Good ol' family fare with cutting-edge, dazzling animation

FOR its 16th feature, Pixar introduces a strange new genre: the dinosaur Western; it's an adventure story about the scion of pioneering dinosaur homesteaders who is separated from family, experiences loss and journeys through inhospitable landscapes. The youngster encounters a menagerie of characters along the way before coming of age in true Disney style.

The Good Dinosaur, directed by Peter Sohn and written by Meg LeFauve, covers familiar territory on the plot front, but breaks new ground with breath-taking visuals and cutting-edge computer animation.

As foreshadowed by its much-delayed release, the film is not without some major flaws. None of them are fatal, but it's surprising that - with audience expectation at a high after the joys of Inside Out - the storyline lacks inspiration and sophistication.