WE'RE BACK! A DINOSAUR'S STORY
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1993 James Berardinelli
Rating (Linear 0 to 10): 5.0
Date Released: 11/24/93 Running Length: 1:12 Rated: G (Nothing offensive)
Starring the voices of John Goodman, Felicity Kendal, Jay Leno, Walter Cronkite, Martin Short, Julia Child Directors: Dick Zondag, Ralph Zondag, Phil Nibbelink, and Simon Wells Producer: Stephen Hickner Screenplay: John Patrick Shanley based on the book by Hudson Talbot Music: James Horner Released by Universal Pictures
Call it JURASSIC PARK JR., although it's likely to appeal only to a small fraction of the audience that enjoyed Steven Spielberg's summer mega-hit. Where that one was a thrill-a-minute ride filled with spectacular effects and well-orchestrated tension, WE'RE BACK is an exercise in endurance--not only is it on the dull side, but it has such an overwhelming sense of sweetness that it threatens to become nauseating.
Young children--presumably WE'RE BACK's intended audience--will likely enjoy the adventures of four dinosaurs and two New York youths. It's adults accompanying their offspring who will have problems because, even considering the short length of the film, this is the visual equivalent of a Sominex. To say that there's not much of interest going on is an understatement. While the plot is adequate for the under-ten group, it won't do much to satisfy the older viewer. Hopefully WE'RE BACK's single musical number, a nicely jaunty tune, is sufficient to keep the eyelids open.
The premise is simple (and simple-minded). The oddball Captain Neweyes (voice of Walter Cronkite) takes his "Wish Machine" back in time to collect for dinosaurs: a tyrannosaurus named Rex (voice of John Goodman), a pterodactyl, a hadrosaurus, and a triceratops. After feeding them his "Brain Grain" cereal, Neweyes drops them into New York harbor, charging them to reach the Museum of Natural History where children from all over the world can have their wish to see a real dinosaur granted. Unfortunately, the quartet gets sidetracked by the devious schemes of Captain Neweyes' evil brother, Professor Screweyes, who wants the dinosaurs as the prime exhibit in his Circus of Fear.
With a talented writer like John Patrick Shanley (MOONSTRUCK) at the keyboard, I expected more than this trite, vacuous effort. Sure, there's an occasional line thrown in for the adults, but that hardly makes the experience worthwhile. The best animated films are those that have something for viewers of all ages. Over the years, Disney's films have proven that "animation" doesn't equate with "juvenile." The creators of WE'RE BACK didn't learn the lesson, so their product turns out to be an overly-long, big screen cartoon.
The animation is serviceable, and occasionally above-average. The limitations of a "quickie job" are often apparent, but there are a few nice sequences when it appears that some effort was put into the visual aspects of the story.
Whoever picked the voices for WE'RE BACK made some unusual choices, none of which leads to an impressive or inspired performance. Walter Cronkite, Julia Child, and veteran British comic actress Felicity Kendal all have parts, as do the more "typical" vocal artists John Goodman, Martin Short, and Jay Leno. Mr. Cronkite gets an opportunity to say "And that's the way it is...", but I don't recall Ms. Child ever making mention of "Bon appetite."
In a year when there's no new offering from Disney, the temptation is to search for something to fill the void. By choosing the time when BEAUTY AND THE BEAST came out two years ago and ALADDIN last year, WE'RE BACK is obviously making a cheap bid for this distinction. Parents should not be fooled into thinking they're getting anything in the same league. If they don't mind fighting off a desire to snooze, their kids probably will enjoy this movie. Otherwise, THE LION KING (Disney's next animated feature) is only six months away. It's an unfortunate choice to have to make.
- James Berardinelli (blake7@cc.bellcore.com)
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