'The Good Dinosaur': "Dismantled and Reimagined"

The Good Dinosaur was planned to be Pixar’s 2014 offering, but after it was announced that longtime Pixarian Bob Peterson would no longer be directing, the release date was pushed to 2015. It was reported that the film ran into numerous story problems which made Peterson’s removal and the change in release dates necessary. This news was met with understandable concern and disappointment by Pixar fans, as Peterson is a beloved employee who lent his considerable voice and story talents to the studio’s films for many years. There hasn’t been much news about the film’s development until recently.

Collider spoke with John Lithgow, one of the principal actors on The Good Dinosaur, who had this to say:

“I recorded the entire role in Good Dinosaur.
 They have now dismantled it and completely reimagined it, and it is a
fantastic new story. So I’m gonna record again on it within the next
month. Don’t worry. It’s coming and it’s gonna be better than I ever
imagined.”

Lithgow is obviously confident about the film’s new direction, and unfortunately, this means that Peterson’s concept has been completely scrapped. We can only guess about the changes taking place, but it’s clear that they are big ones since Lithgow and possibly the other actors will have to rerecord their lines. Lithgow stated that he and Frances McDormand are still playing their respective roles as Momma and Poppa Dinosaur, hinting that there may be major cast changes as well.

Only time will tell if Lithgow’s comments are proven right. The Good Dinosaur is scheduled to be released on November 25, 2015.