Dinotopia: Quest for the Ruby Sunstone--The Movie

'Tween popcorn-munching fluff, the animated Dinotopia: Quest for the Ruby Sunstone--The Movie derives from the popular sci-fi fantasy Dinotopia franchise, based on the books by James Gurney. In a highly-implausible runaway sequence that includes dangerously skateboarding on a roof, preteen orphan Kex leaves his orphanage home to sneak onto a ship, and--following a huge storm--ends up washing ashore in Dinotopia, a land where dinosaurs and humans live in amiable harmony. Kex finds new pals in triceratops 26 (voiced by Alyssa Milano) and blue-haired human Mara, whose dad runs a dino egg hatchery (when a human picks an egg, they are bound to the creature as caretaker sauro-partners), and is fine and dandy until dumb baddies Rhoga (Kathy Griffin) and Thudd (Wayne Knight) unearth the legendary ruby sunstone and resurrect the evil Ogthar (Malcolm McDowell), who is set on taking his place as “rightful ruler” of Dinotopia. Rattled by the loss of energy for their sunstone protective shield, the community is further shocked when some eggs go missing--the work of Ogthar's henchmen, naturally--and Kex and his pals embark on a rescue mission that features a dinoskin air balloon and a showdown at a volcano. With a soundtrack ranging from majestic horns to ska, colorful artwork, and lame kid-friendly dialogue (“Do I have to pour you a tall glass of ‘shut up' juice?”), this mildly entertaining children's film (with DVD extras including downloadable games and activities) is a strong optional purchase. Aud: P. (J. Williams-Wood)