* * * ½

(Nice little cartoon feature with a message)

Bring the kids to see this nice little cartoon feature with a message from Pixar.

The good little dinosaur just happens to be the runt of the litter. While his siblings earn their mark early in their lives, it takes our hero a bit longer to shake his fears.

Arlo’s father dies and the good dinosaur is separated from his family. He becomes friends with a young boy and they end up saving each other as they embark on a series of adventures.

Good messages about overcoming your fears, making your mark and the importance of family are emphasized throughout the movie. What caught my attention were the juxtaposition of the cartoon figures on beautiful shots of natural surroundings. There are a few scenes with some strange creatures that may scare the very young. Rated PG for that reason.

“Sanjay and Dad,” a very strange cartoon short about a religious Buddhist father and his son who would rather play with action figures, precedes the movie. While it has a good message about tolerance, it may need some explaining to the younger ones.