Dino Dana - The Movie Parent Guide

Dana (Michela Luci) is a 10-year-old paleontologist in training with a field journal that gives her the ability to see dinosaurs in real life. She uses this unique situation to conduct experiments about dinosaur behavior and figure out answers to questions that paleontologists ask. Today she is conducting experiment 901: where are all the kid dinosaurs? With the help of her new neighbors, Jadiel (Richie Lawrence) and Mateo (Evan Whitten), and her big sister, Saara (Saara Chaudry), Dana sets out on an adventure to find the answer.

Dino Dana started out as a television show aimed at young children, and now it’s been turned into a feature film. I was not familiar with the series prior to today, but if the show is just a shorter version of the movie, I think I might add it to the list of programs my 3-year-old is allowed to watch. The premise of Dino Dana is creative and educational. Basically, Dana asks questions about dinosaurs and then imagines the dinosaurs in the real world so that she can test her hypotheses. She stresses that science is always changing, and that as we learn new information, we have to reevaluate past theories. I think this is a great way to teach young children about the scientific method while also having fun adventures, and I have never met a child who wasn’t at least a little bit interested in dinosaurs!

Unfortunately, being given a longer run time did not do Dino Dana any favors. The premise is stretched too thin to maintain the energy it needs for an hour and a quarter. There are some parts in the middle that drag as plot points get repeated to fill up time. The central hypothesis is pushed to the side for the entire second act. It feels like an overly long episode of television, not like a movie. Although there are lots of dinosaur facts sprinkled throughout, the science portion felt unfocused overall. The animation is lacking, but that is to be expected from a production of this size.

Where this film shines is in its themes outside of the science. There is a subplot where Dana’s older stepsister, Saara, is having to choose between living with her mom or her dad, as her mom must move far away for work. As a parallel, the new neighbors, Jadiel and Mateo, are stepbrothers. Mateo refers to Jadiel as his brother, and Jadiel always corrects him saying that he is his stepbrother. Along the adventure, all of the children learn what being a family means, whether you’re related by blood or not, and what it takes to be a good brother or sister. This message about blended families is handled really well, and I think it is an important learning moment for children of any family situation. The diversity of the cast along with its representations of a variety of types of families is appreciated and meaningful.

As an educational film, I think that Dino Dana the Movie is a great option for young children. It mixes lessons about science and family together in a way that is well suited for its intended audience. Unfortunately, it suffers because of its runtime and lack of production value, making it a dull watch for adults.