Dinosaur (2-Disc Collector’s Edition)

Product Description

Join the action-packed adventure of a group of dinosaurs overcoming enormous challenges through courage, loyalty and hope in Disney’s DINOSAUR, a special effects phenomenon! Set 65 million years ago, DINOSAUR tells the compelling story of Aladar, an iguanadon who is separated from his own kind and raised by a clan of lemurs, including the wisecracking Zini and the compassionate Plio. When a meteor shower destroys their home, Aladar and his family follow a herd of dinosaurs heading for the safety of the “nesting grounds.” along the way, Aladar befriends Baylene, an elderly brachiosaur; Eema, an unstoppable strachosaru; and Neera, a feisty fellow iguanadon. Together, they must stand strong amidst food and water shortages, the threat of carnotaur attacks, and Aladar’s run-ins with the herd’s stubborn leader, Kron. A landmark in filmmaking technology, DINOSAUR’s theatrical quality is fully captured in this DVD, which features a digital-to-digital transfer that ensures the best possible picture and sound quality!

Additional Features

The two-disc Collector’s Edition speaks directly to the film’s core audience: kids and animation enthusiasts. Along with a widescreen version of the film, the first disc is very kid-friendly with two games (“Aladar’s Adventure” is quite fun) and an informative short naming the dinosaurs seen in the movie. Using the “Fossil Dig” mode to watch the film, a viewer can see behind-the-scenes footage during certain scenes, as a dinosaur icon appears in the corner of the screen, and then is taken back to the film automatically. This is a great way to see the movie anew during repeated showings. As with previous Disney DVDs, there is plenty on the animation process on the second disc–hundreds of sketches, examples of the complex layering of scenes, and illustrations of the different forms of filmmaking from storyboards to 3-D workbooks. Six dropped sequences are shown (in various stages of completion) that hint at a darker-toned film. Best are the segments of how the show-stopping scenes (the asteroid impact, the “dino” cam) were created and some early presentation reels. The two commentary tracks are standard fare, but the hidden “Easter Eggs” (hidden features–look for the dinosaur-head skeleton) are quite fun, delving into other dinosaur tidbits from the Disney archives.
–Doug Thomas