Script Analysis: “The Good Dinosaur” — Scene By Scene Breakdown
Here is my take on this exercise from a previous series of posts — How To Read A Screenplay:
Here is my take on this exercise from a previous series of posts — How To Read A Screenplay:
After a first pass, it’s time to crack open the script for a deeper analysis and you can do that by creating a scene-by-scene breakdown. It is precisely what it sounds like: A list of all the scenes in the script accompanied by a brief description of the events that transpire.
For purposes of this exercise, I have a slightly different take on scene. Here I am looking not just for individual scenes per se, but a scene or set of scenes that comprise one event or a continuous piece of action. Admittedly this is subjective and there is no right or wrong, the point is simply to break down the script into a series of parts which you then can use dig into the script’s structure and themes.
The value of this exercise:
- We pare down the story to its most constituent parts: Scenes.
- By doing this, we consciously explore the structure of the narrative.
- A scene-by-scene breakdown creates a foundation for even deeper analysis of the story.
Today: The Good Dinosaur (2015). You can download a PDF of the script here.
Screenplay by Meg LeFauve, story by Peter Sohn & Erik Benson & Meg LeFauve & Kelsey Mann & Bob Peterson, original concept and development by Bob Peterson, additional screenplay material by Peter Hedges & Adrian Molina.
IMDb plot summary: In a world where dinosaurs and humans live side-by-side, an Apatosaurus named Arlo makes an unlikely human friend.
The Good Dinosaur
Scene by Scene Breakdown
By Rhidian Pentz
GoIntoTheStory.com
Page 1: Outer space 65 million years ago. An asteroid heads toward Earth.
1: Dinosaurs are eating in a field when they notice an meteor fly over them.
1: Millions of years later: a shot of the western frontier.
1–2: A farm, fields, and mountains are revealed. HENRY (Poppa) and IDA (Momma), Apatosauruses, are introduced knocking trees down, plowing and planting seeds in the fields. Henry uses water from a river nearby to irrigate the fields. Ida calls to the attention of Henry.
2–4: Henry and Ida observe three eggs. The first egg cracks. It’s LIBBY, their first child. The second egg cracks. It’s BUCK, their second child. There is more of a build-up for the final egg. It finally cracks. ARLO, the runt, is revealed. Arlo’s body is disproportionate compared to his siblings.
4–5: Henry introduces Libby, Buck, and Arlo to their farm and the surrounding landscape. This is their home.
5–7: FIVE YEARS LATER: Libby and Buck have grown significantly. Both play in the fields. Young Arlo is helping Ida collect corn from the field. Arlo carries the corn feed to a nearby chicken pen. He’s easily frightened. As Arlo helps a familiar chick, EUSTICE, he becomes terrified by the crazed mother chick, HENRIETTA, who chases Arlo out of the pen.
7–9: Henry rescues a frantic Arlo from falling into the nearby river. Henry is stocking the silo with corn. Critters have taken to the corn lately. Ida and Henry make their mark (footprint of mud) on the silo. The three children are envious of their parents’ mark. Someday they will earn their mark.
9–10: FIVE YEARS LATER: Buck continues to impress his parents by clearing fields of trees. Arlo gets chased by chickens.
10: Arlo observes how proud Momma and Poppa are of Buck making his mark on the silo.
10: Libby works hard plowing to finally earn her mark.
10–11: Arlo observes Libby. He continues to get chased by the chickens.
11: Arlo stares at the silo, determined.
11–13: Arlo walks straight to the chicken pen. He means business. Buck calls to Arlo from the ground. He appears to be hurt. With his tail in disguise, Buck pretends that a giant chicken (Henrietta) is about to attack Arlo. Arlo becomes furious and starts to argue with Buck. Momma and Poppa approach them.
13: Night scenery. Quiet.
13: Poppa wakes Arlo up from his sleep.
13–15: Poppa and Arlo walk through the dark to a field. Arlo walks into the field by himself. Poppa follows and awakens fireflies, illuminating the whole field.
15: Poppa notices their food is being eaten out of the silo.
15–16: Arlo’s new task is to catch the critter responsible for eating their corn supply. Arlo and Poppa build a trap. They demonstrate how the trap works. Poppa reassures Arlo he will make his mark when he captures the critter.
16–18: Arlo plays in front of the trap. The critter gets caught in the trap. Arlo prepares to finish the critter off, but Arlo frees the HUMAN BOY. The boy advances toward Arlo, who screams after falling over a rock. Poppa rushes over to Arlo. He notices he let the critter escape. Poppa is angry with Arlo.
19: Poppa continues with Arlo over the fence into the wilderness. It has started to rain.
19–21: Poppa moves along the river at a steady pace. A storm is escalating above them. Arlo falls and hurts his leg. Poppa realizes he has pushed Arlo too hard to face his fears. Poppa has Arlo turn back with his hurt foot. Arlo senses an urgency from Poppa. The river is rising, with thunder and lightning overhead. Poppa tries to get Arlo to safety as the intensity of the storm picks up. A wall of water carries Poppa downriver.
21–22: Poppa’s death is apparent. The family continues to harvest their field before the snow arrives. Fatigue sets in without Poppa.
22: Arlo fills the silo with corn. A partially eaten corn cob is thrown out of the silo.
22–23: Inside the silo is the human boy from before. Arlo becomes defensive immediately.
23: The boy jumps out of the silo, over Arlo. Arlo chases after him as he blames the boy for what has happened to his family. The boy climbs onto Arlo. As he tries to shake the boy off of him, they both fall into the river.
23–24: Arlo shouts for help while being dragged by the river.
24–25: Arlo wakes up along the shore of the river. He calls for Momma. He is a beaten up. The boy is noticed atop of a nearby cliff. Again, Arlo becomes furious at the sight of this lingering critter.
25–26: Arlo soon becomes scared, not knowing where he is in relation to home. He finds the river, which he knows will lead him in the right direction.
26: Arlo continues along the river. As he becomes hungry, he stumbles upon a berry tree.
26: Getting to the berries becomes a challenge. Arlo falls from a boulder, landing with his foot stuck between two boulders.
26–27: It’s night and Arlo is still trapped.
27: Arlo wakes up to find his foot released from the two boulders. He sees human tracks nearby.
27–29: Arlo finds the river again. He makes shelter from an assortment of branches to keep him dry from the rain. He hears a sound. The boy has returned to Arlo. The boy drops a lizard from his mouth in front of Arlo. Arlo does not know what to do with the lizard. Next, the boy brings Arlo a bug. Arlo remains disgusted. The boy finally brings him some berries. Relieved by the sight and taste of the berries, Arlo still holds a grudge against the boy. The boy leaves to fetch more berries. Arlo follows.
30–31: Arlo chases the boy up along a cliff. He gets frustrated by the idea of the boy putting him in danger again. The boy bites Arlo so he can use Arlo as a bridge to connect to a nearby ledge where berries await them. As they both get their footing on the other side of the ledge, the boy blocks Arlo from the berries and growls. A snake attacks Arlo, forcing him from the cliff.
31–35: He lands among the trees below. The boy showcases his ferocious side as he battles the threatening snake. Shortly after, Arlo hears a voice nearby. FORREST WOODBUSH THE PET COLLECTOR, a Styracosaurus, appears from the trees covered with several other animals. The Pet Collector is interested in the boy after seeing him battle the snake. He attempts to name the boy. Arlo competes with the Pet Collector in finding a name the boy will respond to. The boy turns and runs to Arlo at the name of SPOT.
35: Arlo and Spot continue up river.
35–36: Spot and Arlo stumble upon several gopher holes. A gopher takes a bite into Arlo, forcing him to fall in a lake.
36: Arlo doesn’t know how to swim. Spot jumps into the lake. Arlo observes and imitates Spot’s swimming motions. Arlo gets out of the water covered in leeches.
37: Both, Arlo and Spot, share a hallucination experience together from eating an exotic fruit.
37: Both recover from this experience.
37–39: They walk through a meadow, where Arlo notices a firefly. Arlo shows Spot the effect of brushing his tails over the grass. Spot is amazed by this spectacle. This triggers a sense of warmth for Arlo. He misses his family. Arlo depicts his family with sticks in the sand to Spot. Spot closely observes the “family” Arlo has made. Spot does the same thing, representing his own family, and how his parents have passed away. They both howl.
39: Arlo and Spot wake up next to each other. They are becoming closer each day.
39–40: They resume their course along the river. A storm is brewing.
40: Arlo has a FLASHBACK of the storm he experienced with his father.
40: The storm intensifies, causing Arlo to run away from the river.
40–41: Arlo hides under a fallen tree.
41–46: The storm’s aftermath is revealed. Arlo panics about prospect of never finding his home again. Suddenly, Arlo notices five PTERODACTYLS flying above them. THUNDERCLAP, COLDFRONT, and DOWNPOUR, the three dominant of the five, land on the ground near Arlo. Thunderclap teases Arlo about finding his way home to Clawtooth Mountain. Coldfront finds Spot. Spot becomes their prey. Arlo comprehends the three Pterodactyls’ intention is to eat Spot. They begin to run.
46: Arlo and Spot continue to run through a field. Arlo sees another dinosaur in the distance. He cries for help.
46–49: The Pterodactyls are still chasing Arlo and Spot. As Arlo gets closer to the other dinosaur, he realizes it is in fact two dinosaurs, two TYRANNOSAURUS REXES. RAMSEY and NASH, siblings, help fight off the Pterodactyls. A third T. Rex, BUTCH, the father, approaches them with an intimidating presence. Butch declines Arlo’s request to help him find his way home, until Arlo proposes Spot will help navigate them to the longhorns they’ve been seeking.
50–51: The three T. Rexes, Arlo and Spot make their way to find longhorn tracks. Arlo is introduced to Rustlers. The T. Rexes follow the tracks of the longhorns. Arlo and Spot follow.
51–56: The five of them reach the area with the herd of longhorns. They stealthily approach the herd. Butch puts Arlo to the test. Arlo and Spot slowly walk through the field of longhorns. Arlo screams, attracting the Rustlers. Four Rustlers, or Velociraptors, BUBBHA, PERVIS, LURLEANE, and EARL greet Arlo. Butch, Ramsey, and Nash come to Arlo’s rescue right when they begin their attack on Arlo. The herd starts stampeding. The T. Rexes are victorious against the Velociraptors.
56: Arlo and Spot help herd the longhorns with the T. Rexes.
56–60: Arlo, Spot, Butch, Ramsey, and Nash are gathered around a campfire. Butch, Nash and Ramsey exchange stories about their scars. Butch reminds Arlo that fear is a vital part of life. You find out what you’re made of through experiencing fear. The T. Rexes keep their promise of helping Arlo on his way home.
61–62: They remain herding the longhorns the next day. Arlo is impressed with his contributions in helping the T. Rexes with the longhorns. Arlo notices Clawtooth Mountain in the distance. They part from the T. Rexes.
62–63: Once again, Arlo and Spot continue along the river to Clawtooth Mountain.
63–64: Spot and Arlo howl with excitement. They’re almost home. They hear another howl. A HUMAN is seen howling on a ridge. Spot is intrigued by the other human. Arlo redirects Spot’s attention to the path they were on to get home.
64–65: Arlo tells Spot about how great living on his family farm will be for him. Another storm is coming. Above in the clouds are the Pterodactyls. They’re circling Arlo and Spot. Thunderclap takes a hold of Spot. The other Pterodactyls attack Arlo, who falls off the ridge.
65–67: Spot is seen getting carried away as Arlo remains stuck in an entanglement of vines. Arlo sees a vision. It’s Poppa. Poppa helps Arlo out of the mess he’s in. For a moment, Arlo actually believes Poppa is alive. Arlo tells Poppa how scared he is, but knows Spot needs him. This is Arlo’s ultimate test.
68: The storm continues. Arlo howls for Spot. Spot howls back.
68–70: The Pterodactyls have brought Spot by the river. Spot protects himself by hiding under a tree. Arlo charges the Pterodactyls. They’re determined to eat Spot. Arlo struggles to rescue Spot. The rapidly rising river breaks the tree Spot is perched on, and is swept away, leaving Spot helpless. Arlo shifts a gear. He rips a part of Thunderclap’s wing and throws a tree branch at him. Arlo leaps into the river to fetch Spot, but the massive flood knocks Arlo over.
70–71: Arlo struggles to swim to Spot as the current forcefully pulls both of them down river. A waterfall looms ahead. Arlo finally makes the heroic stretch to grasp Spot as they barrel over the waterfall. They make it shore, but Spot is unconscious. Spot awakens and smiles at Arlo. They rest together.
71–73: The rain has stopped. Arlo carries Spot on his back. Arlo sees the farm. Home. Both of them hear a howl. A HUMAN FAMILY looks at them from a distance. It is the same human from before. Spot investigates them. He goes back and forth between Arlo and the human family. Arlo encourages Spot to go along with the human family. Arlo draws a circle around Spot and the family, referencing, from earlier, the portrayals of their respective families. Arlo watches Spot walk off with the family.
73: The journey is over. Arlo finally reaches his family farm.
73: Momma looks up to see Arlo walking toward her. Libby and Buck join Arlo and Momma.
73: Arlo finally makes his mark on the silo with the rest of the family. He has earned it.
FADE TO BLACK.
The End.
Writing Exercise: I encourage you to read the script, but short of that, if you’ve seen the movie, go through this scene-by-scene breakdown. What stands out to you about it from a structural standpoint?
To download a PDF of the breakdown for The Good Dinosaur here.
Kudos to Rhidian Pentz for doing the scene-by-scene breakdown.
For 100+ more movie script breakdowns, go here.