Italia Films to release Disney – Pixar’s latest animated adventure ‘The Good Dinosaur’ on December 10th all over U.A.E!!

Synopsis – An epic journey into the world of dinosaurs where an Apatosaurus named Arlo makes an unlikely human friend.

Director – Peter Sohn

Starring (voices of) – Jeffrey Wright, Frances McDormand, Maleah Nipay-Padilla

Check out some stills:

Check out the trailer:

CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS

ARLO

The last to hatch among his siblings and the smallest, 11-year-old Arlo has yet to make his mark on his family’s farm. Though he is eager to help out with chores, this sheltered Apatosaurus just can’t seem to get past his fear of everything. So when Arlo falls into a river and finds himself swept hundreds of miles away from home, he’s forced to face his fear for the first time in his life, braving the harsh, untamed wilderness and a long, arduous journey home. Along the way, Arlo develops an unlikely friendship with a human boy named Spot who helps him realize he is capable of much more than he ever thought.

SPOT

Spot is a wild, tough and tenacious human boy who has lived alone in the wilderness for much of his life. He speaks in only grunts and growls, but his strengths are clear: he’s fearless, confident and a survivalist. Spot quickly proves to be a great resource to Arlo, and slowly, becomes a friend.

POPPA

Brave and selfless, Poppa is a devoted husband and father, working tirelessly to make a life for his family on their farm. He has a soft spot for Arlo, his small and fearful son, and takes special care of him as he grows up. Poppa believes in Arlo and knows that with enough perseverance, Arlo can overcome his fear and make his mark.

MOMMA

A loving wife and mother, Momma is smart and quick-witted. She’s a hard worker with a lot of love for her family, and she keeps her children and their farm in order. Her quiet strength is the backbone of the family.

BUCK

Buck is Arlo’s brother: they’re the same age, but Buck is bigger, stronger and a little rambunctious. He likes to tease his fearful brother as often as he can—and Arlo is an easy target. Buck’s size, strength and confidence allow him to do things that Arlo can’t imagine doing—like ripping a tree out of the ground with his teeth.

LIBBY

Arlo’s sister Libby is a capable and willful girl who can plow a mean field. The little trickster has a great sense of humor, and loves playing silly pranks on her family.

PET COLLECTOR

Pet Collector is a mysterious Styracosaurus who lives in the wilderness. Like Arlo, he harbors unreasonable fears. His ability to blend into his surroundings helps—along with an unusual (but not-exactly-fierce) collection of forest critters he’s recruited to protect him.

BUTCH

Butch is a rugged and intimidating Tyrannosaurus Rex—showcased by the gruesome scar across his face. A veteran rancher who’s a real pro when it comes to herding longhorns, Butch encourages his kids Ramsey and Nash to learn by doing, hurling them into one hairy situation after another. Butch likes nothing better than trading war-stories over a campfire at the end of a long day.

RAMSEY

A fearless, whip-smart and no-nonsense Tyrannosaurus Rex rancher, Ramsey loves the challenge of driving a herd of longhorns with her father, Butch, and her little brother Nash. Ramsey has a lively, outgoing personality—she likes good jokes, tells a mean story and has a soft spot for those in need.

NASH

An enthusiastic young Tyrannosaurus Rex, Nash lives for adventure, and loves when something unexpected breaks up the routine of rounding up longhorns with his father, Butch, and his big sister Ramsey. He isn’t the sharpest of spurs and has trouble keeping track of their herd, but his mischievous charm and positive attitude make him good company out on the range.

PTERODACTYLS

The Pterodactyls are a search-and-“rescue” team of five. They like to sit back and let the often-treacherous storms in this part of the world do their dirty work, then reap the benefits of the devastation. But when these flying hunter-scavengers set their sights on Spot and Arlo, they’re in for a big surprise.

RAPTORS

Raptors prey on the prized herd of longhorns that belong to Butch and his Tyrannosaurus Rex family. Raptors—or Rustlers, as Butch calls them—sport wiry, feathered bodies and hardly compare in size or strength to a T-Rex. But as a group, the Raptors pose quite a threat, and even a T-Rex may need to call in reinforcements before tangling with them.

FUN FACTS

Phase One

Production

GO-PRO GO? — During a research trip to Wyoming, filmmakers braved a white-water rafting trip down the Snake River. Along the way, the GoPro camera being used to capture reference footage was dislodged and lost in the river. Thankfully, their guide was able to actually “read” the river and figure out just where it would likely come to a rest down stream. The camera was recovered—still running—and the team has footage of its solo journey.

Setting

CHECK THIS OUT – Inspired by the American Northwest, the setting for “The Good Dinosaur” is not only completely exterior, it features ever-changing weather. To prepare, Pixar’s artists and technicians created a rain and cloud library, featuring different types of rain and a selection of clouds that could be mixed and matched, and stretched, squashed and manipulated to create any desired look.

While clouds are typically done in matte paintings, for the first time ever, “The Good Dinosaur” features 100-percent volumetric clouds. This means, they are mobile, dimensional and can be lit from any camera angle, creating a stunning look.

WIDE-OPEN SPACES – To achieve the wide-open look director Peter Sohn desired, filmmakers utilized height field data from the U.S. Geological Survey that allowed them capture elevation details from actual areas in the country. This was the first step in creating a fully realized environment that allowed filmmakers remarkable flexibility in terms of camera placement.

PHOTO REAL? –The landscapes and environments in “The Good Dinosaur” are extraordinary, transporting audiences to a world where they can almost feel the raindrops. But filmmakers say it isn’t photo-real—just detailed in a way advanced technology and style decisions allow. Some members of the team playfully refer to the look as “Sharon Calahan Realism,” in honor of the director of photography-lighting. As a passionate landscape painter, Calahan has spent countless hours painting in the very areas that inspired the film’s setting. Her trained eye made a significant contribution to the film’s overall look.

H-2-OH! – “The Good Dinosaur” features more water shots than any Pixar feature before it, including more than 125 shots of the river alone.

Characters

ALTERNATE UNIVERSE – In the world of “The Good Dinosaur,” where dinosaurs never became extinct, but instead evolved, herbivores—like Arlo’s Apatosaurus family — became farmers, and carnivores— like the T-Rexes—became ranchers.

WELL-GROOMED – Butch, the tough T-Rex Arlo encounters on his journey, sports a nod to the actor who provides his voice, Sam Elliott. According to supervising animator Mike Venturini, when Butch grins, his big white teeth resemble Elliott’s signature moustache.

Filmmakers looked at classic movie cowboys like characters portrayed by Clint Eastwood and Jack Palance to help inspire Butch’s physical look and performance.

RIDE ‘EM, COWBOY – Since the T-Rexes featured in “The Good Dinosaur” are ranchers, filmmakers wanted to give them the look of a true cowboy. When they’re running, their lower bodies mimic that of galloping horses, while their upper bodies have the feel of the riding cowboy.

ADVANCE

Disney•Pixar’s “The Good Dinosaur” asks the question: What if the asteroid that forever changed life on Earth missed the planet completely and giant dinosaurs never became extinct? Pixar Animation Studios takes you on an epic journey into the world of dinosaurs where an Apatosaurus named Arlo makes an unlikely human friend.

“From the moment Arlo is born, he’s afraid of the world,” says director Peter Sohn. “He’s fun-loving and determined; he’s got a lot of fire when it comes to his desire to help his family. But he’s scared. His fear holds him back.

“From the beginning, Spot is the opposite of Arlo,” continues Sohn. “He’s tenacious, brave and an animal in every sense of the word. It’s the story of a boy and his dog—only in our story, the boy is a dinosaur and the dog is a boy.”

The film catapults Arlo into a vast wilderness that forces him to confront his fears. According to producer Denise Ream, the stunning and often overwhelming landscape that artists created ultimately played an important role in the story. “Nature can overcome anything,” she says, “including a massive dinosaur.”

Inspired by the American Northwest, filmmakers found that even towering dinosaurs could feel small in the right surroundings, which worked to intensify Arlo’s fears. “He has a lot to overcome,” says Sohn. “His father always knew he was capable of much more, but it’ll take this emotional journey for Arlo to realize it.”

Along the way, Arlo encounters a host of unique personalities who all contribute to his evolution—whether they mean to or not. But the friendship he builds with Spot has the biggest impact. Says Sohn, “The bond that grows between Arlo and Spot allows Arlo to push through his fear and take on the ultimate nemesis: nature.”

“The Good Dinosaur” features an extraordinary roster of voice talent. “We were lucky to work with a number of incredible pros along the way and our story ultimately led us to this amazing and talented group,” says Sohn. “We’re all taking this journey with Arlo, and it’s been a privilege to see these performers bring our characters to life.”

The voice cast includes Jeffrey Wright (“The Hunger Games: Mockingjay” – parts I & II, HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire”) as Arlo’s wise Poppa, Frances McDormand (HBO’s “Olive Kitteridge,” “Fargo”) as Arlo’s strong Momma, Marcus Scribner (ABC’s “black•ish”) as Arlo’s brother Buck, Raymond Ochoa (NBC’s “The Night Shift,” TNT’s “Rizzoli & Isles,” “Disney’s A Christmas Carol”) as Arlo, Jack Bright (“Monsters University”) as Spot, Steve Zahn (“Captain Fantastic,” “Ridiculous Six,” “Rescue Dawn,” “Mad Dogs”) as a fearless pterodactyl named Thunderclap, AJ Buckley (TNT’s “Murder in the First,” FX’s “Justified”) as teen T-Rex Nash, Anna Paquin (HBO’s “True Blood”) as Nash’s tenacious sister Ramsey, and Sam Elliott (FX’s “Justified,” “I’ll See You In My Dreams,” “Grandma”) as T-Rex patriarch Butch.

Disney•Pixar’s “The Good Dinosaur” is executive produced by John Lasseter, Lee Unkrich an Andrew Stanton. With original concept and development by Bob Peterson, the film features a story by Sohn, Erik Benson, Meg LeFauve, Kelsey Mann and Peterson, and a screenplay by LeFauve. Music is by Academy Award®-winning film composer Mychael Danna (“Life of Pi”) and Emmy®-nominated composer Jeff Danna (“Tyrant”). The film opens in theaters on Nov. 25, 2015.

A “BOY” AND “DOG” STORY

Bond Between Dinosaur and Human Boy Drives Incredible Journey Home

In a world where dinosaurs never became extinct and humans roam the wild, “The Good Dinosaur” features a simple, relatable story. “It’s really a coming-of-age story,” says director Peter Sohn. “Arlo is afraid everything. But his father, Poppa, is always there for him, encouraging Arlo to step out of his comfort zone, to confront his fears, to make his mark.”

“Arlo is young and vulnerable,” says character art director Matt Nolte. “He’s so unsure of himself and we wanted to capture that in his look. He’s smaller and thinner than his siblings. I noticed my own kids’ teeth, feet and ears seemed to outpace the rest of them at that age, so we played with the scale of Arlo’s muzzle, his feet and tail to help make him feel awkward.

“Poppa is powerful and capable,” adds Nolte. “He has perfect posture and he walks in a straight line—he knows where he’s going—whereas Arlo actually zigzags.”

His siblings, sister Libby and brother Buck, are bigger than Arlo from the very beginning. Work and chores around the farm seem to come easily to them, which only shines a brighter light on Arlo’s inabilities. Arlo desperately wants to impress his family, but finds himself falling short time after time.

“Poppa gives Arlo a job—a mission to earn his mark,” says Sohn. “Arlo is tasked with catching a critter, a pest who’s eating the food they’ve stored for the winter. At last, Arlo has a chance to prove his worth. But in the end, he can’t do it. He can’t kill this creature he’s captured, and he sets it free, much to his father’s disappointment.”

Poppa’s subsequent tough-love lesson turns tragic, and Arlo has trouble coping. “He blames the critter for everything,” says Sohn.

Arlo‘s anger ultimately results in a major misstep that leaves him lost and far from home. His chances for survival are dubious until an unexpected ally shows up and lends a hand. The critter, later dubbed Spot, doesn’t venture far from Arlo—despite the dinosaur’s angry feelings about him. “Spot is really the opposite of Arlo,” says story supervisor Kelsey Mann. “He’s incredibly brave, tenacious and resourceful. He’s been out in the wilderness his entire life. So Arlo is forced to lean on Spot for support.”

The unlikely friends embark on an eventful journey through stunning but often unforgiving environments in an effort to get Arlo home. Along the way, they encounter an array of intriguing characters, including a family of T-Rexes. According to Mann, they’re the dinosaur version of cowboys. “They’re ranchers—quiet, intimidating, tough and massive. They play a big role in opening Arlo’s eyes to his fear.”

The T-Rexes were largely inspired by a family in the Pacific Northwest that some of the production team met. Filmmakers were captivated by their way of life after a research trip to their ranch, where they took part in moving cattle on horseback. Says Sohn, “It wasn’t even a about the cattle—though it was thrilling to see hundreds of them eyeballing us. But the way the members of this big family love each other and teach each other made such an impact.

BENEATH A STARRY SKY

Filmmakers Venture to the American Northwest to Walk in Arlo’s Footsteps

Director Peter Sohn and Pixar’s team of artists and technical wizards went to great lengths to capture the magic of nature in their filmmaking. Research trips to the American Northwest, from Juntura, Oregon, to regions surrounding Jackson Hole, Wyoming, immersed the filmmakers in the landscape where Arlo would soon find himself hopelessly lost.

The idea of getting lost was a theme from the get-go. In fact, says producer Denise Ream, it was the motto of an early research trip to Wyoming to go horseback riding near the Teton Range and river rafting down the Snake River. “We put a trip together to immerse Peter and a few other members of our team in that world,” she says. “We went into it hoping to get lost—to have that feeling that anything can happen without warning.”

And it did. Associate producer Mary Alice Drumm narrowly escaped serious injury during the group’s horseback expedition. “We rode for a long time,” she says. “We’d reached the top of a hill where we found snow on the ground and were about to turn around to head back when my horse got cold and decided to drop and roll over in the dirt. I jumped off, but my foot was caught in the stirrup.”

Drumm pulled her leg out before the thousand-pound horse could hurt her, but the incident showcased just how tentative life in that environment could be. Experiencing instant and substantial shifts in temperature and temperament, the group also saw first-hand how the weather would play an important role in Arlo’s journey.

“The wilderness is Arlo’s main antagonist in the movie,” says production designer Harley Jessup. “Nature seems to help and challenge him at various times.”

According to Jessup, the research trip, which also ventured into Southern Montana, not only illustrated nature’s power, but also its beauty. “The area has a fantastic variety of landscapes, ranging from the Jackson Valley and the Tetons to the amazing geysers and waterfalls in Yellowstone. We studied the grasslands of Montana and the Red Desert, then incorporated all of it in Arlo’s journey.”

Adds Sohn, “The golds and reds from the aspens were incredible—and the cottonwoods—I’ve never seen anything like that before.”

Filmmakers wanted to capture the full scope of the environment they experienced, so they turned to Pixar’s technical pros to figure out how to do it. “We looked into procedural techniques,” says Sanjay Bakshi, supervising technical director. “We were able to download terrain data for Wyoming. The U.S. Geological Survey has height field data for the entire United States that’s created from mostly aerial photographs. The elevation data was the foundation for the procedural system we built.”

Bakshi and his team procedurally added vegetation on that terrain data by downloading satellite pictures. “We had the computer set-dress miles and miles of terrain by telling it that whatever was green should be trees. If it was brown, it was dirt; blue should be water. This gave Peter the freedom to shoot in any direction he wanted to make the world feel big and real.”

The effort provided filmmakers with a background base that otherwise would be accomplished by matte paintings—a time consuming and limiting effort, as it restricts camera movement. “The foreground and middle ground action areas were always modeled by hand,” adds Jessup. “By the time we were done, our landscape models were totally unique, but still authentic in their geological qualities.”

Sharon Calahan is director of photography-lighting for the film. As a passionate landscape painter, Calahan has spent countless hours painting the very landscapes that inspired the film’s look. She came to the project with a keen sense for the environment and how the filmmakers could bring it to life. “We want to support the film emotionally,” says Calahan. “It’s more than just the light. It’s how the weather and the colors and everything makes you feel.”

Calahan had one key request early in the production. “I put a stake in the ground and said, ‘I want to do one-hundred-percent volumetric clouds on this film.’”

Committing to the clouds meant a major change in Pixar’s pipeline, but Calahan—in anticipation of the stormy sequences that would feature threatening clouds—knew the end result would be worth the effort. “These storm clouds are almost like a villain in the film. Plus, it’s very labor-intensive to paint clouds, and they’re in almost every scene.”

With a lot of technical fine-tuning, the team was able to give Calahan her clouds. “These particular clouds can be rendered and we can light them, which we’ve never been able to properly do before. They’re beautiful.

“Everything feels majestic,” continues Calahan. “Compared to the Bay area with its hazy moisture in the air, it’s very dry in that part of the country. It really does feel like you can see forever.”

“Everywhere we went, there was a duality: something beautiful and dangerous at the same time—like landslides beneath sunsets,” says Sohn. “We didn’t want it to feel like a walk in the park. It feels big—even to a dinosaur.”

It was this awe of nature’s beauty and power that inspired the filmmakers to make the wilderness a character and not just a setting for Arlo and Spot.

“After seeing the Milky Way for the first time, I got emotional,” says Sohn. “I’d seen stars before, but never the Milky Way. I walked outside in the middle of the night—it was two or three in the morning. Everyone was asleep. In Juntura, Oregon, there are no city lights, I could see from horizon to horizon. I had no idea before that night: I thought the Milky Way was some little pattern in the sky, but it was humongous. It was breathtaking.

“I woke up the next morning and thought, ‘holy cow, look at the incredible purity of this life,’” Sohn continues. “I was so envious of the way that family lived. You can’t beat nature, like you can’t beat fear. But you can find a way to get through it.”

THE GOOD DINOSAUR

DISNEY•PIXAR

Website: http://movies.disney.com/the-good-dinosaur

Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PixarTheGoodDinosaur

U.S. Release Date: November 25, 2015

Rating: PG

Voice Cast: Jeffrey Wright, Frances McDormand, Marcus Scribner, Raymond Ochoa, Jack

Bright, Steve Zahn, AJ Buckley, Anna Paquin, Sam Elliott

Director: Peter Sohn

Producer: Denise Ream

Executive Producers: John Lasseter, Lee Unkrich, Andrew Stanton

Directed by Peter Sohn and produced by Denise Ream (“Cars 2”), Disney•Pixar’s “The Good Dinosaur” opens in theaters on Nov. 25, 2015.

An Apatosaurus named Arlo and his unlikely human friend travel through a harsh and mysterious landscape, where Arlo learns to confront his fears, discovering what he is truly capable of.

Notes:

Peter Sohn made his directorial debut with the Pixar short film “Partly Cloudy.” He has worked in the art, story and animation departments, and also has voiced the characters of Emile from Academy Award®-winning “Ratatouille” and Scott “Squishy” Squibbles from “Monsters University.”
Denise Ream produced the Golden Globe®-nominated film “Cars 2” for Pixar Animation Studios, and served as associate producer for Disney•Pixar’s Academy Award®-winning film “Up.” She also has an extensive background in producing visual effects and animation for live action films.

OFFICIAL BOILERPLATE:

“The Good Dinosaur” asks the question: What if the asteroid that forever changed life on Earth missed the planet completely and giant dinosaurs never became extinct? Pixar Animation Studios takes you on an epic journey into the world of dinosaurs where an Apatosaurus named Arlo (voice of Raymond Ochoa) makes an unlikely human friend. While traveling through a harsh and mysterious landscape, Arlo learns the power of confronting his fears and discovers what he is truly capable of. Directed by Peter Sohn and produced by Denise Ream (“Cars 2”), Disney•Pixar’s “The Good Dinosaur” opens in theaters on Nov. 25, 2015. For more information, check out http://movies.disney.com/the-good-dinosaur, like us on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/PixarTheGoodDinosaur, and follow us on Twitter, https://twitter.com/TheGoodDinosaur, and Instagram, https://instagram.com/TheGoodDinosaur.