying power. The story is
rather generic, the characters bland, and the visuals somewhat dull. The Blu-ray edition of the film
mimics these qualities. The film's picture quality is acceptable but ultimately disappointing next to
the newer animated pictures, and is definitely not reference material. The audio track is the
highlight of the program, providing a solid listen that, while not demo-grade, sets your system
ablaze in sound more than once. The extras are somewhat scarce but acceptable. While
Cars remains the epitome of animated Blu-ray reference material, for the kids in the home
who need yet another animated film to round-out the titles available for a boring rainy afternoon,
this one will entertain. For that reason and audience, I recommend Dinosaur.
