The Land Before Time

The Land Before Time
director	Don Bluth
producer	Don Bluth Gary Goldman Kathleen Kennedy George Lucas Frank Marshall John Pomeroy Steven Spielberg
writer	Judy Freudberg (story) Tony Geiss (story) Stu Krieger (screenplay)
narrator	Pat Hingle
starring	Gabriel Damon Candace Hutson Helen Shaver Judith Barsi Will Ryan Pat Hingle Burke Byrnes Bill Erwin Pat Hingle (Narrator)
music	James Horner
editing	John K. Carr Dan Molina
distributor	Universal Pictures
released	November 18, 1988 (United States of America) March 18, 1989 (Japan) June 22, 1989 (West Germany) September 7, 1989 (Australia) December 8, 1999 (Finland) December 15, 1989 (Sweden) December 24, 1989 (Italy) April 17, 2002 (re-release: France) Unknown (Germany) Unknown (Hong Kong)
runtime	69 minutes
country	United States
language	English (original) Japanese German Finnish Swedish Italian French Chinese
budget	$12,300,000 (estimated)
rating	G
Preceded by	None
Followed by	The Land Before Time II: The Great Valley Adventure (1994)
Imdb id	0095489

The Land Before Time is a 1988 theatrical animated film, directed by Don Bluth (with production based around his Ireland-based studio), and executive-produced by Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. Originally released by Universal Studios and Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment, it features anthropomorphic dinosaurs living in a somewhat fantasy-based version of prehistoric earth. The plot concerns a young Apatosaurus named Littlefoot, who is orphaned when his mother is killed by a Tyrannosaurus. Littlefoot flees famine and upheaval to search for the "Great Valley", an area which has been spared devastation. On his journey, he meets four young companions: Cera, a Triceratops; Ducky, a Parasaurolophus; Petrie, a Pteranodon; and Spike, a Stegosaurus. The film explores issues of prejudice between the different species and the hardships they endure in their journey as they are guided by the spirit of Littlefoot's mother.

The film was a critical and financial success and spawned a multi-million dollar franchise with thirteen direct-to-video sequels (without association with Bluth, Spielberg, or Lucas,) as well as merchandise (toys, video games, etc.) and a television series.

Voice actors

English voice cast

The Land Before Time was the only film in the series to star Gabriel Damon as Littlefoot, Judith Barsi as Ducky, Will Ryan as Petrie, Burke Byrnes as Topsy (credited as Daddy Topps in this film), Bill Erwin as Grandpa Longneck, and the only one to be narrated by Pat Hingle. It was also the only film directed by Don Bluth in the 1980's, in which Dom DeLouise was not cast.

• Gabriel Damon as Littlefoot
• Candace Hutson as Cera (as Candy Hutson)
• Judith Barsi as Ducky
• Will Ryan as Petrie
• Pat Hingle as the Narrator/Rooter
• Helen Shaver as Littlefoot's Mother
• Burke Byrnes as Topsy (a.k.a. Daddy Topps)
• Bill Erwin as Grandpa Longneck
• Frank Welker (uncredited) as Sharptooth/Domeheads

Japanese voice cast

• Minami Takayama as Littlefoot
• Maaya Sakamoto as Cera
• Satomi Kōrogi as Ducky
• Yūji Mitsuya as Petrie
• George Nakata as Topsy

NOTE: The Japanese voice actors are appearing so far.

Swedish voice cast

• Samuel Elers-Svensson as Littlefoot
• Hanna Alström as Cera
• Cecilia Schiöld as Ducky
• Sven-Erik Vikström as Petrie
• Olof Thunberg as Narrator
• Sture Hovstadius as Rooter
• Gunnel Fred as Littlefoot's Mother
• Stephan Karlsén as Topsy
• Bill Erwin as Littlefoot's Grandfather

Spanish voice cast

• Rigoberto Jiménez as Littlefoot
• Marcela Bordes as Cera
• Laura Bustamante as Ducky
• Javier Pontón as Petrie
• Guadalupe Romero as Littlefoot's Mother
• Alejandro Abdalah as the narrator

French voice cast

• Sauvane Delanoë as Ducky
• Roger Carel as Petrie

Finnish voice cast

• Kasimir Pennanen as Littlefoot
• Satu Nurmi as Cera
• Anu Parviainen as Ducky
• Mona Kortelampi as Petrie
• Jarmo Harjula as Spike
• Ulla-Maija Savolainen-Häkkä as Littlefoot's Mother

Plot

Littlefoot and his mother, discussing the legend of the Great Valley.

As the film opens, the narrator (Pat Hingle) explains that there is a drought occurring, and to escape it the dinosaurs are migrating in search of the "Great Valley", a lush, Utopian paradise. A "Longneck" (Apatosaurus) herd gives birth to a single baby, named Littlefoot (Gabriel Damon). As he grows older, his mother (Helen Shaver) tells him of the Great Valley, and informs him of the prejudiced behaviour between the different species when he tries to play with a "Threehorn" (Triceratops) girl named Cera (Candace Hutson), but her father (Burke Byrnes) stops him. That night, Cera and Littlefoot meet again, and play for a moment, until a "Sharptooth" (Tyrannosaurus) attacks. Littlefoot's mother intervenes, battling with the Sharptooth and suffering severe injuries, but managing to defeat him in the end. At the same time, an "earthshake" (earthquake) occurs, opening a deep ravine in the ground, which swallows up the Sharptooth and a great deal of other dinosaurs, and separates many herds, including Littlefoot's and Cera's. Littlefoot finds his mother when the earthquake ends, but she is mortally wounded, and dies shortly after reminding her son of how to reach the Great Valley.

Now feeling depressed and confused, Littlefoot by chance slides down a ravine, where he meets an old armoured dinosaur named Rooter (Pat Hingle), who consoles him upon learning of his mother's death. After mourning for some time, Littlefoot begins to search for the Great Valley, and tries to get Cera to join him, but she refuses. He later meets a cheerful baby "Bigmouth" (Parasaurolophus) named Ducky (Judith Barsi), who asks to join him. As they travel, and try to find food along the way, they encounter an aerophobic baby "Flyer" (Pteranodon) named Petrie (Will Ryan), who joins them on their quest. Meanwhile, Cera encounters a comatose Sharptooth, whom she believes to be dead, and charges at mischievously, though this accidentally awakens him. As she flees, she meets up with the others and tries to warn them about the Sharptooth; Littlefoot does not believe her, as he is convinced that Sharptooth is dead. As Cera describes the encounter (fabricating it so she seems braver) she accidentally flings Ducky into a patch of grass, nesting a hatching egg containing a baby "Spiketail" (Stegosaurus) whom Ducky names Spike, and brings into their band.

Seeking the Great Valley, they find a river leading to a cluster of trees, which is abruptly depleted by a herd of starving sauropods. Searching for remaining growth, they discover a single leaf-bearing tree, and obtain food by piling up ontop of each other and pulling it down. Cera remains aloof and arrogant, boasting that she is independant, but at nightfall, she, along with the others, gravitates to Littlefoot's sleeping nest for warmth and companionship. The Sharptooth attacks them in the morning, but they escape through a cave-tunnel too small to admit him, and discover a Longneck-shaped monolith mentioned by Littlefoot's mother. As they pass other landmarks she mentioned, such as a string of volcanoes, Cera grows impatient and quarrels with Littlefoot, causing a schism in the little herd. Littlefoot continues in the direction he was told, while the others try to find another route. As Ducky, Spike and Petrie fall into danger involving a lava barrier and a tar pit, Littlefoot comes and rescues them. They then save Cera from an aggressive herd of Pachycephalosaurus, in the guise of a giant tar-monster, but laugh at her for being frightened of their ruse. Angry and humiliated, Cera leaves them, crying on her way out.

The gang, rejoicing upon finding the Great Valley.

The next day, the others are frolicking in a pond, when Sharptooth appears nearby. Determined to defeat him at last, Littlefoot formulates a plan to lure him to the deep end of the pond, drop a large rock from the edge of a nearby cliff onto his head, and thus drown him. As Ducky lures him to the water, Littlefoot and Spike have trouble moving the rock. During the proceeding struggle, a hot draft from Sharptooth's nostrils enables Petrie to master his powers of flight. At that moment, Cera shows up and helps the plan to be completed; defeating Sharptooth for good. Littlefoot then follows his mother's spirit (in cloud form) to the Great Valley, where the children's surviving relatives are already settled. Petrie and Ducky rejoin their families, and Ducky's family adopts Spike. Cera reunites with her father, and Littlefoot joins his grandparents. The film concludes with an indication of the protagonists' companionship.

Production

The animation production for The Land Before Time took place at Sullivan Bluth Studios in Dublin, Ireland. The film had originally been planned for release in fall of 1987, but the production and the release date were delayed by a year due to the studio's relocation to Dublin.

Storyline development

Amblin Entertainment held the idea of producing a film involving dinosaurs, on the basis that dinosaurs were a popular topic with children. Steven Spielberg suggested making the film into a prehistoric version of Disney's Bambi, depicting a young dinosaur's struggles to survive and mature. Eventually, more young dinosaurs were added to the story, and a decision was made to give the film a "soft, gentle" plot about five young dinosaurs working together as a group. As the concept was developed more, the idea of segregation between dinosaurs of different species was added in, and the moral of the story became that the young dinosaurs, who had been taught to avoid each other, would have to look past their differences and function together. As production on The Land Before Time officially began in the summer of 1986, due to delays brought on by Amblin and Universal's concerns that their previous animated film, An American Tail might flop, the story featured the main characters on a mission to find a wise old dinosaur. After Sullivan Bluth Studios' move to Ireland delayed the movie's production again, full production on the movie began in the spring of 1987.

As individual parties in various locations were needed to review the script for the movie, sections of the script were reviewed at a time, similarly to the old script reviewing methods the Walt Disney studios had followed decades before.

An early working title for the film was “The Land Before Time Began”.

Developing the characters

Steven Spielberg and George Lucas originally wanted the film to have no dialogue, like The Rite of Spring sequence in Fantasia, but the idea was abandoned in favor of using voice actors in order to appeal to children.

Littlefoot was originally going to be called "Thunderfoot", until it was found out that there was a Triceratops in a children's book who already had that name. It was George Lucas's idea to make Cera a female Triceratops, when she was in mid-animation as a male named Bambo. Steven Spielburg's son, Max, suggested the voice of Digit, from An American Tail, for the character Petrie, which resulted in Will Ryan, who had voiced Digit, performing the voice of Petrie. The character of Spike was inspired by director Don Bluth's pet chowhound, Cubby.

Editing of the film

"It's too scary. We'll have kids crying in the lobby, and a lot of angry parents. You don't want that."

— Steven Spielberg, on the scenes from The Land Before Time which hit the cutting room floor.

Like Disney's The Black Cauldron and The Jungle Book, which were made years earlier, and Warner Bros./Zoetrope's The Outsiders, which was made five years earlier, The Land Before Time went under a severe cutting and editing of footage. Steven Spielberg and George Lucas thought that some scenes in the movie would appear too frightening or could even cause psychological damage to young children. Around 10 minutes of footage, a total of 19 fully animated scenes, were cut from the final film. A lot of the cut footage consisted of the Tyrannosaurus rex attack sequence and sequences of the five young dinosaurs in severe situations of peril and negative stress. The scene of Sharptooth landing on the back of Littlefoot's mother was altered so that it was only shown in shadow, though some early VHS of the film have the original version of the scene.Don Bluth was unhappy with the cuts, and fought for all the footage, but in the end he had to settle on a final running time of 69 minutes, one of Don Bluth’s shortest; in fact one of the shortest feature films ever produced (depending on how "feature film" is defined). As of today, the original cut of the film with the removed scenes has not been released on video or DVD and it is not known if the motion footage still exists. Some stills do exist, however, including deleted Sharptooth scenes, stills from the original ending, Ducky making faces, and Spike being enticed with berries by Ducky, from a scene that was to have included Cera arguing against Spike coming with the group. A couple of these scenes apparently did make it into the movie novelization, however, and others were in the picture books released with the original film.

The Sharptooth, battling with Littlefoot's Mother.

Another part of the movie that was going to be eliminated was the death of Littlefoot’s mother. However, it was thought that if the scene were removed it would simply produce problems in explaining why Littlefoot had to journey to the Great Valley alone. In the end, psychologists were shown the scene and gave feedback to the production team. The character of Rooter was brought in to the story to soften the emotional blow, and teach Littlefoot and the audience that although loved ones may die, they are always with us in the lessons we have learned from them. Shortly after the information was released, a rumor was spread that all five of the young dinosaurs died, with the Great Valley as an interpretation of heaven, as one of the deleted scenes. However, this has been denied by Don Bluth.

The film's ending was also altered. The original version had Littlefoot finding the Great Valley on his own, after Cera and the rest of the group go their own way. He would then have gone back to find the others and help them defeat Sharptooth, before they all entered the valley. Evidence of this ending remains in the scene of Littlefoot talking to his mother's spirit after the death of Sharptooth. The rock pushed onto Sharptooth's head is still there in the background, on its ledge, because this scene was meant to appear before the death scene. This ending also appears in the two children's books released along with the original film, "A Friend in Need" and "The Search for the Great Valley".

There also appears to be a deleted scene involving the main characters happening on an oasis inhabited by a group of "crown-heads")possibly Pachycelphasaurus/dome-heads)who tell the group that only their own kind can eat. Ducky is told that she can eat because she is like them, but the others cannot, so the group moves on to find their own food. This scene appears in the book "A Friend in Need" , although the illustration is actually of the movie scene with the stand of trees eaten by the longnecks.

Some scenes with the characters in the movie screaming were revoiced with them having milder exclamations.

Reception

Box office

The film was a box office success, grossing $48 million, as well as beating the Disney film Oliver & Company for the #1 spot during its opening weekend. It brought in a box office total of nearly $50 million during its domestic release, slightly more than Don Bluth's previous film, An American Tail. The movie became a hit worldwide, and while Oliver had grossed over its domestic earnings, Land grossed nearly $84 million worldwide, which the Disney film did not surpass.

Analysis

Janet Maslin of the New York Times observed that Don Bluth seemed to have a tendency for making his characters "overly-cute", but that it worked to the benefit in The Land Before Time. Wendy Miller of the Mohave Daily Miner described the characters as being loveable, but not excessively syrupy. She found their personalities reminiscent of Kermit the Frog, The Cowardly Lion, and Lucy Van Pelt, also said that their voice actors helped make the characters enjoyable, rather that "trite". She finished her review with "Betweeen the earthquake and Littlefoot's Mother dying, The Land Before Time gets off to a turbulent beginning. Afterward, however, it settles into a comfortable journey by endearing characters. It's a wonderful film for the entire family." Her review was titled "Animated film lives up to promises". A review in the Motion Picture Guide 1989 Annual notes that the film "has been called a sort of prehistoric Bambi", and considers it to be more in the style of a classic Disney film than the Disney movie Oliver and Company. Steve Rhode's of Internet Reviews called the movie his favourite of the Land Before Time series, adding that while he did not think it was made with the same amount of effort as a Disney film would likely have been, he believed the designs and the music, including the song "If We Hold On Together", were well made, describing them as possessing a "warm and natural beauty".

Hal Hinson, of The Washington Post, said that the film was entertaining, but not good enough to be considered a classic film. However, he praised it for not having the dinosaurs occasionally "pick up guitars and launch into dinosaur renditions of rock songs", like The Chipmunks and Care Bears.

Geoff Andrew of Time Out gave The Land Before Time a six out of ten rating, saying that he felt Don Bluth ought to have followed An American Tail with a more adventurous film. Andrew also suggested that the movie was not educational enough for kids, what with the dinosaurs not being referred to by their scientific names. The Sci-fi Movie Page rated it with two stars, and called it "not exactly much better than most Saturday morning kid television shows." They also commented briefly on the "numerous" amount of straight-to-video sequels it spawned. In contrast, J.P. Harris wrote in his book, Capsule: Reviews of Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy Films and TV Shows from 1987-1991, that the movie made the Disney film Oliver and Company seem more like a Saturday morning show, and that The Land Before Time's plot was never padded. Harris also praised the animation, and the characters for being "distinct and adorable". M. Keith Booker, while noting that the film was a hit with children for its storyline, described the animation as being "unremarkable". In Mark R. Leeper of the Internet Movie Database's review of the film, he writes "Apparently inspired by the art of William Stout, The Land Before Time is short on characterization as well as screen time. The idea of doing a Disney-style cartoon with dinosaurs as characters was a good one, but The Land Before Time does not deliver enough. Rating: low +1." The movie got two thumbs up by Siskel and Ebert, although Roger Ebert's review mentioned having a few issues with the film. Ebert believed The Land Before Time made a "strategic error" in its attempt to attract children, as he thought that the movie erases the distinction between children and dinosaurs (he earlier describes the two as being very similar). He also thought The Land Before Time copied a lot of previous animated movies, and was not surprised that it was written by the writers of An American Tail. He also said the film was too apocalyptic and tragic, with the character deaths and natural disasters, and the drought and famine featured in the film. Incidentally, Ebert mistook Littlefoot to be "the last of his species", when Pat Hingle, in the role of the movie's narrator, had identified Littlefoot as the last of his herd.

In his book, Children's Films: History, Ideology, Pedagogy, Theory, Ian Wojcik-Andrews criticized what he saw as allusions to Christian beliefs, in the film. He thought that Littlefoot was meant to depict the "Chosen one", in that he was the last of his herd, and their only hope for the future. He also pointed out that the concept of Littlefoot leading Cera, Ducky, Petrie and Spike to the Great Valley was reminiscent of the Calvinist theology that souls can only be saved if they follow Christ, and resist temptations that will lead them astray from the path. Finally, he believed the Great Valley was overly-similar to the Garden of Eden.

Ratings

The Land Before Time received a 77% "Certified Fresh" rating from the critics at Rotten Tomatoes, while the movie's fans gave it a higher score of 85% "Certified Fresh". The movie has a current rating of 6.9/10 at IMDB.com, based on 12, 096 votes.

Awards/Nominations

In 1987, The Land Before Time was nominated for a Young Artist Award, for Best Family Animation or Fantasy Motion Picture, although it lost to Beetle Juice. One year later, it received a Saturn award nomination from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films in the USA, for Best Fantasy Film. This award, however, went to Disney's Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

Music

Songs

There is only one lyrical song in The Land Before Time; called "If We Hold On Together". It was sung by Diana Ross, and became a hit.

Soundtrack

• "The Great Migration"
• "Sharptooth and the Earthquake"
• "Whispering Winds"
• "If We Hold On Together"
• "Foraging for Food"
• "The Rescue/Discovery of the Great Valley"
• "End Credits"

Cultural Influence

Merchandise

Sullivan/Bluth Studios teamed with the U.S. Postal Office, JC Penny's and Pizza Hut to help promote The Land Before Time. At Pizza Hut, several hand puppets of the characters Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky, Petrie, Spike and the Sharptooth were issued, and until the public promotions of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, nearly a year later, the characters were used as a feature at birthday parties held at the restaurants, and on the children's menus. The U.S. Postal service issued stamps featuring Dinosaur species used in the film, as well as T-shirts featuring the stamps and the character Littlefoot.

On October 25, 1990, a soundtrack was released for The Land Before Time.

The movie was first domestically released on VHS and laserdisc on September 14th, 1988. It was released on both VHS and laserdisc again on November 22nd, 1995, February 20th, 1996, May 13th, 1997 (in The Land Before Time Collection) and October 14th, 1997. It was first issued on DVD, with DTS, on November 18th, 1997. The Land Before Time was released on VHS and laserdisc in the Universal Family Features on December 1st, 1998. This marked its final laserdisc release. It was reissued on DVD on May 4th, 1998, and was reissued on VHS and DVD on December 3rd, 2001, in the 4 Movie Dino Pack (Volume 1) and the 9 Movie Dino Pack. This marked the movie's final release on VHS. It was subsequently released on DVD on March 20th, 2007, in the 2-Pack with Curious George, and on November 6th, 2007, in the Animated Family Favorites 3-Movie Collection, together with An American Tail and Balto.

Sequels and spinoffs

Main articles: List of The Land Before Time movies and The Land Before Time (TV series)

The Land Before Time generated twelve direct-to-video sequels, of which Don Bluth and his studio, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas have no affiliation. The sequels depart from the style of the original significantly by adding "sing-a-long" musical numbers akin to Disney's animated films, using softer, more brightly-coloured animation (and in later years also including some shots in 3D animations), and toning down the intensity seen in the original film.

A television series was originally released in North America in early 2007, which follows the style of the sequels in terms of the morality and the musical numbers (with some of the songs being shortened, reworked versions of songs from the sequels).

TV Airings

The film aired on Disney Channel from the 1990s to early-2005. Then it aired on Toon Disney from 1998 to 2004. The film also aired on Cartoon Network from 1998 to November 2004. The film finally aired on HBO from July 3, 2006 (being the film's first high-definition broadcast on HBO HD) to December 2007, while it aired on Cinemax from December 2006 to 2007. It also aired on HBO Family around the same month as its first HBO airing in 2006. Then the film once again re-aired on Cartoon Network on February 25, 2008. The film re-aired on HBO on January 1, 2009, along with the HBO premiere of The Land Before Time II: The Great Valley Adventure. Both of these films aired on HBO Family on January 4, 2009.

United States

• Disney Channel (1990s-2005)
• Toon Disney (1998-2004)
• Cartoon Network (1998-2004)
• HBO (2006-2007, 2009-present)
• HBO Family (2006-2007, 2009-present)
• Cinemax (2006-2007)

References in media

• The 75th and 77th Academy Awards used James Horner's music from The Land Before Time.
• The webcomic xkcd refers to Littlefoot's Mother's death in its 233rd issue.
• The 2000 Disney movie Dinosaur, which features a multi-species herd working together in a search across a barren wilderness for a verdant valley safe from carnivores, is notably similar to the plot of The Land Before Time.
• At the beginning of Beethoven's 3rd, VHS covers for the first five films in the Land Before Time film series can be seen in the background of the video store. Incidentally, scenes from The Land Before Time VI: The Secret of Saurus Rock are later shown.
• The trailer for another Universal Pictures/Amblin Entertainment animated film, We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story contains instrumental music from The Land Before Time. The soundtracks for both We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story and The Land Before Time were composed by James Horner.
• An American Tail: The Treasure of Manhattan Island contains James Horner's music from The Land Before Time and Michael Tavera's music from The Land Before Time II: The Great Valley Adventure and The Land Before Time IV: Journey Through the Mists.
• The theatrical trailer for the Universal Pictures/Amblin Entertainment live-action/computer-animated film Casper contains the instrumental music of the song "If We Hold On Together" from The Land Before Time. Both Casper and The Land Before Time were composed by James Horner.
• The video trailer for another Universal Pictures film, Lorenzo's Oil contains James Horner's instrumental music of the song "If We Hold On Together" from The Land Before Time.
• In the Disney film Brother Bear, the character Tanana said the phrase "yep yep yep!", as a homage to The Land Before Time character Ducky, who is noted for frequently using that line.
• On page 111 of Test-Prep Your IQ with the Essentials of Film by David Alan Herzog, a question is given concerning which of The Land Before Time characters between Cera, Ducky, Petrie and Spike is not actually a dinosaur.
• The Land Before Time and its main characters are referenced in the "Throwback Trivia" in The Good Book for Great Times by Connor Pritchard and Dominic Russo. The question concerns naming three characters from the film.
• The title of The Land Before Time is referenced in the title of the first half of the Fairly OddParents episode "Land Before Timmy/Cheese and Crockers".
• The Land Before Time and its sequels are listed in Entertainment Weekly's "14 Movie Franchises We Think Should Stop".
• The Land Before Time is referenced on page 150 of Category Neutrality: A Type-Logical Investigation By Neal Whitman.
• On pages 194-195 of the novel In a Brother's Eyes by Aiken Brown, the characters Brant and Tommy discuss getting a video of The Land Before Time for Brant's child, Brandon. Brant mentions Littlefoot as a good role model for the child.
• The Land Before Time is referenced on pages 256-257 of Donald Glut's 2001 book, Jurassic Classics: A Collection of Saurian Essays and Mesozoic Musings.
• In the 2008 movie Baghead, a video for The Land Before Time is seen on the shelf.

Trivia

• This is the only film in The Land Before Time series which is not a musical.
• Though Spike does not talk in the English version of the film, he utters a single line while climbing up the rocky mountain side in the Finnish version; "ruokaa", which translates into English as "food".

Inaccuracies

• The dinosaurs featured existed in different time periods. Apatosaurus and Stegosaurus existed in the late Jurassic period, while Triceratops, Pteranodon, Parasaurolophus and Tyrannosaurus existed in the late Cretaceous period.
• Pteranodon ate fish and lived near beaches and coastal areas. It also did not have teeth, and was not able to climb trees.
• Tarpits did not form in the Mesozoic era; they formed in the Cenozoic era. Also, the tarpit shown in the film is portrayed as a giant pool of tar, whereas a real tarpit has a layer of water and sand.
• Littlefoot and the others steer clear of a Dimetrodon on the prowl, although Dimetrodon was extinct by the time the dinosaurs came into existence.
• Grass is frequently seen in the film, though it did not develop until the Cenezoic era. However, ancestors of grass have been found in fossilized Titanosaur dung.
• The main characters are shown hatching from their eggs in under a minute, whereas a young animal usually takes several hours to hatch.
• Tyrannosaurus is not believed to have been able to jump, the way the Sharptooth is shown jumping in the film. Also, the Sharptooth is shown standing up straight, whereas modern paleontological thought dictates that Tyrannosaurus stood with its body approximately parallel to the ground.

Goofs

• Audio/visual unsynchronized: Littlefoot's lips don't move when he says "Cera, you came back!" while trying to push the boulder onto the Sharptooth.
• Continuity: The scene in which the baby pterodactyls fight over the cherry uses two backgrounds, one for the vertical pan, and another for the horizontal. The two backgrounds do not match exactly; particularly, the sky changes color, and a knothole in the bottom of the screen disappears and then reappears.
• Continuity: In the scene in which Ducky helps Spike out of his egg, Spikeis portrayed as being about two or three times her size. When he emerges from his nest and devours it, he becomes about five or six times her size, and stays in this proportion for the remainder of the film.
• Continuity: When Littlefoot and the gang settle to sleep on the Sharptooth footprint, and Cera joins them, she lies next to Littlefoot, who in turn is next to Spike. In the next shot, Cera is in-between Spike and Littlefoot.
• Continuity: When Littlefoot and the gang run away upon waking to find that the Sharptooth is close at hand, Petrie is on top of Littlefoot's head. After the gang run into the crevice, Littlefoot is shown without Petrie on his head. When Littlefoot enters the crevice, Petrie is back on his head, but when the Sharptooth breaks the crevice Petrie is not seen rolling down the hill with the gang. After the Sharptooth is seen with his muzzle stuck in the now enlarged crevice, Petrie reappears but in the next shot, both Petrie and Ducky have disappeared.
• Continuity: Littlefoot, Cera and Spike's eye colors frequently change throughout various scenes during the movie, and almost as suddenly return to normal.
• Continuity: Littlefoot's treestar is much smaller when he retrieves it after his mother's death, than it was when she gave it to him.
• Continuity: After the death of Sharptooth, Littlefoot is seen talking to his mother's spirit, saying he'll 'never find the Great Valley'. In the background, the rock that was pushed onto Sharptooth can be seen still sitting on its ledge. This is because of the film's ending being changed while the animation was retained.

Character Debuts

• Recurring characters:
  • Littlefoot
  • Cera
  • Ducky
  • Petrie
  • Spike
  • Grandma and Grandpa Longneck
  • Topsy
  • Mama Swimmer
  • Ducky's Siblings
  • Papa Swimmer
  • Mama Flyer
  • Petrie's Siblings
• One-off characters
  • Cera's Mother
  • Most of Cera's Siblings (a few were later seen in The Land Before Time III: The Time of the Great Giving)
  • Rooter
  • The original Sharptooth
  • Littlefoot's Mother (deceased)
• Species' Debuts:
  • Apatosaurus
  • Triceratops
  • Parasaurolophus
  • Pteranodon
  • Struthiomimus
  • Tyrannosaurus
  • Dimetrodon
  • Stegosaurus
  • Diplodocus
  • Pachycephalosaurus

Memorable Quotes

Littlefoot

• (Arriving in the Great Valley) We did it. We did it together.
• (After fighting with Cera) Go on! Go the wrong way! We never wanted you with us anyway!
• (The others have collapsed from exhaustion) Oh, you can't quit now. What if the Great Valley's just over the top of these rocks?
• (Last original lines) Now we'll always be together. (Note: This line was removed from the entire film, although it was used in the Pizza Hut commercial advertising the Land Before Time handpuppets.)

Cera

• (After Littlefoot insists that Sharptooth is dead) My father told me that flatheads had very small brains.
• (Littlefoot offers to share some of the leaves he and the others have obtained, with Cera) I can find my own green food! (Cera struggles to knock the leaves off of a tree. Littlefoot drops some from the rest of the group's stash, while making it look as though Cera knocked them down herself) See? I can take care of myself all by myself. I'm not afraid to be alone, I know my way to go, and I'm not afraid of Sharp Tooth... I hope he doesn't eat any of you!
• (Describing a fabricated version of her underground encounter with Sharptooth, to the others) I could see his one, big, ugly eye looking for me.

Ducky

• (Repeated line) Yep yep yep.
• (Trying to coax Spike out of his egg) You should come out. You should. You are late. Yes, you are. Yep yep yep.
• (Helping Spike to hatch from his egg) You are a spiketail...so we will call you Spike!
• (Petrie rejects the idea of trying to fly up to grab leaves from a tree) Petrie, do not feel sad. It is alright. Many things cannot fly. Rocks, trees, sticks, Spike...
• (to Petrie) Up Petrie! Higher! Higher like a flyer!
• Spike, do not stop! We must stay together!

Petrie

• (Perched on Littlefoot's head) You've got a nice flat head, flathead.
• (As Littlefoot, Ducky and Spike come to save him from the tar pit) Flathead! Ducky! Spike! Oh, Petrie is so happy!
• (Trying to smell for green food) I smell, I smell, I smell... Hmm. Ducky.

Littlefoot's Mother

• (Last words) Littlefoot, let your heart guide you. It whispers so listen closely.
• (Littlefoot questions how she knows the Great Valley exists, if she's never been there) Some things you see with your eyes, others you see with your heart.

Topsy (a.k.a. Daddy Topps)

• (Stopping Cera and Littlefoot in their game) Come, Cera, Threehorns never play with Longnecks.

Rooter

• (Consoling Littlefoot over his mother's recent death) The Great Circle of Life has begun, but, you see, not all of us arrive together at the end.

Narrator

• One herd had only a single baby - the last hope for the future. And they called him...Littlefoot.
• All that remained of his herd was his mother, grandmother and grandfather. He knew them by sight, by scent, and by their love. He knew they would be together, always.
• At first, Littlefoot could only think about his mother. He hardly noticed his hunger and had forgotten about the Great Valley and that he must somehow reach it.
• Then Littlefoot knew for certain he was alone, and although the Great Valley was far away, the journey there was perilous. He would have to find his way, or the chain of life would be broken.
• So the five hungry dinosaurs set off for the Great Valley. There had never been such a herd before. A longneck, a threehorn, a bigmouth, a flyer and a spike-tail all together, all knowing that if they lost their way, they would starve or find themselves in Sharptooth's shadow.
• Littlefoot had been wrong about the Sharptooth, but the others followed him. Their only hope was to reach the Great Valley, and Littlefoot alone knew the way.
• Cera was still too proud to admit that she'd gone the wrong way. [Cera cries]
• Though, they were sourced out and tired, Littlefoot urged them on. He'd never seen the Great Valley, but his heart told him that they were close. Surely, at the top, they'd behold it, finally.
• And Littlefoot found his grandmother and grandfather at last. The same loving faces he looked into on the day of his birth.
• (last released lines) And they all grew up together in the valley, generation upon generation, each passing on to the next. The tale of their ancestor's journey to the valley long ago.

Gallery

Screenshots from The Land Before Time

The main protagonist, Littlefoot.

The second protagonist, Cera.

The third protagonist, Ducky.

The fourth protagonist, Petrie.

The fifth protagonist, Spike.

Cera, trying to break free from her egg, while her mother and sisters look on.

Cera's sisters.

Minor character Rooter.

Littlefoot's mother leans in to meet her son.

Littlefoot, after his birth.

Baby Littlefoot, sleeping on his mother's back.

The Sharptooth, searching through the thorns to find Littlefoot and Cera.

The Great Valley, viewed from above.

Littlefoot, carrying the treestar from his mother on his back.

Cera, preparing to attack an insect (offscreen).

Ducky, helping Spike out of his egg.

Petrie.

Sharptooth, jumping in combat.

Littlefoot speaks to his mother's spirit.

A herd of Triceratops in the Great Valley.

External Links

• The Land Before Time at RetroJunk.com
• Soundtrack audio clips
• The original 1988 TV trailer for The Land Before Time
• The time before sequels Amanda Green; Dallas Movie Examiner.

Preceded by: "---"

The Land Before Time film series

Followed by: "The Land Before Time II: The Great Valley Adventure"