Land Before Time is not just one of my favorite movies but one of my favorite franchises. I have almost all of the sequels from 2-11, but I think I’m good with what I have. I was never interested in the show besides bringing in Chomper and Ruby but I cringe for some reason when they reuse themes of established songs from the movies to new songs throughout the show which was one reason I didn’t watch it much.
Sequels 2 – 4 were decent to say the least. I like “Great Valley Adventure” since Chomper first appeared. “Time of the Great Giving” had some good concepts about bullies and sharing but it was fine for me, but ironically was one I watched a lot back then. I think “Journey Through the Mists” was my personal favorite of the bunch since we’re dealing with Littlefoot meeting another of his kind at his age, almost losing his grandpa, and no Cera’s dad to rant on about, hehe.
I believe there was a decent improvement in the late 90s with “Mysterious Island.” I just loved the adventure they went through and that Chomper returned and plus the gang has made peace with his parents. “Secret of Saurus Rock” was not bad but it wasn’t better, but it was cool hearing Kris Kristofferson guest star.
The first few years of the 2000s were probably the best in my book with sequels 7-10. “Stone of Cold Fire” had some complex stuff going on with Pterano’s complex characterization between hero and villain and wonderfully portrayed by Michael York, Petrie’s idolization but is manipulated by him, the Rainbow Faces being aliens and themes about exploration and wonder what wonders are out there in the Mysterious Beyond. Plus the animation was better and the CGI was decent too.
“Big Freeze” explores the bitterness of Ducky and Spike’s sibling bond as well as his effect on Ducky’s family as well like showing how much their mom cares for him despite being different species. Plus it was cool bringing snow into the dinosaur world and have Robert Guillaume guest star as Mr. Thicknose.
When a cold front comes, there’s bound to be a meltdown. Although the constant rain throughout “Journey to Big Water” caused the flooding but it’s a natural setting. I love the addition of Mo and the Liopleurodon being the antagonist besides a land-based sharptooth. And the song, “Imaginary Friends” is one of my favorite songs of the franchise.
“The Great Longneck Migration” is the only direct-to-video sequel so far that I’ve given a 4-star rating because how excellent it was. Story, animation, the guest stars from Kiefer Sutherland, Bernadette Peters and James Garner. I was shocked that we got to see Littlefoot’s dad because I didn’t expect that to happen. Some reason I didn’t question it since I was 10 yeas old then. Anyway, I was growing sad on the fact that maybe Littlefoot was going to leave, but was none-of-the-less satisfied with his decision to stay. Who doesn’t adore the relationship he has with his grandparents?
The late 2000s were a bit of a dud. “Invasion of the Tinysauruses” was not bad, and while the concept of lying and telling the truth is new, we’ve already dealt with the growing up factor in the first sequel. I did however, enjoyed the development of Cera’s dad and the adult’s antics in finding the Tinysauruses were funny and Petrie’s strategy was hilarious. I welcomed Camryn Manheim as Topsy’s girlfriend and Michael Clarke Duncan and Cree Summer were great as Big Daddy and Lizzie.
I never cared much about “Great Day of the Flyers” and “Wisdom of Friends” since I had other ideas on how the latter was going to work. But I liked the development of Topsy and Tria’s relationship as well as Cera getting a new sister. Some of the songs in both films were nice like “Flip, Flap and Fly” and “Yellow Belly Dance.”
“Journey of the Brave” was alright. I didn’t like some of the old tropes like the gang splitting up over bickering or how I expected something a bit different in how things start. I enjoyed that Chomper and Ruby were in it but wished they tagged along, I enjoyed Reba McEntire and her song and I liked some of the new actors who had to fill in roles since the voices of Grandpa Longneck and Topsy/Narrator had passed away before it came out.
Somehow like always, I wish we had another sequel to Land Before Time as epic as “Great Longneck Migration.” Until next time.
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