Dinotopia: Quest for the Ruby Sunstone

Having never read the book(s) and having not seen enough of the show to judge, I saw Dinotopia: Quest for the Ruby Sunstone aiming to judge it on its own merits and with no expectations. After seeing it I don't think it is as bad as I'd heard it was, I have seen far worse animated movies out there though at the same time I've seen better also. However, it also seemed on the bland side. The good points are the animation, which is mostly bright and fluid, a whimsical and sometimes haunting background score, cute characters(with the exception of Spaz who I found irritating) as well as some suitably antagonistic villains, some good non-preachy messaging and some good voice acting from Alyssa Milano, Kathy Griffin, Carol Burnett and Malcolm McDowell. However Dinotipia: Quest for the Ruby Sunstone's flaws are mainly to do with the script and the story. The script is very simplistic, while the story is structurally thin and also rather predictable. The film is also too short and there are some bizarrely placed and forgettable musical numbers. Overall, not bad but rather bland for my liking. 6/10 Bethany Cox

If you're an adult watching this, you're going to hate it. Especially if you're a fan of the books. Seems to me, that's what the other reviewers were.

However, my 3-year old son, who happens to be a dinosaur fanatic, LOVES this movie. He's too young to be able to watch the mini-series or read the books. However, this was a great way to get him introduced to the Dinotopia world at his early age. No violence, no risqué dialogue, just wholesome child-friendly dinosaur fun. Why look for inconsistencies in a kid's movie? So it's not like the books - most kid's movies aren't.

My son has every word of this movie memorized - subsequently, so do I. If you have young children, especially those that like dinosaurs, this movie is perfect.

This movie was so bad that me and my friend spent at least half a hour destroying the disc. Why, you ask? Because it was boring and stupid. It wasn't even funny. I mean so bad it's funny. 2/10 got to destroy the disc and it was fun. Movie's bad!

This is a movie for KIDS. I have a two-year old, and he LOVES this film; he chooses it for about 25% of his total viewing options. He has learned a lot about different types of dinosaurs across books and videos, and we talk about different dinosaurs and flying reptiles through the movie as we watch it. Have wikipedia handy, because there isn't anything scientific in the fare.

We skip the scary part in the cave (he doesn't like the mean dino-cronies unless they're getting bested by the protagonists).

I don't know a thing about the Dinotopia books, or mini-series, or anything. It's clear there are references to other things all throughout the movie, but it's not disruptive to young children. Based on other reviews, I'm sure it butchers that material into nice clean young-child-friendly pork chops.

Clearly appears to be a reach for the toy market, due to the strutters (they look great, would love to know if they were ever prototyped). Lots of potential for multiple releases and sat-morn fare, but never expanded; too bad.

Overall: Good animation, very fluid, good expressions, not jumpy like modern kid cartoons designed for the ADHD crowd. Classic styling with computer-generated backgrounds that are nicely handled.

Voice acting pretty good, unfortunately the script and story is scatterbrained and simplistic. NOT for a ten year old, and DEFINITELY not for a 35 year old Dinotopia hardcore. It's for younger children to enjoy a romp through a fantasy land where dinosaurs have feelings too.

Best movie hands down, jokes are a solid 12/10 and animation is god tier