The Land Before Time

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.

Now, having been such a raging fan of this movie when I was a kid (I still like it as an adult, just not nearly as much), I don't really know if I've got the right to write a review of it.

About the only thing I have to say, really, is that there's more personality in that one little Pterodactyl who offers Littlefoot his cherry than in the entire cast of "Disney's Dinosaur".

Other than that, I only have to offer up the following bit of trivia that fellow "L.B.T." fans should go nuts over. It turns out that shortly before "Land Before Time" was officially released, about one million dollars worth of footage was cut from the film. Think about that the next time you watch it. You'll notice things like how suddenly we cut from Sharptooth and Littlefoot's mom's battle to the earthquake sequence. If Universal *really* loved us (ahem, Money To Be Made here), they'd give us a director's cut or something. Just a thought.

Don Bluth's masterpiece, The Land Before Time, is a wonderful children's feature with beautiful animation, a great story, adorable characters, and good direction.

As a director, Bluth's use of color and texture in this film is absolutely brilliant. He has this wonderful soft blending of mainly the background colors (usually most notable in the sky), which suggests use of chalk pastels to create this effect. In every film of his that I've seen, he always has great (what I like to call) atmospherics. In this film, you notice it in the blowing of dust/fog, some of the fire effects with the volcanoes (mainly the falling fire sparks), the falling black ash before the characters reach the "mountains that burn," as well as certain water effects.

The vocal cast was really well suited to all their roles. There were a few instances where some of the lines were a bit muffled and hard to understand, but for the most part, the cast did really well with their lines, made them sound natural, and child-like, and managed not to be overly cute and obnoxious as some characters made for children's films inherently are.

The score by James Horner is a wonderful addition to the film's atmosphere and really does a great job setting the mood. Horner always has a way of infusing his scores with a sense of romanticism that is often lacking in today's film composers, and this film is no exception. He makes really good use of his strings section, especially in this period of his work.

To be sure, this film is a masterpiece! All of its excellent qualities are apparent while watching the film, most notably the animation (which is excellent for a late 80s film), the voice cast, the score, the story, and the art direction. Without a doubt, it would be well-deserving of a spot in any animated feature hall of fame.

9 Stars out of 10!

The Land Before Time is a very entertaining animated movie. They have a great story here filled with varying emotions from humor to sadness. The animation is just as good. This film is not just for little kids. Older kids and adults will find this just as entertaining, unlike the terrible sequels which I care not to mention. Thumbs up on this one.

I remember first seeing this movie in the theatres!!!! I loved it and I have had it on video for quite some time now. I am older and realise how good this movie is and what it truly means! It's such ashame when great movies like these get destroyed by pointless, stupid sequels which are so childish. This movie has it all! A tale about dinosaurs, friendship, love & family, adventure, hope, and a tale about life itself. You may not physically cry but your heart will.