The Good Dinosaur: 22 Easter Eggs & References You Probably Missed

13. The Western Influences

The surprising sequence that sees the TRexes brilliantly reimagined as cattle ranchers owes a lot to the Western genre. The poise of the TRexes - particularly leader Butch - is genius, as it mimics horse-riding, and the dinosaurs' hands are positioned as if they're holding reins. But there's more beyond that: the music throughout the sequence borrows liberally from The Magnificent Seven, the sots mimic Western cinematography styles and there are various cliches, including the grizzled ranch leader and trading stories round the fire. Pete Sohn admitted in the run up to the film's release that he had been inspired by John Ford, William Wyler, David Lean and Akira Kurosawa, and specifically the way they'd capture wilderness landscapes. He also drew parallels to Jeremiah Johnson and Old Yeller - Frontier films rather than cowboy films.