3 Fab Dino Flicks for Your Toddling Paleontologist

Every kid goes through a “dinosaur phase” – every kid. Boys and girls, toddlers to teens, lasting a month or a year, from passing fancy to outright obsession, and from Barney to T-Rex. Why is this? We have a few theories: The fact that they’re extinct gives them a certain mystique that other dangerous beasts living today simply do not have. Also, dinosaurs ruled the earth. Lions may be kings of the jungle, but the dino’s domain was everywhere. Plus, they leave super-cool skeletons, making every kid an armchair paleontologist!

Most movies are about the scary sort of prehistoric creatures – Jurassic Park, anyone? – but there’ve been some really sweet kid flicks about really sweet dinosaurs.

Which brings us to our first pick…

The Good Dinosaur

2015, PG

The Good Dinosaur poses the question: What if the asteroid that forever changed life on Earth missed the planet completely, and giant dinosaurs never became extinct? Arlo is one lucky lizard… he and his family were not wiped out 65 million years ago. The action follows his misadventures when he gets swept downriver and is separated from his family and meets Spot, a Neanderthal boy who offers his help and friendship. Together, the unlikely friends embark on an epic quest to reunite Arlo with his beloved family. Adults might find this Pixar flick a bit too kiddy, but the young ones will love it – Arlo and Spot are a “Good” team!

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

2009, PG

Sid the sloth (John Leguizamo) swipes some dinosaur eggs, perhaps not realizing that they’ll hatch and that he’ll be responsible for the offspring! He gets himself in a world of trouble, so Manny (Ray Romano), Diego, (Denis Leary) and the rest of their prehistoric pals enter a mysterious underground lair to rescue their silly sloth pal. During the course of their mission, the gang encounters many creatures great and small, the most memorable of which is a dinosaur-hunting, wily weasel named Buck (Simon Pegg). This is as funny as any of the movies in the Ice Age series!

The Land Before Time

1988, G

Initially met with mixed reviews, The Land Before Time is now regarded as an animated classic. The story follows Littlefoot, a young vegetarian dinosaur, who was orphaned after his mother died while protecting him from a vicious carnivore. With her last breath, she tells him how to get to the legendary Great Valley, where he will be reunited with others of his kind. With his BFF Cera at his side, the baby dino sets out for the fabled land and he gathers a variety of new friends along the way… but little do the little adventurers know that they are being tracked by the killer dinosaur that did away with Littlefoot’s mom. Not too scary, but still full of adventure, this cartoon really stands the test of time.

What are some of your dino lover’s favorite movies? Share with us!

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Tags : films   movies   dinosaurs   

Nicki Kanwal
My 2 year old son loves The Good Dinosaur
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