Back to the Jurassic

Gr 1–4—In this computer-animated movie, three kids (Ernie, sister Jules, and friend Max) accidentally send themselves back to a highly stylized Jurassic period. Meanwhile, the kids' trip back in time has sent a T. rex's real egg into the future. What could be a fun adventure is almost immediately bogged down by poor plotting and borderline-offensive characters. The protagonists meet a friendly pink T. rex who thinks the three are her children due to their arrival in an egg-shaped time machine. Momma Tyra licks like a cat and promises to keep the children (and all the other dinosaurs) safe from the mysterious Circle Brothers, dinosaurs with dreadlocks who speak in jive. Meanwhile, Ernie is naughty and often cruel to his sister yet is inexplicably best friends with a traditional nerdy, nervous, bullied Max (the only main character of color). The animation can be flat at times, and details, such as Ernie's flip phone, don't seem to match a world with rocket-powered scooters and time machines. With no real dinosaur science and little to recommend it except the voice work of Jane Lynch, it may be hard for this film to find an audience.