Sunday, November 3, 2019

March of the Dinosaurs


Synopsis: This fully animated feature highlights the struggles certain dinosaurs go through during the winter months of northwest Canada and southwest USA.
Viewed on: Youtube

March of the dinosaurs was a nice surprise. I've seen trailers for this and it honestly didn't look too good and the animations were rough so I thought it was mostly aimed for kids. I was somewhat right, the fully computer generated feature was uncanny to watch after a while. The story takes place in northwest Canada (inside the Arctic Circle at the time) and mostly centers on two distinct characters. We have a young Edmontosaurus, Scar, and a young Troodon named Patch. Scar's story features him trekking a 1000-mile autumn migration with various hazards like thin ice and predators while Patch is shown having to stay and endure the Arctic winter.

Like I said, the animation is rough (think Beast Wars from the 90's) so stuff like shadows and fully detailed features on feathers and scales are hard to pin point. But I'll say this, if this animation is enough to stop you from enjoying the story then just skip it. But if you love dinosaurs and can overlook a glaring distraction like animation style then I'd say there's some fun to be had with this feature.

The story of Scar is riveting. So much so that now I'm interested in learning a little more about hadrosaurs which is a dinosaur genus Edmontosaurus are part of. As a young herbivorous dinosaur, his journey seemed more perilous at times. From his avoidance of predators like Albertosaurus to heartbreaking scenes of betrayal from one of own due to a brain tumor, I found myself moved many times due to my investment in this little dinosaur's journey.

Patch's story was almost as good but still fun to see his journey. The scenes with the Troodon sharing the screen with a Gorgosaurus are probably the most entertaining this part of the feature gets. The thing I really appreciate most from Patch's story was how close the movie tries to get to what the real creatures probably looked like. This movie is based on the latest dinosaur research so they incorporate feathers on the therapod dinosaurs which is something a lot of people might see for the first time. I really like how the animators were able to make the carnivorous dinosaurs relatable yet scary with plumage.

March of the Dinosaurs was a surprise for me. Go into this movie with zero expectations, a open mind and you will have a good time. Like I said before if the animation is not for you then skip it because it can admittedly be distracting. But if that doesn't deter you then I'd say this feature is a worth a watch. When a movie makes you appreciate a hadrosaur, arguably the cow of the dinosaur world, I'd say check it out.

My Score: Tyrannosaurus Recs

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