Semi-charmed The Good Dinosaur is slight Pixar but nonetheless a small triumph of wonder and good-nature. Its lack of the distinct creativity that so often characterizes Pixar’s products is overshadowed by a big heart and a resplendent aesthetic palette. Even though the narrative is admittedly quaint, thinly plotted and largely derivative (The Good Dinosaur is essentially a mild repackaging of The Lion King), the overwhelming sense of goodness emanating from the center of Pixar’s 16th feature film had it strike poignant blows at my admittedly exposed softer spots. As Pixar is known to do.

A knobby-kneed Apatosaurus named Arlo (voiced by Raymond Ochoa) has survived the fated asteroid strike that killed off the dinosaurs 65 million years ago because, well, that asteroid never hit Earth in the first place. This small tweaking of history allows for advanced dino civilizations, who, now millions of years later, use agricultural techniques to harvest maize like the injins of yore or herd “longhorns” (big ol’ bison) like Missoula ranchers.

While the Pixar brain trust in the past have been industry leaders in terms of crafting, to quote Aladdin, a “whole new world,” the environmental innovation of The Good Dinosaur is uncharacteristically limited, especially for such an open concept as “the dinosaurs were never wiped out”. You might expect some heavy, clever twists involving dinosaurs living in a time period where, historically, they never have before but screenwriter Meg LeFauve doesn’t inject any of this into her work. Rather, potential is left unrealized more often than naught. The “asteroid missing Earth” aspect might as well be chucked out with the bath water, as The Good Dinosaur‘s chief conceit – that a very un-evolved version of man co-habitates Earth with the dinosaurs – is hardly fiddled with beyond that very bare-bones alteration. Man and dinosaur living simultaneously is nothing new to the film world so I, like most will, expected something more.

Monster’s Inc. imagined a world that ran parallel to ours, running on the screams (and eventually laughter) of children. Toy Story asked what happens to our playthings when they’re out from under peering eyes. Ratatouille had rodents cooking up Michelin-starred meals beneath the nose of unsuspecting Parisians. The Good Dinosaur, on the other hand, fails to blend its simplistic story of a runt of the liter trying to find his place in the world into a greater sense of purpose. Unlike the aforementioned films, it operates on one level and doesn’t dig deeper. That’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy it (I did) but it does leave you wondering if attempting to release two films in one year didn’t lead to some obvious quality control submissions over at Pixarland.

What works best with The Good Dinosaur is Arlo’s developing relationship with Spot (voiced by Jack Bright). Initially tasked with running this “pest” out from their silo by Poppa (Jeffrey Wright), Arlo and Spot end up lost in a great big world and must depend on each other to find their way home. In their relationship, director Peter Sohn finds his greatest strength and is able to explore the bond people share with their pets; the discipline, the frustration, the unwavering love. It’s a nice (and unexpected) conceit to have the human play Fido to the Dino and it’s what drives The Good Dinosaur‘s emotional zeal.

There’s pockets of The Good Dinosaur that tips its horns to the adults in the audience, most notably a fermented fruit sequence that is all too brief (and totally out of left field) but still a very welcome roar. Fear not though, the kid’s will have no idea that the characters on screen are totally tripping balls. Supporting characters though, such as the Sam Elliot-voiced Butch the T-Rex, feel underdeveloped and superfluous while the antagonists, a gaggle of storm-worshiping pterodactyls, never pose too much of a threat. The kiddies won’t likely even be scarred. As I mentioned earlier, The Good Dinosaur is Pixar-lite, and way more kid-friendly than the loftily-minded (but oh-so-good Inside Out), but that doesn’t really make it any less watchable.

Speaking of watchability, it doesn’t take 20/20 vision to see that The Good Dinosaur is arguably Pixar’s most visually impressive output yet. The water in this film alone is hardly distinguishable as the work of artists on a computer screen. The way it moves and flows, or drips from the trunk-like dinosaur appendages, seems to have stretched beyond imitation into an inimitable world of seamless recreation. The backdrops are simply gorgeous and though 3D doesn’t seem like an absolute requirement, it aids in giving the spine-backed, snow-capped mountains and verdant prehistoric forests of The Good Dinosaur even more pop and sizzle.

Meanwhile, Arlo’s campaign to overcome fear and prove himself as a contributing member of society is both earnest and relatable and makes for a genuinely winning emotional through line. And though I never quite had the urge to tear up (a sad rarity with Pixar’s ilk), The Good Dinosaur certain makes a play at the heart strings. But while the tenderest moments in Pixar’s catalog often come from surprising corners (i.e. Bing Bong), The Good Dinosaur‘s sentimental attack seems borderline artificial. The most emotional beat in the movie (involving Spot and Arlo connecting over lost members of their respective tribes) almost feels contrived; constructed to make you forfeit the Pixar tear. But they didn’t get me. Not this time Pixar!

For the many complaints I’ve lodged at The Good Dinosaur – chief among them that it rarely feels inspired – it’s still a standout animated film, head and shoulders above the saccharine tripe that has littered this year’s animated slots. Peter Sohn, whose only other directorial credit was for Pixar’s delightful short ‘Partly Cloudy’, has, if nothing else, made a light, second-rate Pixar experience but even Pixar’s second-tier material is better than most other animation studio’s top products.

CONCLUSION: Pixar’s ‘The Good Dinosaur’ is a far cry from the superb wunderkind that was ‘Inside Out’ and though its journey is more derivative than most of Pixar’s kind, it’s still a sweet, earnest little tale that children and adults will enjoy alike.