Why Pixar's most ambitious landscape project became its first major box office failure
In short: The Good Dinosaur imagined an alternate history where an asteroid missed Earth, allowing dinosaurs to evolve into farmers and ranchers. Despite pioneering volumetric clouds and hyper-realistic American Northwest scenery, the film suffered from a troubled production, multiple director changes, and a story that struggled to meet Pixar's high standards.
The film began development in 2009 under Bob Peterson, who wanted to explore how dinosaurs might exist in the modern day. The project was officially announced in 2011, but it soon faced significant hurdles. By mid-2013, Peterson was removed from the film because the third act of the story was not functioning. This led to a complete reimagining of the project, with Peter Sohn taking over as director in 2014. The production delays were so severe that Pixar laid off 67 employees in November 2013, following a previous round of layoffs at its Canadian studio.
To achieve a sense of scale and realism, the team traveled to locations like Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and the grasslands of Montana. They utilized U.S. Geological Survey data and Google Earth satellite imagery to build their world. A major technical innovation was the use of three-dimensional, volumetric clouds, which could be lit and rendered—a first for the studio. The film's environment was treated as an antagonist, with nature itself posing a constant, overwhelming threat to the protagonist, Arlo, a timid Apatosaurus.
The film's final version, released on November 25, 2015, featured a heavily revised cast, with Frances McDormand being the only original actor to retain her role. While the animation was praised, the storytelling was criticized for failing to reach Pixar's usual benchmarks. Ultimately, the film grossed $332.2 million against a budget of $175–200 million, resulting in an estimated $85 million loss. This made it Pixar's first box office failure, marking a difficult chapter in the studio's history despite its technical achievements.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: The Good Dinosaur
- Also: Wikidata — The Good Dinosaur · CC0
- Also: Wikidata — The Good Dinosaur – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack · CC0
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