These questions originally appeared on Quora - the knowledge sharing network where compelling questions are answered by people with unique insights.
Answers by Peter Sohn, Director, Pixar Animation Studios, on Quora.
A: What excited me about the film was the relationship between this boy (dinosaur) and this "dog" (human boy) and the fact that one character speaks a language and the other does not. Another aspect is how we really tried hard to make NATURE a major character in the film from its great beauty to extreme dangers.
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A: Some of the major influences for the good Dino were classic boy and dog stories like "Black stallion" or "E.T." My relationship with my dog growing up and then the beautiful Pacific Northwest in the United States. We also met an amazing ranch family in Oregon that greatly influenced the film.
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A: The whole process was about 5 years from the first pitch to the finished film. That sounds pretty long.
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A: What's great at Pixar is everyone can send in notes on the film. We have several screenings where we show the film to the entire studio. And from there we get fantastic notes. Everyone there is always trying to help make the best film possible.