I saw this movie when I was about ten. It was rated 'G' which is very surprising. It could almost pass for an 'M' (15+) rating.
It starts with sensitive kid, Jun, who is teased and bullied for his 'un-macho' behaviour. One night he hears a calling that takes him out to see. He is soon joined by a young girl, Rumi, who seems very much a kindred spirit. She was unknowingly followed by her bratty younger brother, Chobi (who for some strange reason I always though was what Judy Blume's 'Fudge' would look like.) He wasn't really summoned like the others, but it's too late to send him back. They are transported back to the time of the dinosaurs. Once there, they meet several plant eating dinosaurs (who are all referenced by their name on screen). Chobi sees baby triceratops hatching and adopts one he calls "Babypuss." As far this is a pretty standard family movie...
Then enters a horrible Tyranosaurus Rex. They run from him, with Chobi carrying Babypuss. The kids get away, but the other baby triceratops aren't so lucky. The T-Rex picks them up and eats them. Yep, that's right, baby Triceratops are killed on screen. The kids make it to a cave, where the Rex waits. Chobi throws a stick at in in a gory scene it takes out the monsters eye. The mother comes, but she doesn't do much better. She's not only killed, but we even get to see the beast rip out and eat her flesh. Lovely.
Babypuss is soon an adult, Jun explains that they are being taken through time as things are aging while they stay the same. The T-Rex come again. To save Chobi, Babypuss engages him. He's about to shove him off the cliff, when the T-Rex claws him in the face and they both end up going off together, to Chobi's horror.
They finally arrive in the time of humans time, where he makes friends with a cavegirl, who invites them to her village. To her horror, they find her sister is to be sacrificed to the T-Rex (yes, these sick elders kept him alive.) Jun and Rumi bet down and use their prayers to stop him. It works. Unfortunately the witch doctor is insistent on the sacrifice going through and awakens him again. Now, Chobi goes nuts, even fire appearing in his eyes, he psychotically insights the cavemen to stop running and fight the beast. They fight back with spears and rocks. One of the spears graphically puts out the other eye. Finally, the wounds are too severe and the T-Rex drops to his knees. For some reason, Jun and Rumi cry at this monsters defeat. I'm not sure about Chobi. The possession either killed him or rendered him unconscious as Rumi carries him for the rest of the movie. The T-Rex slowly walks to the beach where it finally dies. The elders appear and return our heroes home. The last scene shows Jun walking alone, thinking of the rage of the cavemen and how it resembles war in our own time.
I liked the movie. Elder kids should like it, but before showing it to younger kids, please understand, it is not a Disney movie. There are a lot of violent, graphic scenes and deaths. I would have liked to see more development of the friendship between Jun and Rumi. Being that they were both outsiders, it would be nice to see they continued their friendship after the events, but Jun is just seen walking alone (after Rumi is returned, it's never shown what she did afterwards, although, I can only assume she took the traumatised Chobi home.) A bit preachy, educational and condescending, but overall a good action anime that should be a treat for dinosaur nuts.
I liked the movie. Elder kids should like it, but before showing it to younger kids, please understand, it is not a Disney movie. There are a lot of violent, graphic scenes and deaths. I would have liked to see more development of the friendship between Jun and Rumi. Being that they were both outsiders, it would be nice to see they continued their friendship after the events, but Jun is just seen walking alone (after Rumi is returned, it's never shown what she did afterwards, although, I can only assume she took the traumatised Chobi home.) A bit preachy, educational and condescending, but overall a good action anime that should be a treat for dinosaur nuts.
