Making of The Good Dinosaur

Making of The Good Dinosaur

When I think of storytelling I think of the story from start to finish in a fun voice but in a way that the person/people are listening to the story can see it in their minds. I’m going to assume that is from the time I spent on “storytelling” in high school on the Forensics team where it was my challenge to be the best storyteller I could be via memorized pieces. While I visited Pixar in early October the word ‘storytelling’ was brought to life again, but this time in a whole new light.

I have been very fortunate to get a glimpse into the “behind” the scenes of movies, television shows and more but Pixar has a sense of Disney magic to it no matter who you are visiting with. On this trip we were allowed a glimpse into just some of the many people/departments that helped produce The Good Dinosaur. I am beyond amazed that each person that we interviewed had a love for the current movie they are working on as well as past movies. But there was no one along the way that said, I it was always we, which is one of the reasons in my opinion that Pixar movies are so touching.

Sharon Callahan is the Director of Photography and Lighting and she worked along site Peter Sohn to bring this movie to life. Her job was to bring to life the colors, scenes, times of the day and the seasons to tell a visual story to make the story more visceral and come together the best she can. But she has a challenging job because they start with ideas and the movie kind of builds itself scene by scene.

Films that were watched and molded into The Good Dinosaur were, Black Stallion, Never Cry Wolf, Seven Years in Tibet, Seraphim Falls, Rocky Mountain West, Shane, Dances with Wolves and Heavens Gate were just a few of them. Heavens Gate was very inspirational because of the way the setting was portrayed  but their own Snake River floating allowed them to come into loving the river and make it part of the story.

The scenery they wanted to reflect was like a character pioneering homesteading environment but one that stood alone as well as had heart and rich in storytelling. They took a couple research trips to different locations to get the story scenery that was believably integrated into the story. Cameras were put to use photographing lots of different things such as trees, pine needles, and just everything that they could to help them once they were in the studios.

When she paints in the wilderness it helps remind her of the atmosphere around her including sights, smells, and weather which allows her to bring the world to life back in the studio. Timeless scenery was the goal along with a variety of terrain but the viewer needed to feel authentic as well as part of the story. Characters had to be appealing as possible, but wonderful, visually rich and realistic and that it could really exist. The wilderness was frightening as it should be, but that it was an adventure and reality as well. It had to have heart and rich in visual scenery

They had to overcome three big challenges when it came to the set. How they created a big scope world, dramatic weather elements, and of course bringing the river to life. But then they put the USGS data of the the northwest United States to work to help create the set. Which lead into the learning about how they created the expansive world in the film sets with Supervisor David Munier were we got a behind the scenes glimpse into why the set looked and felt the way it did. The environment was one that loaned itself to the vast  horizons with mountains as well as sights that you could see for 50 miles or better. The data allowed them to see what it looked like at certain heights, why the vegetation was like it was in some areas and more.

But they all had to work hand in hand with the Effects Supervisor Jon Reisch to fully create the Pixar magic. Because the effects team played an equally vital role in the storytelling process. They created different environments using natural phenomenons rain, fire, smoke, landscape, mist, and storm sequences as well as the fog to help tell the story. But the water/river was a huge challenge in the storytelling process. All of this had to work gave a sense of  tangibility and as an audience member we are connected to the story and we feel like part of the story.

The river was “The Yellow Brick” road of the movie and it is a character and great storytelling part of the movie. The end result ended up being as long as you can see the river you can find your way home.

So as you can see there is a lot more to storytelling than just being the storyteller. Each person has an intricate part of the movie making process and together they make Pixar magic come to life from the characters in the movie to each and every person watching the movie. I can’t wait for the whole movie to be released! Be ready for the adventures of Spot and Arlo when The Good Dinosaur opens in theaters on November 25th!

The Good Dinosaur opens in theaters on November 25th!

It is a must watch for my family for sure!

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