My Pet Dinosaur Explained

My Pet Dinosaur
Director:Matt Drummond
Producer:Matt Drummond
Megan Williams
Starring:Jordan Dulieu
Annabel Wolfe
Tom Rooney
Sam Winspear-Schillings
Harrison Saunders
Chris Gabardi
Scott Irwin
Rowland Holmes
Beth Champion
Music:Chris Wright
Studio:Little Monster Productions
Distributor:Empress Road Pictures
Pinnacle Films
Country:Australia
Gross:$1.4 million[1] [2]

My Pet Dinosaur is a 2017 Australian adventure family film written and directed by Matt Drummond, and produced by Megan Williams.

Synopsis

A young boy befriends a dinosaur and discovers a mysterious conspiracy which could have a major impact on his small town.

Cast

Tiriel Mora and David Roberts make cameo appearances in the film.

Development

Matt Drummond began writing the script to My Pet Monster in early 2015 after the success of his debut feature,[6] Dinosaur Island.[7] The international rights were acquired at the American Film Market by Faisal Toor from Empress Road Pictures for its newly formed Selects Division.

Rehearsals began December 2015. Principal photography commenced on 6 January 2016 in Australia, with Drummond directing. Live-action filming locations included Lithgow, Katoomba, Rydal and Portland, while CGI was done at Hive Studios International in Leura, New South Wales. Additional filming took place around the Lithgow area before transferring to Portland. Principal photography was completed on 15 February 2016.

The film is scored by Chris Wright, who also composed the score for Drummond's debut feature, Dinosaur Island. Visual effects were completed by Hive Studios International, with Drummond acting as Visual effects supervisor.

Locations

Release

The theatrical trailer was released on January 13, 2017.[9]

My Pet Dinosaur was distributed widely in Australian cinemas on 22 April 2017[10] and upon its debut at the Chinese box office took the number seven position grossing US$870,000 on its first day. After its initial release, the film continued to hold its top 10 position.[11] My Pet Dinosaur was released in the US on digital platforms.[12]

The film's total box office intake was approximately US$1.4 million.[13] [14]

Critical response

Upon its Australian release, My Pet Dinosaur has received mixed reviews. Richard Gray from The Reel Bits gave the film a positive review, praising the use of local Australian resources. Alaisdair Leith from Novastream Networks gave the film five out of five stars describing the film as visually stunning.[15]

The Movie Critic next door was impressed with the film's nostalgic qualities, stating that it was a film that "hearkens back to the beloved Spielberg classics of the 80's", whilst criticising the film's editing.[16]

Mike McLelland from FlickeringMyth.com rewarded it a mixed review, but was impressed with the central CGI character, stating that "Magnus is a lovely central creature, cute and curious at the beginning and later imposing and magnificent. Though there were obvious budget constraints, Magnus remains interesting and believable throughout"[17] Jarod Walker from Filmink also gave a mixed review, stating that it was a film which "will amuse the kids, but adults will find it under budget and highly derivative."[18]

Luiz H. C. of Bloody Disgusting awarded it a negative review of 2.5 out of five, saying the film was ‘missing a Creative Spark’ and that it had a ‘formulaic approach to storytelling’.[19]

Soundtrack

My Pet Dinosaur is a soundtrack album featuring music from the film. The album features the original score composed by Chris Wright, and includes the end credit track "Only Human"[20] written and performed by Muma Megs featuring Eirie. The album was released on iTunes in Australian on August 20, 2017, and reached Number 20 on the Soundtrack charts.[21]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: My Pet Dinosaur The Numbers Listing. The Numbers. October 20, 2020.
  2. Web site: My Pet Dinosaur Box Office Mojo listing. . October 22, 2020.
  3. News: Scott Irwin's back kicking goals. 18 February 2012. The Daily Telegraph. Jo. Litson. 4 September 2019.
  4. News: EFM 2017: Behold My Pet Dinosaur!. Dread Central. 14 January 2017.
  5. Web site: Dinosaur Island's T-Rex Visits the Three Sisters. Blue Mountains Australia. 5 October 2016.
  6. Web site: Worldwide sales for feathered dino pic. if.com.au. 5 October 2016.
  7. Web site: Dinosaurs hit the Blue Mountains!. 5 October 2016.
  8. Web site: Tomazin . Alanna . Moloney . Phoebe . Netflix putting Lithgow on the map with My Pet Dinosaur' . Lithgow Mercury . 7 October 2019 . subscription.
  9. News: 'My Pet Dinosaur' Trailer Shows Off an Endearing and Unlikely Friendship (Exclusive). The Hollywood Reporter. 25 April 2017. en.
  10. News: Matt Drummond's 'My Pet Dinosaur' Heads Down Under For Pinnacle Films & Hoyts – Berlin. Lodderhose. Diana. 13 February 2017. Deadline. 21 March 2017.
  11. Web site: My Pet Dinosaur roars into Chinese box office top 10 FilmInk. www.filmink.com.au. 6 June 2018 . en-AU. 2018-09-23.
  12. News: MY PET DINOSAUR To Get U.S. Release. 2018-08-31. HEAVY Music & Film Magazine. 2018-09-23. en-US.
  13. Web site: My Pet Dinosaur The Numbers Listing. The Numbers. October 20, 2020.
  14. Web site: My Pet Dinosaur Box Office Mojo listing. . October 22, 2020.
  15. News: Review : My Pet Dinosaur – Novastream. 24 April 2017. Novastream. 25 April 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170425210547/http://novastreamnetwork.com/review-pet-dinosaur/. 25 April 2017. dead.
  16. Web site: My Pet Dinosaur The Movie Critic Next Door. moviecriticnextdoor.com. en. 25 April 2017.
  17. News: Movie Review – My Pet Dinosaur (2017). 22 April 2017. Flickering Myth. 25 April 2017.
  18. Web site: My Pet Dinosaur. 24 April 2017 . filmink.com.au. en-AU. 25 April 2017.
  19. Web site: Luiz. H. C.. October 24, 2018. [Review] 'My Pet Dinosaur' is Missing a Creative Spark]. Bloody Disgusting. October 24, 2020.
  20. News: LOVE CHILD Actress Records Theme Song to New Australian Film MY PET DINOSAUR. BWW News Desk. 8 April 2017. en.
  21. Web site: Chris Wright Composer homepage. Chris Wright Composer website. October 24, 2020.