Over many direct-to-video sequels, the earnest substance of Don Bluth's original 'The land before time' quickly gave way to simple and unsophisticated entertainment. There's nothing inherently wrong with that, even though it means catering (condescendingly) to the very youngest of viewers rather than appealing to broad audiences, but the quality of the films has, with exceptions, largely been so-so and mild. Then again, one of those exceptions was 2003's tenth installment, 'The great longneck migration, which was smart, imaginative, and fun, and easily the best since the progenitor. With Universal Cartoon Studios inevitably producing another sequel, it remains the case that expectations would be reasonably mixed; at the same time, as filmmaker Charles Grosvenor and writer John Loy return alongside much the same cast from the success of the immediate predecessor, one might well get their hopes up for 2005's eleventh installment. At length, there's no mistaking that 'Invasion of the tinysauruses' falls short of the franchise's high points, but the worst that can be said is that it's pretty much on par with most of its forebears.
Curiously, the primary trouble to catch my attention here is one of tonal disparity. By and large this flick fits right in with its brethren, certainly - maintaining a light and playful tone; blending notes of adventure and drama with humor; and ultimately serving up some life lessons before all is said and done, including telling the truth and taking responsibility, and disagreements between friends and family. Yet long before those life lessons specifically come into focus, there is a withering darkness visible just under the surface that Grosvenor and Loy try to cloak in the lighthearted tenor. Just listen to the first song "Creepy crawlies," and note the thoughts brought out in the surrounding scenes and dialogue: a core narrative thrust is the intent of the herds of the Great Valley to carry out a pogrom against the tinysauruses, using words like "hunt" and "exterminate." The goose-stepping hyenas in 'The lion king' were on the nose, but the accompanying tone was appropriately harrowing; how is it that, more than ten years later, Grosvenor and Loy thought that sugarcoating the material with jovial merriment was the right course of action? For that matter, is that central thrust not unwisely going far darker than has been the norm for TLBT in the first place?
Granted, it's not as if the whole picture is tightly zeroed in on villagers raising torches and pitchforks in a mob. There is meaningful humor, and more than that, there ARE important themes on hand regarding unjust persecution of a marginalized community, scapegoating, oppressive authorities rewarding ordinary people for betraying the most vulnerable among them, and lies being used to prop up dangerous policies. Not least in 2024, these ideas are entirely too real and relevant, and so is the vitality, innocence, and value of the community in question. I further question the strong secondary story thread of Cera having daddy issues, but it is suitably woven into the proceedings - and anyway, it's possible I'm too being too cynical and jaded. More than not the feature is kith and kin with its antecedents, for better and for worse: uncomplicated writing, but also sincere themes and concepts; somewhat ham-handed songs, but songs that are a little catchy and well done in and of themselves, and a splendid score; and admirable voice acting from a reliable cast, including regulars, industry icons, and guest stars Camryn Manheim and Michael Clarke Duncan. I won't even nitpick the animation this time, and the visual experience is great, including beautiful and detailed backgrounds, character designs, action sequences, and other active elements.
And we do get a suitably compelling story. We get firm scene writing, and characterizations, and a capable blend of that trifecta of adventure, drama, and humor. Loy's writing is swell overall, and so is Grosvenor's direction. I do in fact like 'Invasion of the tinysauruses'; it's solid, with significant notions at play. It's just that it doesn't fully stand out in any way as some of the previous entries managed to do - and when we take into account the severe gulf between the seriousness of the underlying ideas, and the familiar, light-footed vibe the movie otherwise adopts, something critical feels very off. I don't necessarily think that it would have taken much to rework the screenplay into a more cohesive form, either, as the dialogue, characterizations, and scene writing could have been softened without diminishing the weight of the tale and its core themes. Such refinement is a small ask for a readily discernible fault.
One way or another, like most of the 'Land before time' sequels, there's no need to go out of your way for this, and here especially it behooves one to be aware of how it struggles. Despite it all, however, if you do have the chance to watch, there are far worse ways to spend your time, and maybe after all 'Invasion of the tinysauruses' is all that it needed to be.
