Le Petit Dinosaure : La Pierre de feu

I'm certainly not going to sit here and extol their virtues, but I don't think anyone can say the 'Land before time' sequels are specifically bad. They are light and frivolous compared to Don Bluth's 1988 progenitor, yes, largely lacking the earnestness, substance, and nuance that have made it a minor modern classic. Even as the shortcomings are evident, however, and the writing relatively simple and unsophisticated, the direct-to-video offerings are only intended for mild entertainment in the first place. We may scrutinize, and we may wish that they were built to appeal to a broader audience instead of catering (perhaps condescendingly) to the very youngest of viewers, but they're modestly enjoyable in the least, and some (including sixth entry 'The secret of Saurus Rock') are notably better than others. So we sit with mixed expectations for seventh installment 'The stone of cold fire,' but there's still a possibility that it could stand firm on its own legs, and if nothing else it will surely fit in among its brethren. And, well, the latter holds true.

Here, there is a great deal to take in right from the start. With a new studio accordingly taking over much of the animation, and especially with digital methods now employed instead of the traditional hand-drawn animation previously seen, this release takes some getting used to. It's still the case that the colors are vibrant, and we get rich detail in active elements and even more so in the beautiful backgrounds, though I do wonder if there's even less nuance here than in the other sequels (let alone compared to the original TLBT), all accentuated as we see characters animated against static backgrounds. Then, too, for as straightforward and uncomplicated as the storytelling has commonly been in this series (at least since the first), it comes across that new screenwriter Len Uhley tries to smash too many ideas together here, and this picture is arguably both overfull and full of itself. Introducing the scientifically-minded gallimimuses ("Rainbow Faces") is one thing, but the accompanying song ("Beyond the Mysterious Beyond") seems to go a step too far. That's to say nothing of adding Petrie's dubious uncle and his friends on top of the curiosity of the titular object, and all of the conflicts, beats, character reactions, and story ideas to follow.

True, the voice cast is reliable, including industry icons Jeff Bennett, Rob Paulsen, and Jim Cummings, nevermind special guest star Michael York, and one could argue that the performances into which they're guided are more sure-footed this time around - that is, not entirely as unnaturally cutesy and childish as we've heard in the last five examples. Michael Tavera's score arguably stands out more, being more robust in and of itself and also benefiting from a hardier sound design. Regardless of how exactly they're treated, there are concrete notions herein for the narrative, and in fact there are touches of subtlety that have been sorely missing from the franchise for awhile. For example, Pterano and his pals are up to no good, and while that wickedness is as plain as day, the antagonists' methods are a little sly and underhanded. We get adventure, and drama, and some humor to round things out, and there are even darker slivers of violence than we've gotten since 1988. I quite believe 'The stone of cold fire' needed a more measured, deliberate hand, not just in conception but in its execution (including pacing), but overall the result is fairly solid.

It's just that the doing is A Bit Much. And where 'The Great Valley adventure' or 'Journey through the mists' were A Bit Much owing to their distinct juvenility; this particularly is A Bit Much because while the underlying thoughts in this instance are reasonably sturdy, the sum total feels excessive, brusque, and maybe even a tad forced. Moreover, while there is notable strength in some regards, and some cleverness (once again, the antagonists benefit from some of the best writing), this feature is not completely free of the issues that have troubled its video predecessors, including songs of variable quality. So here we are again, with a 'Land before time' sequel that IS a good time, but softly so, and somewhat passively. I can honestly say that I like 'The stone of cold fire,' but I'm unlikely to dwell on it for even a moment hereafter, and there's no need whatsoever to make a special effort to watch. Provided that something of such a temperate tenor is something you can get on board with, it's duly worthwhile if you come across it; would that the movie elicited a more enthusiastic response.

As a long time lbt fan (14 years now) I know I am slightly biased but none the less I think this movie is great!

Now even though I am a fan, I'm not blind. I know why many people may dislike the rest of the sequels. They may seem rather corny and irritating. But this movie is different.

One of the things that sets this apart from the other sequels is that the dialogue is not a childish as the others. And there are a few funny quotes thrown in as well.

such as "I dislike violence' 'then why did you hit me?"

It seems as if the creaters of this series are finally realising that just because it is a children's series does not mean all the things have to be utterly childish. There are a few scenes in this movie where references are made to later films. This is a good thing.

Another good point is that there are 2 mysteries in the movie. The first is why Petrie's uncle Tyranno is hated by the others and the other is why is up with the strange rainbow faces.

Even though I know what would happen, it was still interesting.

Focusing of kidnapping instead of natural disasters (which they are running out of ) this sets it's self apart from the others.

a solid 8/10

and kids (regardless of age) will love it :) even those who are as old as me (I'm 20)

Like the original, a well crafted heatwarming tale. This storyline is full of morals and lessons from fanily, trust, democracy, greed, honour, teamwork, friendship and much more.

The animation is traditional and simplistic with some innccuracies of depictions of species' features and some inaccuacies between Mesozoic and Cenozoic periods. However the dubbing is amazing with characters vocal patterns and use of language being correlative to the species presumed intelligence.

Unlike the original this has several musical numbers which seem dubious in the context of the series. The songs seem to get marginally better throughout the series.

A must watch for kids.

I must admit that this was a little weird. LBT takes on an alien adventure! OMG! Okay, it is not bad, just not what I expected when I put it on.

I liked that more of our beloved gang's members did more in this LBT sequel. Petrie learning about his uncle was the best in that aspect of the movie. There are also some good action scenes and scares.

The dialogue is also more mature in this one and I appreciate that. When they talk about "the flying rock" and what it could be, I actually found it engaging, because these mysterious and fairly weird creatures began talking about what is out there (but they could have made a better name than "rainbow faces"). They had a moment when they made my jaw drop.

Pteranno and his goons are actually really funny and well voiced (Pteranno beautifully by Michael York) and get some great lines and good development throughout the movie.

The only real disappointment in this movie is a bunch of forgettable songs. As a whole I do not like the musical aspect of the LBT sequels, but it kind of worked in LBT VI: THe Lone Dinosaur.

A different take on these many sequels and worth showing to your kids (or watch it if you will give it a chance).

I remembered watching this a few years ago as a six year old child in the early 2000s when it first came out and I actually liked it. Which is why I think that this surpasses both "The Time of the Great Giving" and "The Secret of Saurus Rock" as the best of the series.

Yes, the story's a little episodic filled with forgettable songs and the fact that it's too short, but it doesn't matter.

The animation is very nice to look at and the editing is very decent. The characters are well-developed and the pacing moves along very nicely. I know it's weird, but I actually liked the villains. Rinkus and Sierra were great, but I think that Pterano steals the show. Littlefoot was tolerable as the main protagonist as is the two rainbowfaces.

The strongest aspect is the excellent voice acting and the hilarious dialog. I like Sierra's "No, no, no, jeb, jeb, jeb, it's driving me nuts nuts nuts!" and the rest of the quotes in this movie. The voice acting, like I said before, is very excellent with Michael York stealing the show for portraying Pterano very well.

Overall, not excellent, but is arguably the best in the series and it's definitely worth watching!