Updated ‘The Good Dinosaur’ Plot Synopsis Revealed

This past week, Pixar revealed yet another synopsis for its upcoming feature The Good Dinosaur. The film has had a troubled production but is back on track and coming out later this year. According to producer Denise Ream, Peter Sohn—the film’s new director—pitched an entire new version of the movie last summer, and we’re slowly learning more details about it.

This third Good Dinosaur synopsis, courtesy of Stitch Kingdom, is an updated version of the synopsis we got last November. While the main premise remains the same, a few changes have been made to the synopsis. Read the synopsis below.

“The Good Dinosaur” asks the question: What if the asteroid that forever changed life on Earth missed the planet completely and giant dinosaurs never became extinct? Pixar Animation Studios takes you on an epic journey into the world of dinosaurs where an Apatosaurus named Arlo makes an unlikely human friend. While traveling through a harsh and mysterious landscape, Arlo learns the power of confronting his fears and discovers what he is truly capable of.”

The first thing that we noticed while comparing this new synopsis with the previous synopsis is that there is no mention whatsoever of the traumatic event that was supposed to unsettle Arlo’s family in the movie. Is this traumatic event still in the movie, but did it simply not make it into this synopsis, or will there be a different reason for Arlo to unsettle on an epic journey?

This new synopsis also dives a little deeper into the idea of nature being the film’s main antagonist. Previously, Sohn revealed the following in an interview: “The heart of the story remains the same,” Sohn said. “It’s always been about this young dinosaur growing up. But the world itself has changed a lot. Nature has become a character.” 

This new synopsis reveals that Arlo has to confront his fears on his journey through the mysterious landscapes. It’s exciting to hear more about the idea of nature being the film’s main antagonist, and I can’t wait to learn more about that.

Pixar’s The Good Dinosaur comes to theaters later this year, on November 25.

Edited by: Kelly Conley