Rex: A Dinosaur’s Story

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Girl meets dinosaur in this Japanese Christmas cult classic!

Based on the Manga “Rex Kyouryuu Monogaatari” by Masanori Hata (The Adventures of Milo and Otis) and directed by Haruki Kadokawa (Heaven and Earth), Rex: A Dinosaur’s Story follows Chie (Yumi Adachi), the young daughter of a paleontologist who befriends an adorable baby T-Rex. The pair soon find themselves on the run from everyone seeking to exploit the dino-discovery for profit—forcing Rex to act and model in endless advertisements for merchandise (that were part of the actual film’s promotion, in an ingenious media-mix promotional strategy spanning toys, manga and song… even helping to usher in Kentucky Fried Chicken as a de facto Christmas tradition in Japan).

With creature effects by maestro Carlo Rambaldi (Alien, E.T., Possession), Kadokawa’s dinosaur picture remains one of the most expensive Japanese films of all time—and Shochiku’s (the studio behind Harikiri, Tokyo Story, and The 47 Ronin) highest-grossing release at the time—opening in theaters only a month after Jurassic Park.  Add in the chase scenes by carriage, snowmobile and hot air balloon, in-camera jokes, and Christmas imagery, and Rex is as adorable as it is unhinged by Western standards; a Holiday crowd pleaser for your whole weird family.

_{1993, 106 minutes, Japan, in Japanese with English subtitles, Directed by Haruki Kadokawa, Unrated, Digital}