These are the glory days of animation. The last several years have given us groundbreaking television shows like The Simpsons, South Park, and Space Ghost. We've seen a resurgence of multiple forms of animation like stop-motion and cardboard as well as the growing influence of Japanese anime. And some of the most popular and critically-acclaimed films of last year--Toy Story 2, Princess Mononoke, and The Iron Giant, just to name three--were animated.

Along with the creative energy, there have been tremendous technological breakthroughs in the medium. The fusion of old-style hand-drawn work with the power of computer software has led to incredible improvements in what can be shown on the big screen. Think of the skin detail in Toy Story 2 or the spectacular movement sequences in Tarzan. Building on these advances is Dinosaur, the latest animated film from the Disney juggernaut. Though it's certainly astounding in its scope, someone forgot to tell the producers that beautiful images alone do not make a compelling story.

The opening scene of Dinosaur is a fantastic introduction. An orphaned dinosaur egg is picked up by another dinosaur and taken on an air-and-water journey that eventually lands it in a Lemur colony. Even though I had seen this sequence twice before (it was the movie's trailer), I was still awe-struck by both the beauty of the animation and its grandeur. This should've been on IMAX instead of the tepid Fantasia 2000.

The egg soon hatches, and the Lemurs accept the dinosaur, whose name is Aladar, as one of their own. For a moment, the audience might think they're back in last year's Tarzan, but the storylines quickly diverge. In another awe-inspiring scene, a meteor shower destroys the monkeys' habitat and most of their clan. Riding on Aladar's back, the few remaining Lemurs--including Plio, the family's kind and wise matriarch; Yar, Plio's stubborn father; and Zini and Suri, the two energetic children--set out for parts unknown.

Along the way, they hook up with a huge herd of dinosaurs migrating to their annual nesting grounds. While it seems strange at first to see ten different species of dinosaurs traveling together, the variety certainly helps us keep track of different characters. Unfortunately, that variety is sorely missing from the rest of the story.

If you've seen many children's movies before, you can probably guess what comes next. The leader of the herd, Kron, is a heartless dictator who thinks the survival of the fittest is an admirable social policy. Aladar, who's befriended the herd's stragglers--a stryachosaur named Eema and a brontosaur named Baylene--argues that everyone can make it "if we just stick together." And for those who can't live without a syrupy love plot, Aladar is smitten with Neera, who just so happens to be Kron's sister. You don't need my help for the rest.

It's unfortunate that the story is so bland, because the animation and special effects are anything but. Besides the opening scene, there's a truly amazing pageant of monkeys flying through the trees in a beautiful courtship dance. That's quickly followed by the meteor shower at red twilight. This combination of nuclear explosion, fireworks, and scenes from Apocalypse Now is genuinely breath-taking, rivaling any animated sequence I can recall. The dinosaurs' animation is also top-class, with the skin textures and movement perfectly realized. Near the end of the film, there's a battle between two dinosaurs that recalls the great stop-motion animation in King Kong, though here the movement is seamless. The animators' only miscues are the infrequent shots of the entire herd, which betrays its CGI origins.

The animators, headed by debut directors Ralph Zondag (Pocahontas) and Eric Leighton (The Nightmare before Christmas) should also be commended for the integration of their visual style. In contrast to previous Disney films, where the characters seemed like they were coming out of different movies, here they all work together stylistically. The dinosaurs and monkeys may be easily identifiable, but they also clearly inhabit the same world. Speaking of that world, the heavy use of real backdrops--filmed in locations like Australia, Venezuela, and Western Samoa--is perfect for Dinosaur.  Again,  the animators have done a tremendous job of making the animals fit in each scene. The shading and colors blend perfectly. 

The characters' voices are, on the whole, appropriate. Della Reese and Ossie Davis are compelling as Eema and Yar, respectively. Fans of E.R. will enjoy hearing Julianna Margulies as Neera, and Alfre Woodard is pitch-perfect as Plio. Only D.B. Sweeney seems out of place as Aladar; his voice is often flat, sounding like it's coming out of a studio rather than the desert and jungle. The movie's music is suitable and thankfully devoid of any Tim Rice numbers.

Whether Dinosaur is your cup of tea will depend on how much predictable story-telling you're willing to put up with. Of course, if you have children, you probably don't have any choice in the matter. Dinosaur is wisely rated PG. There are a number of intense action sequences, including two chase scenes, that might be a little too scary for the very young ones. Use your own judgment. 

J. Robert Parks 5/16/2000