Movie Review

Pixar goes down a frightening path with The Good Dinosaur

Filmmakers at Pixar have been experts at eliciting all kinds of emotions from audiences since Toy Story premiered 20 years ago. For their latest, The Good Dinosaur, they’ve gone where they’ve never gone before: making a truly frightening film.

Now that might not have been the intention of director Peter Sohn and his team, but it certainly was the result. The Good Dinosaur exists in a world where the meteor that killed the dinosaurs never hit Earth, leading at least some of them to evolve into creatures with recognizable human abilities.

Arlo (Raymond Ochoa) and his family are farmers, using their long necks and strong bodies to plow, plant, and water cornfields. When a small human boy (Jack Bright) is discovered stealing the family’s corn, it sets into motion a series of events that causes a family tragedy and separates Arlo from his family.

With nowhere else to turn, Arlo is forced to rely on the boy, whom he names Spot, for help in surviving and finding his way back home. The two seem to be in constant peril, fending off attacks from other dinosaurs, negotiating raging rivers and narrow mountain paths, and encountering multiple other hazards in the prehistoric world.

To say that the film is dark is only slightly overdramatizing things. The filmmakers don’t shy away from how dangerous things are for Arlo and Spot, although they both learn how to handle themselves because of the situations they go through. There are several moments that are genuinely shocking, even for adults. There is also a continuous thread of sadness, with the film returning to Arlo’s family tragedy on multiple occasions.

Naturally, they balance matters with more lighthearted elements, most notably in the way Spot acts. This still being a prehistoric era, even one well past when dinosaurs should have lived, Spot acts more like an animal than a human. He crawls around on all fours, grunts and howls instead of actually speaking, and charges fearlessly around. It’s a fun twist on the owner/dog relationship, and one that pays off nicely at the end of the movie.

As one would expect, the animation of the film is gorgeous. The cartoonish nature of the characters is juxtaposed with that of the natural world around them, which is as close to photorealistic as animation has ever been. If it weren’t for obvious clues to the contrary, there are times you’d swear they just superimposed the characters onto real landscapes.

Even though the film contains such well-known actors as Jeffrey Wright, Frances McDormand, Steve Zahn, Anna Paquin, and Sam Elliott, none of them truly make a difference in how well the film succeeds. Aside from Elliott, you’d be hard-pressed to recognize any of their voices anyway.

Coming so close on the heels of the exquisite Inside Out, The Good Dinosaur can’t help but pale in comparison. It has its fair share of great moments and earns its emotions, but it’s not likely to earn a spot in the pantheon of great Pixar movies.

Arlo and Spot are in almost constant peril in The Good Dinosaur.

Scene from The Good Dinosaur

Photo courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Arlo and Spot are in almost constant peril in The Good Dinosaur.

Festival Season

Music and BBQ top the 15 must-hit Dallas festivals of spring 2025

Taste of Addison

Photo courtesy of Visit Addison

Taste Addison takes place at Addison Circle Park, April 25-27.

Spring is when everything feels new again, and it's also the time when festival organizers try to take advantage of both the good weather and positive feelings to put on their big events.

We've rounded up the top must-attend festivals happening throughout spring 2025 across Dallas-Fort Worth. For even more options, head to our event calendar.

Deep Ellum Community Arts Fair (April 4-6)
The third annual Deep Ellum Community Arts Fair transforms Deep Ellum’s streets into a three-day celebration of art, music, community, and culture. Visitors can explore six blocks of original art, live performances, and culinary delights. There will be more than 120 fine and decorative artists and more than 80 bands and performing artists spread across four stages.

Breakaway Music Festival (April 4-5)
The Breakaway Music Festival is an electronic music event in Fair Park that will be headlined by big acts like Slander, Zedd, Afrojack, GRYFFIN, and Louis The Child. They will be joined by 16 national touring acts and four local DJs across two nights. Breakaway elevates the festival experience with a silent disco featuring local artists and brand activations.

Dallas Art Fair (April 10-13)
Taking place at Fashion Industry Gallery, the Dallas Art Fair offers collectors, arts professionals, and the public the opportunity to engage with a rich selection of modern and contemporary artworks presented by leading global and local galleries. Curated exhibitions and programming encourage conversations about the city's growing arts community.

Ennis Bluebonnet Trails Festival (April 11-13)
The annual Ennis Bluebonnet Trails Festival features an abundance of activities and live music throughout the weekend, as well as a spectacular array of Texas bluebonnets across 40 miles of trails in Ennis. Festival activities include arts and crafts exhibitions, shopping, children’s activities, the railroad and cultural heritage museum, and food options. Visitors also can enjoy the beer garden or sample Texas wines at the Ennis Education Foundation Wine Wander.

USA Film Festival (April 23-27)
The annual USA Film Festival features a variety of sneak preview screenings, tributes to filmmakers, retrospective screenings, short films, and more at Angelika Film Center in Dallas. This year it will have to share some dates with another big film festival (see below). The festival lineup is typically announced during the first week of April, so stay tuned for full details.

Taste Addison (April 25-27)
Taste Addison moves from its traditional late May/early June dates so that guests can relax with cooler temps at Addison Circle Park. Taste Addison has a focus on the culinary arts, performing arts, and visual arts. Food booths and trucks, international delicacies, a tasting area, and Sunday brunch are all part of the culinary experience. National, regional and community artists take to the stages (and spaces) for the performing arts.

Dallas International Film Festival (April 25-May 1)
The annual Dallas International Film Festival brings a variety of premiere screenings, documentaries, short films, filmmaker panels, and nightly red carpets to Violet Crown Cinema. For the first time ever, the festival has been named an Oscar Qualifying Film Festival, which may be a boon to the types of films it will screen. The festival lineup is typically revealed in late March/early April, so keep your eyes peeled for more details.

Festival of Joy (April 26)
Taking place at Klyde Warren Park, the sixth annual Festival of Joy features a parade, dancing, music, and live performances throughout the day. Presented by East Dallas restaurant Kalachandji’s, the festival includes a free vegetarian feast and a variety of ethnic vegetarian foods available for purchase. The event culminates with an evening concert by The Mayapuris.

Frisco Uncorked (April 26)
The annual wine-centered event at Frisco Square features hundreds of award-winning wines, local restaurants, a VIP experience, a craft beer garden, shopping with a variety of boutiques and artisans, grape stomping competitions, activations, and more.

Lone Star Smokeout (May 2-4)
The Lone Star Smokeout is a three-day country music and BBQ festival taking over AT&T Stadium in Arlington. It will feature some top country music artists, including Jon Pardi, Cody Jinks, Midland, Randy Rogers Band, Eli Young Band, Kaitlin Butts, and more. Top barbecue spots from around the state will be on hand, including Panther City BBQ, Slow Bone BBQ, Salt Lick BBQ, Black’s BBQ, Curry Boys BBQ, and more.

Dallas International Guitar Festival (May 2-4)
Taking place at Dallas Market Hall, the Dallas International Guitar Festival is the largest and oldest guitar show in the world. Visitors can buy, sell, trade, or just browse among the thousands of new and vintage guitars, basses, amps, banjos, music memorabilia, and more. There will also be performances by more than 50 local, regional, and national bands on four music stages. Headliners include Ian Moore, Sonny Landreth, and Andy Timmons.

Cottonwood Art Festival (May 3-4)
Cottonwood Art Festival, held at Richardson's Cottonwood Park, is a semi-annual event that features works from the nation's top visual artists. Jurors select over 240 artists to exhibit their museum-quality work, competing in 14 categories. The festival also features music from a variety of local bands.

Post Malone's Travelin' Tailgate (May 9)
Travelin' Tailgate is a free daytime event taking place at AT&T Stadium directly before Post Malone's concert. Running from 12-6 pm, it will feature live music, food, beer, merch, carnival games, photo opportunities, and tattoos by Posty’s personal tattoo artists from Oxford Circle Tattoos. Plus, one lucky fan will ride away with a 2025 Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Tickets to that night's concert are not required.

City of Grapevine presents 41st Annual Main Street Fest (May 16-18)
The 41st Annual Main Street Fest is a family-friendly festival featuring live music, craft brew and wine experiences, food, and unique shopping in Historic Downtown Grapevine. Visitors can enjoy the Carnival and Midway, explore the KidZone, and more.

Wildflower! Arts and Music Festival (May 16-18)
The annual Wildflower! Arts and Music Festival at Richardson's Galatyn Park Urban Center features performances by national, regional, and local bands, led by headliners The Revivalists, Cold War Kids, Young the Giant, NEEDTOBREATHE, and Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears. Over the course of the festival, nearly 50 bands will perform on various stages, and there will be a variety of other activities, including a Singer Songwriter contest, strolling entertainers, and a Battle of the Bands contest.

Taste of Addison

Photo courtesy of Visit Addison

Taste Addison takes place at Addison Circle Park, April 25-27.

barbecue craft beer fairs-festivals families galleries kids movies music music festivals nature spring festivals wine

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