En busca del valle encantado

Never has a film ever touched my heart as much as A Land Before Time. Watching these five young dinosaurs search the world for the Great Valley is just heart warming. First of all, the character of Little Foot is so sad. His mother is killed in the "big shake" and he is separated from his grandparents. He meets up with Ducky, Sarah, Petrie, and Spike to lead them across the Earth to get to the Great Valley where all of the dinosaurs are at. The scene where Little Foot sees his own shadow and thinks it's his mother is especially sad. I recommend this movie to every human being alive. This movie deserved an oscar for best movie, sound track, actor, actress, supporting actor,supporting actress,director,producer,independent film, special effects and for best costumes. Why it didn't win any is mind melting.

A group of young dinosaurs in a world which is nearing the end of the reign of the mighty reptiles set out to find a legendary valley which is still lush and green.

This is one of the best animation films ever made, as it is moving and entertaining. Not only is it a story of friendship, courage and love, but it also demonstrates childhood friendships which are 'not allowed' due to classism or racism - "Three-horns never play with Longnecks". 'Land Before Time', with its tribe of various dinosaurs plus a pterodactyl, is a story about putting aside so-called 'differences' and striving together in 'united we stand, divided we fall' fashion in order to leave the unlovely wilderness and find a land of freedom and equality (in this case the Great Valley).

An excellent and unmissable adventure which will appeal to anybody of any age.

The sequels sadly did away with the grittyness of this first film and instead turned to TV cartoonishness and pointless songs, but most of them (the boring Part 4 aside) are still very enjoyable. But in the tradition of most series of films, the original is the best.

You heard me! Not even through the eight sequels, could they surpass the enjoyment of this one! The story is just classic. It's Don Bluth's finest work, I must say. It's ironically the only movie in the LBT series that was made for theaters! Pretty cool, huh?

I couldn't believe when I read how this movie was only like 70 minutes long. It seems like a long time, since it's so good. You've got cool dinosaur characters, going alone on a journey to the Great Valley. I think it's entertaining the way they have different names for the dinosaur species. Like "Sharp-tooth" for a T. Rex, or "Three-Horns" for a Stegosauraus or "Long-Neck" for Brontosauraus. My favorite character is Peetree, who is pretty cute. Too bad about Judith Barsi dying. That actually makes it interesting because now I know all the times in the sequels she was voiced by a different person than this time. I hope I'll see this movie more often. It seems like forever since I've seen it.

But then came the sequels. Part 4 was very nice(the best sequel yet), and Parts 2 and 3 were good, but after 4, let's face it. The movies are repetive and dull, just doing the same things its proceeders did. Why haven't they just made a TV show instead of all these sequels? Now, THAT would be something I'd like to see. This classic gets a 9/10

Like other 80s babies, so to speak, if you were born in that era before the Disney movies of the 90s- which did almost reach a mini-renaissance before plummeting towards the end of the decade- you first saw the animated films of Don Bluth more than Disney. This was one of them, and it is a film that, for a certain sort of kid (such as myself) can be watched countless times. It's short, maybe too short as one of its flaws (Bluth didn't retain final cut with Spielberg and Lucas in the background), as it only develops this epic tale of kiddie dinosaurs going through a harsh, dangerous journey to reach the oasis, the Great Valley. There aren't any time for songs, which is a plus, as Bluth gets in more time for some very realistic- for what is available at the time- animation of the environment. The kiddie dinosaurs themselves, Littlefoot the main protagonist (who also loses his mother, in the Bambi and Lion King vein though here even more of a shock to kids as its from nature and not from some other being to grasp), Cera, Petrie, Ducky and Spike, each have their own personalities ranging from heroic to goofy to scared and even stuck-up. This gives something that kids can hang on to, very simple characterizations that change only through the often used but not too tiresome ideal of friendship and group-work, etc etc.

Some of these scenes, the sillier ones, do end up making it more of a movie that holds more for the kids than the adults. That years later it doesn't lose much of its power visually, however, is a real credit to Bluth and his team, who along with An American Tail here make children's movies that know what they are, but make them in brilliant uses of the medium. The Tyrannasorus Rex- Sharptooth- is an immensely imposing presence with it saying never a word, as if it was pulled right out of the sequence from Fantasia. The design of the film is also extremely well laid, in a kind of dying world that like all fairy tales becomes all the more compelling in relation to what is the final paradise-type goal. It could almost be said that it might be much for wee little ones (younger than 5) could take, but it really wasn't as I remember it from first seeing it. It balances its look with its characters, making it a near-classic film of its time. Alternately cute and violent, poetic and kitschy.

As many Disney fans may know, there are two(maybe more, I'm not sure)animated movies that came out in 1988, and they are:Oliver and Company and Land Before Time. Oliver and Company was a big flop, I've heard. Land Before Time is a lot better. My point is, just because a Disney movie and a non-Disney movie come out around the same time, it doesn't mean the Disney movie will necessarily be better. We found that out with LBT. Most of the sequels sucked, but the first one will always be a classic. About the only sequels I recommend are the 2nd one, the 4th one and the sing-along. Those are the only ones I personally liked.(Well, I haven't seen the 6th one, so if it's good or not you'll just have to find out yourself.) Well, I love The Land Before Time, and I love Littlefoot. He'll always be my favorite character. Well, I guess I've talked too long. Thanks.