Release Date: May 26, 2009 Rating:  ½With the Voices of: John Goodman, Jay Leno, Rhea Perlman, Felicity Kendal, Charles Fleischer and Walter Cronkite Based on the book by Hudson Talbott Screenplay by John Patrick Shanley Executive Produced by Steven Spielberg Directed by: Dick Zondag, Ralph Zondag, Phil Nibbelink and Simon Wells We’re Back! A Dinosaur’s Story is the other dinosaur film to come from Steven Spielberg in 1993. And the elements here should make for a good children’s animated adventure. There’s a script by John Patrick Shanley and a spirited voice cast, not to mention the fun idea of bringing talking dinosaurs into New York City. And yet, this just doesn’t come together. The opening act is an indication of the problems here, including the conceit of a raging tyrannosaur (like the one in Spielberg’s bigger project in 1993) being fed “brain grain” and suddenly becoming a really nice guy. Things go downhill from there, and neither the storytelling nor the animation is strong enough to keep interest going. This is certainly harmless fare to show to children, but there isn’t much substance here either.  VIDEO QUALITY: 3/5 We’re Back! A Dinosaur’s Story is presented in an anamorphic 1.85:1 transfer that shows the animation in the best possible light. To be honest, this isn’t the strongest artwork I’ve encountered, but the transfer at least gives us a good look at what there is to see. AUDIO QUALITY: 3/5 We’re Back! A Dinosaur’s Story is presented in a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix in English that predictably places almost all of the sound in the front speakers, but sends some music to the surround channels. The dialogue, music and closing song are clear and easy to follow. SPECIAL FEATURES: 0/5 NO STARSThere are no special features included on this DVD. Subtitles are available in English, French and Spanish. A standard chapter menu is included for quick reference. IN THE END... We’re Back! A Dinosaur’s Story is not a DVD I can heartily recommend, even for rental. There’s just not enough to see or experience, although it’s relatively innocuous as a children’s adventure. My feeling is that most children will want to see a little more than what this film has to offer. Animation fans may wish to see this film as an example of what animated projects Spielberg presented before the advent of Dreamworks. Kevin Koster May 29, 2009. |
Home Theater Forum › Home Theater Forum › Blu-ray, DVD, Streaming Video and Digital Downloads › DVD › Official HTF DVD Reviews › HTF DVD REVIEW: We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story
Join Now
Be a part of the community.
It's free, join today!
Related HT Gear & Movies
Featured Reviews
-
Man on a Ledge plummets onto Blu-ray this week with an edition that presents the picture and sound as well as possible, along with a minimum of special features. The movie itself is hard to... -
The most infamously unsuccessful movie at the box-office thus far in 2012 (though Battleship and Dark Shadows may give it some competition), Andrew Stanton’s John Carter mixes elements of... -
What can I say? I love 3D! From the moment I began watching 3D content in my home I quickly discovered that I needed more content. I suspect that those of you just purchasing... -
Smokey and the Bandit drives onto Blu-ray in a nice edition that can really take the viewer back to 1977 for 90 minutes of sheer moviemaking fun. The Blu-ray comes with the same HD transfer... -
Monika Eriksson is one of the first antiheroines in the filmography of Ingmar Bergman. In Summer with Monika, she’s brash, effervescent, and completely captivating, that is, until the realities...
HTF DVD REVIEW: We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story
Gear mentioned in this thread:
Home Theater Forum › Home Theater Forum › Blu-ray, DVD, Streaming Video and Digital Downloads › DVD › Official HTF DVD Reviews › HTF DVD REVIEW: We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story
