Aaaawwww!
This movie may deal with themes of identity, finding peace with yourself and the importance of family, but there’s no denying the movie has a ton of heart!
- "Dad's stomach is so warm" "Idiot, I didn't eat you, you're just in my mouth." *Cue symbolism*
- Early on, when Heart first meets Umasou (who he originally intended to eat as an easy meal), he quickly shows concern for the little guy by catching him when he falls and then scolding him to be more careful. Crosses into Funny when he gets confused over this fact when they just met!
- Heart quickly apologising after yelling at Umasou out of concern, cheering up a crying Umasou by eating some berries he got him that remind him of his childhood and reconciling.
- After Heart wakes up screaming in terror from a nightmare concerning him eating his family, he tries to just eat Umasou but ultimately can’t bring himself to do so. Umasou hugging his tongue made him have second thoughts over his decision and a change of heart.
- Heart's Relationship with Pero-Pero and how he met her.
- It’s Pero-Pero that convinces Heart to go back to his mother and when Heart tells her about him being worried his mother would be scared of his intimidating appearance, Pero-Pero says she thinks he’s a genuinely nice guy based on their interactions and that she’s not scared of him despite keeping his carnivore nature secret initially because he’s shown his kind heart to her and he promises he would never eat her. Their relationship is very sweet.
- Hearts Mom taking care of Heart in general, even though she knows what may happen.
- When a dying Gonza tells Umasou that Heart’s not his “real” father, Heart is about to finish off Gonza for trying to make Heart’s fears of being abandoned by his son for knowing who he is (a meat-eating carnivorous T-Rex) a reality when Umasou straight up says he knew all along and didn’t care. Umasou knows that Heart loves his son despite his dad’s diet and that faith in who Umasou views as his hero (given Heart grew to genuinely care for his son over the course of the film) is what keeps them together as a family. Heart’s shock is genuine since he thought he was a fraud of a parent and at several points being scared of being abandoned by his son for him knowing about what he eats. This solidifies Heart and Umasou’s family status. “A dad is a dad”, indeed!
- After the dying Gonza’s attempt to break Heart and Umasou’s bond failed (read the above example), Gonza genuinely apologises to both of them before passing away due to his fatal injuries. He may have been a horrible asshole to Heart and his family in his life, but he had enough of a heart to apologise to Heart and his son for all the awful things he did, which is surprisingly touching.
- Baku acknowledging Heart is his son in the midst of their fight and allowing everyone to walk away after knocking Heart out.
- The fact he willingly saves Heart’s adoptive family and son despite Heart being unconscious at the time shows he’s not so different from his son. He could’ve easily killed them without Heart knowing it but instead solidified his Jerk with a Heart of Gold status, showing just how much he cares about and loves his son.
- A rather telling line about just how much Baku cares about his son is when he tells Heart’s mother after Baku and Heart’s final battle ended: “Please tell Heart to be good”. That’s right, after exiling his son for Heart unknowingly brutally harming his siblings and Heart killing his own brother, he still genuinely believes in his son, especially after Baku realises who Heart was trying to protect during their fight. No wonder he ultimately spares their lives!
- The latter part of their fight actually somewhat resembles Heart's training of Umasou. Viewed from this angle, Baku is taking the opportunity to teach his son in the way that he was never able to.
- Heart going on a rampage looking for Umasou while he's getting berries so he and his dad can eat together.
- Heart finally reuniting with his mother after many years. This is especially significant as for most of the runtime, Heart was so worried and scared that he could have accidentally eaten his brother, Light and his mother. Not to mention he had massive anxiety and self-esteem issues in himself, thinking himself as a monster and worried his mother would be scared of him in his more intimidating older appearance. The moment she recognises her son as that sweet little dinosaur boy she raised and loves, those worries wash away as he brakes down in tears rushing to her for a hug and apologising for running away all those years ago. Qualifies as a Tear Jerker too.
- Light immediately recognising his grown up brother, Heart in the middle of the herd’s evacuation from their old home. That’s some brotherly love even years after Heart ran away!
- Also, Light saving Heart, his younger siblings and his mother from falling off a cliff side. Also qualifies as Awesome when you keep in mind Light is considered MUCH weaker than Heart due to being a plant eater so that’s saying a lot!
- Heart meeting his siblings.
- Early in the film, Baku asks Heart if he's hungry, and if he's an orphan. He's basically offering food to what he thinks is a lost little boy, then lets Heart leave and tells the other Big Jaws not to bother him.
- The mother Maiasaura standing up to Baku to protect Heart, with the baby sister having to be held back by her brothers to stop her from joining them. Baku pointedly criticizes how she raised Heart, then thanks her for keeping him alive.
- The revelation that Heart’s mother would have willingly let him eat her if it ever got to the desperate point young Heart was starving to death. Sure, it’s a morbid thought and Baku rightfully points out Heart would need more than that single meal to survive but her heart was in the right place, showing how much she unconditionally loves her son and is willing to make sacrifices to save him. This also paints Heart parting ways with his herbivore family at the end in a surprisingly sweet new light. He only wishes for their safety above all else just like he cares so much for Umasou.
- Tiny little Umasou, when Baku is standing over the unconscious Heart and his family, hops up on Heart's chest and waves his tail back and forth in an effort to protect his daddy!
- Some time after Heart and Baku’s battle, the herd decide to go migrate, and will likely never come back to their old home ever again. Heart’s mother asks Heart if he would like to go with them (giving them somewhere to live). Heart declines, saying it would be better for his family and siblings to stay with their own kind. His mother is saddened by this but understands, saying that’s what he would’ve wanted. Heart disagrees, saying even though they can’t live together since he needs meat to live and is a T-Rex, he says he’s so grateful he was raised by her and genuinely smiles saying he was glad he was her son. Heart’s mother is moved to tears and embraces Heart! Even some of the herd are moved by their farewell conversation!
- Unlike the book where Heart is left completely alone after bringing Umasou to his biological parents, Heart gets to still have Umasou as his son but Umasou also serves as a reminder of his connection to his herbivore family so no matter where he goes, he’s never alone.
- The song that plays during the credits, “You’ll Always Be In My Heart“, symbolically emphasising how much Heart’s family loves him no matter where he goes.
- The final line spoken after the credits roll: “No matter where you are, I...will always...love you”.
