Tonight with the Family: No one talks about this Disney movie that came out 24 years ago, but it was an important date in the studio’s history

65 million years ago, in a tropical clearing, a herd of dinosaurs was attacked by a terrible predator. The sole survivor of its offspring, an iguanodon egg, then travels far and hatches on an island in the middle of a colony of lemurs, who decide to adopt it.

A dinosaur named Aladar became the mascot and protector of a small gang. One evening, as the lemurs celebrate the new mating season and their giant friend is feeling a little lonely, a strange meteor shower begins on the horizon.

Disney Studios is entering a new era

Here we are at the beginning of the 2000s, and after the golden age of the 90s, a new era (more difficult, but just as exciting) is opening before the Disney studios. The world is moving into another millennium, and now all animators’ eyes are on CGI and CGI.

While Pixar’s young artists are already at the forefront of this new race, and the upstarts of Dreamworks are quickly following in their footsteps, the venerable institution Disney, which has monopolized the animation sector for more than 60 years, must follow. his reputation. There’s no way to miss this new twist, so it’s time to get started!

However, contrary to what one might think, Dinosaur isn’t the first feature film from Enchanted Studios to be entirely computer-generated: it’s actually a mix of live-action settings and CGI-animated characters.

A visual demonstration of power

In fact, the visual output is light years away from what Disney has offered before. Although years have passed and Dinosaur is still far from the same impression it had when it was released 20 years ago, the film has surprised critics around the world.

But beyond demonstrating its visual power, Dinosaur unfortunately struggles to be narratively convincing, offering a rather banal story that hews closely to the patterns the public already knows.

The 39th classic from the Disney studios, in addition to writing the first lines of a brand new chapter for the company, remains primarily in our memory for its breathtaking opening sequence (for once, even after 24 years, it still goes very well) and its masterful soundtrack composed by the great By James Newton Howard.

What will you like…

• The film’s main and supporting characters are quite charming and serve as first-class voice casting in the French version.

• A spirit of adventure and travel that runs throughout the film.

What could be bothering them…

• Terrible carnotaurus and their terrible jaws.

• Scavengers that follow the horde, hoping to devour any stragglers in the group.

(Re)discover our top 5 animated dinosaurs…