The Land Before Time

( 15 )

Overview

Animation producer Don Bluth's fondness for overly cutesy characters and muddy color compositions work to the benefit of his feature-length cartoon The Land Before Time. Littlefoot, a brontosaurus child, must fend for himself when his mother is killed shades of Bambi. With several other orphaned dinosaurs, Littlefoot seeks out the fabled Great Valley, where food and shelter is plentiful. Along the way, the kiddie dinos learn several vital and politically correct life lessons, all the while keeping themselves ...
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Overview

Animation producer Don Bluth's fondness for overly cutesy characters and muddy color compositions work to the benefit of his feature-length cartoon The Land Before Time. Littlefoot, a brontosaurus child, must fend for himself when his mother is killed shades of Bambi. With several other orphaned dinosaurs, Littlefoot seeks out the fabled Great Valley, where food and shelter is plentiful. Along the way, the kiddie dinos learn several vital and politically correct life lessons, all the while keeping themselves scarce whenever the fierce tyrannosauri gallumph into view. The cuteness of the characters emphasized by the voice work takes some of the harsh edges off the story, which makes the film eminently suitable for younger children; and the smeary color design is ideal for the time-frame of the film, which is set in the turbulent, nature-run-rampant period just before the dinosaurs died out. Apparently they didn't all die, inasmuch as a Land Before Time sequel was released on video in 1994. The earlier film inspired a 1988 Saturday morning cartoon series produced by Ruby-Spears, Dink: The Little Dinosaur.
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Editorial Reviews

All Movie Guide
Don Bluth's The Land Before Time became a surprisingly marketable brand name for a film well short of classic status, inspiring over a half-dozen cut-rate sequels and spin-offs that are best suited as babysitting videos for preschoolers. In this first outing, the only one in which Bluth was involved, the creator of The Secret of N.I.M.H. and An American Tail again proves that the animation techniques he learned at Disney don't need Disney's army of screenwriters to make good entertainment. Because it was released years before Jurassic Park or Disney's CGI film Dinosaur, which borrows plot elements from Land, Bluth's film provides fresh-enough images of this dark and volcanic landscape to seem groundbreaking. By making the characters preciously cute and vocally infantile, Bluth softens this cruelly Darwinian moment in history without having to cheer up his production design, keeping an unambiguous "G" rating in the process. The teasingly short running time -- the movie struggles to crack the hour mark -- should also keep the youngest children from squirming. Although Littlefoot and his buddies aren't particularly memorable, they do register enough to keep the viewers concerned during moments of peril, which are as involving as they need to be. The sophisticated visuals and the huggable young dinos are enough to make The Land Before Time a fond favorite, even if it does scrimp a little in the wit department. No less than George Lucas and Steven Spielberg served as executive producers on the film.
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Product Details

  • Release Date: 12/2/2003
  • UPC: 096896198730
  • Original Release: 1988

    • Rating:

  • Source: Universal Studios
  • Format: VHS

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits
Gabriel Damon Voice Only
Candy Hutson Voice Only
Judith Barsi Voice Only
Will Ryan Voice Only
Bill Erwin Voice Only
Helen Shaver Voice Only
Pat Hingle Voice Only, Voice Only
Burke Barnes Voice Only
Fred Gwynne Voice Only
Technical Credits
Don Bluth Director, Producer, Production Designer
Judith Barsi Producer
Russell Boland Asst. Director
John K. Carr Editor
Judith Freudberg Original Story
Judy Fruedberg Original Story
Tony Geiss Original Story
Gary Goldman Producer
James Horner Score Composer, Songwriter
Will Jennings Songwriter
Kathleen Kennedy Executive Producer
Stu Krieger Screenwriter
Dan Kuenster Animator
D.A. Lanpher Special Effects
George Lucas Executive Producer
Brent Maddock Screenwriter
Frank Marshall Executive Producer
Nancy Mayor Casting
Linda Miller Animator
Dan Molina Editor
Deborah Jelin Newmyer Associate Producer
John Pomeroy Animator, Producer
Lorna Pomeroy Animator
Roy Smith Producer
Roy Smith Producer
Steven Spielberg Executive Producer
David Steinberg Asst. Director
S.S. Wilson Screenwriter
Dick Zondag Animator
Ralph Zondag Animator
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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4.5
( 15 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(11)

4 Star

(1)

3 Star

(2)

2 Star

(0)

1 Star

(1)

Your Rating:

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Sort by: Showing 1 – 14 of 15 Customer Reviews

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    You have to really love this movie to buy this disc

    I adore this movie, always have, but I am immensely disappointed with this supposed "Anniversary" edition. You would expect much more from a classic film produced by George Lucas and Stephen Spielberg. First off, it's only available in full screen, which is, in and of itself, a travesty. Second, they didn't clean up the film at all. On my big screen, high def television, the film is grainy and blurred. Lastly, surround sound is useless. The sound quality is poor at best. Still, I love this movie and am glad to own it, no matter what quality it is presented in. And little kids wouldn't know the difference anyhow. They'll love it nonetheless.

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted October 1, 2010

    more from this reviewer

    Oh my god.

    Ok, lady who keeps writing the lousy reviews for amazing kids movies, you should get a life. Or just stop watching movies in general cause they are all offensive to you. Haven't seen one good review, and if it was, it'd be like the Bible the movie. Probably too offensive somehow. Plus, maybe you should have gone to school. Dinosaurs did exist, and if you use the analogy about God not killing off anything he created, what about the carrier pidgeon? Or the dodo bird? How about 3 quarters of the animals that are on the endangered species list? Duh. I'm sure the carrier pidgeon was one of the devil's birds, right? Haha! Seriously. All mocking aside, the Land Before time is a wonderful kids movie.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    A reviewer

    I'm almost 23 and I still love Land before time. I watched it for the first time in years last night, and remembered just how much I loved the movie. I think the movie handled the issue of death very well. While they showed the T-Rex attacking Littlefoot's mother, the T-Rex didn't actually kill her. It was a combination of the wound, plus the continent splitting apart. Plus also, the later scene where he's talking to the other dinosaur about his mother. Littlefoot is blaming his mother for not knowing better, forgetting that she fought the T-Rex to protect him and Cera, and the other dinosaur explains that it's no one's fault, and that she's always with him so long as he remembers the things she taught him. Even at 23, this movie brings tears to my eyes. It's a wonderful way to teach children many lessons, including tolerance of the differences in others. I would definately recommend this movie to anyone who hasn't seen it yet.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    friendship!

    i thought this movie was a wonderful message about friendship!!! all the dinosaurs are of a different species and even told by their families how different dinosaurs don't interact! yet they stick together to survive finding the one thing they all have in common are their families! I have watched this movie dozens of time since i was a child and still find the movie endearing and of little violence!!! The t-rex is scary, but the movie shows little violence!!! if you dont believe dinosaurs existed then you shouldn't of even picked this up with dinosaurs on the cover!!!!!!!

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Classic movie for kids!

    Every kid should see this. Great lessons about loss, adversity, and persevering in life.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    The First Land Before Time

    Oh man did this movie make me cry especially what happened to the mother and couldn't watch it again. Now older I must say that this was an interesting and the kind of film that you should see with your kids especially. I'm surprised at how kids movies were back then and how they are now. I prefer how they were back then since it isn't only the childish stuff but it tells you a good story and you learn something. Its the story of a group different dinosaurs who band together to find their families after being seperated and are being chased by one creepy hungry angry t rex. Littlefoot was my fave character next to Cera.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    The Original is still the best

    The orgininal is still the best, sometimes, as is it is in this case. How can anyone forget the squabbles between Cera and Littlefoot? A beautiful family animation film that boils with more than childhood themes. Provides everybody with something.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    good movie

    I LOVED this movie ever since I was three years old. One of my favorite memories growing up was playing Land before time and getting the whole set of puppets that they mass-produced at Pizza Hut. However, the sequels are extermally disappointing and lack all the splendor and greatness of the orignal movie, which was something even adults could appreciate to a kiddie cartoony series which devalued them. In fact, I truly despise the sequels which are sad imitations of the first. However, the first is still a wonderful film.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    ok... here's the deal.

    i am 15 yrs. old, and i still LOVE land before time! i own the first 8 tapes. after that, my mum stopped buying me it. lol. anyways... land before time is the best cartoon movie with dinosaurs!!! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT! my fav. one is probably the 5th one with chomper. he's so cute.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    My 3 year old loved it..

    I forgot how great these movies were. I was a teenager when this came out so I wasn't too in to it when my then 3 year old nephew watched it. But my 3 year old daughter absolutely loves this movie. She's accustomed to the whole ''dying'' thing because of Bambi and The Lion King, but when Little Foot's mother died, I think she had a more mature comprehension of it because they showed it happening and showed Little Foot remembering her. My daughter knew his mother wasn't coming back. Sometimes when she's done watching a movie for the first time, my daughter struggles remembering all the character's names. But because these characters are all so cute and lovable, she remembered and loved them all, even snotty Cera (my favorite is Duckie). I have to buy her more of these movies.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted November 25, 2000

    best movie!!!!!!!

    I'm a teenager and still love it. i've been watching the movies for almost 9 years! See all the movies!

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  • Anonymous

    Posted December 1, 2008

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted May 20, 2011

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted July 14, 2009

    No text was provided for this review.

Sort by: Showing 1 – 14 of 15 Customer Reviews