John Lithgow Says The Good Dinosaur Was Dismantled and Reimagined

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John Lithgow to Completely Re-Record His Work for Pixar's THE GOOD DINOSAUR; Says Original Story Was "Dismantled and Reimagined"

By Perri Nemiroff

Published Aug 18, 2014

While talking to John Lithgow, he told us that he'll re-record his work for Pixar's The Good Dinosaur because the project was dismantled and reimagined.

We’ve had a new Pixar movie every year for eight years now, so when The Good Dinosaur was pushed back from May 30, 2014 to November 25, 2015, it was tough not to be both concerned and disappointed, especially considering what went down prior to that announcement. Almost exactly a year ago, word got out that director Bob Peterson was removed from the project. On top of that, Peterson’s co-director, Peter Sohn, didn’t even get the solo gig. Instead, he's overseeing it as part of the Pixar Brain Trust.

That’s not something you want to hear when it comes to an especially highly anticipated film. However, while talking to John Lithgow today about his upcoming release, Love Is Strange, he assured us that The Good Dinosaur is in great shape. Hit the jump to hear about how the delay affected Lithgow’s work on the film.

When we expressed our disappointment regarding the Good Dinosaur delay and the lack of a Pixar movie this year, Lithgow explained:

“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.”

Clearly there’s some pretty drastic changes going on over there. This wasn’t just about the Brain Trust stepping in until a replacement could be found. If they’re having the cast re-record their roles, this must be a complete overhaul. In fact, Lithgow also made a point of noting:

“But me and Frannie McDormand, we’re still playing Momma and Poppa dinosaur.”

Does that mean some of the roles might have been re-cast? Of course this is only speculation, but considering the Good Dinosaur roster was loaded with in-demand talent, it seems like that’s a possibility. The last we heard, Lithgow, McDormand, Lucas Neff, Bill Hader, Neil Patrick Harris and Judy Greer were leading the cast.

It’s always a bummer to hear that a project isn’t running smoothly, but hopefully this reassessment and reconstruction time is used wisely and we’ll get an even better final product for it. Lithgow certainly seems to think it’ll shape up well.

You can catch Lithgow talking about The Good Dinosaur for yourself in the clip below and be sure to keep an eye out for our full interview with him and his Love Is Strange co-star, Alfred Molina, coming soon.