- “Everything's so different... I don't know what to think anymore.”
- ―Neera doubting the rationale of Kron's belief in "survival of the fittest"[src]
Neera is an Iguanodon and deuteroganist of Disney's 2000 animated feature film Dinosaur. She is the sister of Kron. She ends up falling in love with Aladar because of his compassionate ways.
Background
Personality
Neera is very different from her cold-hearted brother, but although their views are very different, they do love each other as evidenced by Neera's deep remorse upon Kron's death, Neera initially seemed to accept Kron's belief in survival of the strongest, but Aladar causes her to question whether she actually agrees with her brother's beliefs. After Aladar leaves the herd in order to look after his friends, Neera takes his place in helping the weak, being the only dinosaur who turns back to help two exhausted orphans. Neera is very brave, being the first dinosaur to join Aladar's attempt to stand up to a Carnotaur and shortly afterwards she attacked the same Carnotaur in order to defend her brother.
Aside from her bravery, her love for Aladar and her caring for the weak is shown when Neera protects Aladar from Kron, with the latter’s survival-of-the-fittest brainwashing he drilled into her having finally waned out.
Neera can be seen shaking a little and feels the guilt of leaving her brother behind; the sorrow, sadness, fear, and pain being visibly seen on her face, but still sticks by her decision to leave with Aladar. Although Neera knows her brother is wrong, she still cared for him, as she becomes heartbroken after failing to save him from the Carnotaur.
Physical appearance
Neera is a massive female Iguanodon with a broad, muscular torso and a naturally dominant posture. Her skin is a uniform grayish beige, thick and granular, resembling organic armor. Her elongated head features a powerful snout and deep-set, dark eyes. Her four limbs are robust, ending in thick feet capable of supporting her weight effortlessly. Her long, heavy, and perfectly balanced tail extends her silhouette like a natural counterweight. She is much thinner and more slender physically than male iguanodons. Despite being Kron's sister, she doesn't look like him.
Role in the film
Neera first appears when Aladar and his lemur family encounter the herd during a sandstorm in a migration to reach the Nesting Grounds. Aladar accidentally bumps into her while the herd is walking, and she tells him to watch where he's going. Aladar watches her walk off before getting pushed over by a Pachyrhinosaurus. Neera appears again when Aladar attempts to talk to Kron about slowing the herd down for Baylene, Eema and Url's sake. Neera is impressed by his compassion, but Kron rejects it and tells Aladar to let him do all the thinking. Before leaving, Neera says that's how Kron treats newcomers, even if they are charming.
The next morning, before the herd begins the migration to a faraway lake, Zini, Aladar's foster uncle, spots Neera and gives a little "help" in attracting her. Zini's "love" does get Neera's attention, but she in turn calls Aladar a "Jerkosaurus". Eventually, the herd reaches the lake, only to discover that it's dried up. When Kron orders the herd to keep moving, Neera tries to dissuade, saying that if they keep going without water, they'll lose half the herd. Kron in turn replies saying "then we save the half that deserves to live." Neera is frustrated by this comment, but before they go far, Aladar (who went into the lakebed to help old Eema and discovered water underneath the ground with Baylene's help) calls to the herd, saying they found water. Neera is impressed, but this turns into a frenzy when the herd rushes past Aladar and the old dinosaurs and pushes and shoves to drink. Neera stays out of this commotion and sees Aladar clearing a path for Eema out of the stampeding herd.
Later in the evening, Neera sees Aladar getting water for the two orphan Iguanodons she's been fostering. Neera introduces herself properly and apologizes to Aladar for calling him a "Jerkosaurus," though Aladar doesn't seem to mind. Neera asks why he helped Eema earlier, and Aladar replies that he couldn't leave her behind. Neera tells Aladar what usually happens; you don't survive if you're not strong enough. When he asks her whether she really believes in "survival of the fittest" or just goes along with what her brother says, she admits that she no longer knows what to believe, as the Fireball's impact has disrupted the only way of life she has ever known. Aladar says that if everyone in the herd supported one another, they'd all stand a chance of getting to the Nesting Grounds. He then gets Neera some water and they begin to bond. But as they drink, the herd is suddenly alerted by Bruton (who was earlier attacked by Carnotaurs after being sent by Kron with a scout to find water upon arrival at the lake). As the herd moves, Kron says that if the herd doesn't carry on, the Carnotaurs will catch up. Aladar tries to negotiate with Kron about the older dinosaurs not being able to make it, but Kron says they'll slow down the predators. After a brief brawl with Kron, Aladar is knocked down. Neera tries to help Aladar up, but Kron stops her as he does not want Aladar getting in his way any further. Aladar, enraged that Kron's refusing to listen to him, attempts to stop him, but Neera tells him to go back to the older dinosaurs, and that she'll be fine. She looks back and sees Aladar and the other dinosaurs falling behind and is unable to do anything about it.
As the herd continues to walk through the desert, several dinosaurs slow down and are exhausted, including the two orphaned Iguanodons. After one youngster collapses, his companion cries for help, but no one responds until Neera appears. After reassurance that they'll make it, she helps the collapsed orphan to his feet, and they continue the journey. Neera looks back at the trail they've passed and hopes that Aladar is still alive.
Things get worse when the herd reaches the old entrance to the Nesting Grounds, only to discover that it's been blocked by a rockslide. Neera suggests that they find a way around the wall, but Kron declares that they will climb it in the morning.
The next morning, Kron urges the exhausted herd to climb the rock wall, starting with the two orphan Iguanodons. Neera objects to this, but Kron says they're tough, and if they can make it, so can everyone else. Just as the herd begins to climb the wall, Aladar appears and warns the herd of an approaching Carnotaur, also saying that he knows a safer way to the valley and that they can't get over the wall, for there's a fatal drop on the other side. As Aladar tries to lead the herd out of the canyon, an enraged Kron attacks him to stop him from taking control of the herd. After a brawl, Kron knocks Aladar down and is about to kill him when Neera, fed up with her brother's cruel ways, strikes him down and helps Aladar to his feet. Kron, shocked by his sister's actions and enraged that she is choosing to help Aladar over him, yells to Neera, but she doesn't listen. The herd, also having had enough of Kron's cruelty, follows the pair out of the canyon. But before they can leave, the Carnotaur appears, and the herd panics. After seeing Aladar bravely step forward and bellow at the predator, Neera is the first to join with him in doing so, and the rest of the herd follows suit. As the Carnotaur backs off, it spots Kron climbing the rock wall alone and charges after him after seeing him as an easier target. Neera notices this and rushes to stop the therapod, with Aladar not far behind. Neera reaches the Carnotaur after he severely injures Kron and tries to push him off the cliff. However, she is easily overpowered by the predator, but before it can hurt her, Aladar appears and fights the predator. After successfully defeating the Carnotaur, Neera rushes to her brother, but it's too late; Kron has died from his wounds. Even after all that Kron had done and trying to kill Aladar, Neera is heartbroken; Aladar does what he can to comfort her. Together, they lead the herd to the Nesting Grounds.
By film's end, Neera and Aladar have mated, and they are last seen watching one of their eggs hatch with the older dinosaurs and lemurs. Neera then joins Aladar and the others in bellowing in triumph.
Trivia
- In an early script for the film, Neera was originally known as "Chukka" and was completely unrelated to Kron (called "Cain" at the time).
- Neera is similar to Kovu and John Smith, in that they are all aligned with their respective stories' villains at the beginning (Neera to Kron because she is his sister; Kovu to Zira because he is her son; Smith to Ratcliffe because he works for him) but ultimately rebel against said villain, as well as fall in love with the protagonist (for Neera, Aladar; for Kovu, Kiara; for Smith, Pocahontas). Unlike Neera and Kovu, however, Smith did not end up with Pocahontas, though the Disney Company still considers him her official love interest.
- Although it is never revealed, it is most likely she and Aladar adopted the two Iguanodon orphans as their own children, as they were present during the hatching of Aladar and Neera's biological son.
Gallery
Screenshots
Miscellaneous
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