Dinosaur
2000  PG  ANIMATED  1h 22min
CAST— D. B. Sweeney, Alfre Woodard, Ossie Davis, Max Casella, Hayden Panettiere, Samuel E. Wright, Julianna Margulies, Peter Siragusa, Joan Plowright, Della Reese
MUSIC— James Newton Howard  DIRECTORS— Ralph Zondag, Eric Leighton

     Amazing visuals highlight this rather dark Disney fable. An Iguanodon and his adopted lemur family barely escape a cataclysmic meteor shower that devastates their homeland. They fall in with a herd of various dinosaurs seeking new nesting grounds. The herd is lorded over by an older Iguanodon and his minions who believe that the weak should fall while only the strong should live. The herd withstands harsh environs, dehydration and carnivorous dinos; all the while a power struggle between the two male leads reaches a boiling point. While the film suffers from a banal storyline (sort of an aggressive take on The Land Before Time [1988]) the CGI is well worth your time. Just ignore the dialogue and you may enjoy.
OUR RATING— ** ½