The Land Before Time

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, Lucasfilm Ltd. 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, or so it is long believed, as his father is shown to still be alive in film X, 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 Saurolophus; Petrie, a Pterodactyl; 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.

Plot
Near the end of the Cretaceous, a series of catastrophic events are causing intense drought, and several herds of dinosaurs seek one of the last livable places, a paradise known as the "Great Valley." Among these, a diminished "Longneck" herd gives birth to a single baby, named Littlefoot (Gabriel Damon). Years later, Littlefoot plays with Cera (Candy Hutson), a "Three-horn," who was trying to smash a beetle until her father (Burke Byrnes) intervenes; whereupon Littlefoot's mother (Helen Shaver) names the different kinds of dinosaurs: "Three-horns," "Spiketails," "Swimmers," and "Flyers," and states that each has historically remained apart. That night, as Littlefoot follows a "hopper," he encounters Cera again, and they play together briefly until a "Sharptooth" appears. He attacks them, before Littlefoot's mother comes to their rescue. During the fight, she suffers severe back and neck injuries from the Sharptooth's teeth and claws. At that same time, an "earthshake" opens a deep ravine that swallows up the Sharptooth and divides Littlefoot and Cera from their herds. Dinosaurs are seen dying from the earthshake. Littlefoot finds his dying mother, and receives her final words of advice in favor of his intuition.

Depressed and confused, Littlefoot meets an old "Clubtail" named Rooter (Pat Hingle, who also serves as the film's unseen narrator), who consoles him upon learning of his mother's death. Littlefoot later hears his mother's voice guiding him to follow the "bright circle" past the "great rock that looks like a longneck and then past the "mountains that burn" to the Great Valley. Now alone in his journey, Littlefoot meets Cera once again and tries to get her to join him, but she arrogantly refuses his help, and stalks off into the darkness after falling down a ravine.

Later, Littlefoot is accompanied by a young "Bigmouth" named Ducky (Judith Barsi), whose cheery company bears him out of his depression. Soon after, they meet a "Flyer" named Petrie (Will Ryan), whose aerophobia and inability to fly makes him extremely insecure and nervous. Meanwhile Cera, who is attempting to find her own kind, finds the unconscious Sharptooth inside the ravine. Thinking he is dead, she harasses him, during which she unintentionally wakes him up, and flees in terror. She soon bumps into Littlefoot, Ducky, and Petrie, and tells them that the Sharptooth is alive, although Littlefoot does not believe her. She then describes her encounter (exaggerating her bravery), during which she accidentally flings Ducky into the air. When she lands, Ducky discovers a mute hatchling "Spiketail", whom she names Spike and brings him into the group. Seeking the Great Valley, they discover a cluster of trees, which is abruptly depleted by a herd of Whiptailed Longnecks. Searching for remaining growth, they discover one tree still with leaves, and obtain food by stacking up atop each other and pulling the leaves down. Cera remains aloof, but at nightfall, everyone, including herself, gravitates to Littlefoot's side for warmth and companionship.

The next morning, they are attacked by the Sharptooth, but escape through a cave-tunnel too small to admit him. Beyond this, they discover the Longneck-shaped monolith mentioned by Littlefoot's mother, and later a string of mountains that burn. Cera grows impatient of the seemingly aimless trip and, after they arrive to a barren valley she mistakes for the Great Valley, decides to go another way. Littlefoot tries to tell her that she is going the wrong way and eventually he is pushed into attacking her, but the two end up hurting each other to the point where they hate each other. Not caring about Cera's disloyalty, Littlefoot continues in the direction he was told, while the others follow Cera, who feel her route is easier. However, Cera's route soon leads them into danger, as Ducky and Spike become endangered by lava and Petrie gets stuck in a tar pit after falling off Cera. Littlefoot rescues them, and they soon find Cera harassed by a small gang of "Dome-heads". Having been coated in tar while trying to rescue Petrie, they scare them away. Ashamed of her fear and reluctant to admit her mistake, Cera leaves them in tears.

Later, while crossing a pond, Petrie spies the Sharptooth nearby. Tired of being stalked and determined to avenge his mother, Littlefoot plots to lure him into the water (using Ducky as bait) beneath a nearby boulder, intending to drown him. Their luring of the Sharptooth succeeds, but Littlefoot and Spike have trouble moving the boulder, putting Ducky in serious danger. In the struggle that follows, a draft from the Sharptooth's nostrils enables Petrie to fly, which also cures his fear of flying and gives him the courage to stall Sharptooth. Sharptooth leaps onto the boulder and the plan nearly fails until Cera reunites with the group to allow Littlefoot and his friends to push both Sharptooth and the boulder into the water below. Sharptooth, who is still determined to attack the young dinosaurs, tries to take Petrie with him to his death. Littlefoot and his friends mourn the apparent loss of Petrie until Ducky finds him, soaked and exhausted, but still very much alive, to her delight.

Littlefoot, alone, follows a cloud resembling his mother to the Great Valley, where he is joined by the others. Upon arrival, Petrie impresses his family with his newfound flight, while Ducky introduces Spike to her family, who adopt him. Cera reunites with her father and Littlefoot rejoins his grandparents. Cera then calls for Littlefoot to play. They join their friends at the top of a hill and embrace each other in a group hug, while looking up to the sky.

Cast

 * Gabriel Damon as Littlefoot
 * Candy Hutson as Cera
 * Helen Shaver as Littlefoot's Mother
 * Bill Erwin as Grandpa Longneck
 * Burke Byrnes as Daddy Topps
 * Frank Welker as The Frogs
 * Frank Welker as Sharptooth
 * Pat Hingle as Narrator/Rooter
 * Judith Barsi as Ducky
 * Will Ryan as Petrie
 * Frank Welker as Dimetrodon
 * Frank Welker as Spike
 * Frank Welker as The Grey-Nose
 * Bill Erwin as The Fat Crown-Head
 * Frank Welker as The Domeheads

Scenes

 * Littlefoot and Cera play in a bubbly swamp with the frogs.
 * Littlefoot and Cera are playing with the frogs before sharptooth comes after them.

Chapters

 * The Land Before Time (1988) - Chapter 1 - Littlefoot is Born
 * The Land Before Time (1988) - Chapter 2 - Tree Star
 * The Land Before Time (1988) - Chapter 3 - Littlefoot meets Cera
 * The Land Before Time (1988) - Chapter 4 - Playing in the Swamp
 * The Land Before Time (1988) - Chapter 5 - Sharptooth!
 * The Land Before Time (1988) - Chapter 6 - Littlefoot meets Rooter
 * The Land Before Time (1988) - Chapter 7 - The Baby Flyers and the Cherries
 * The Land Before Time (1988) - Chapter 8 - Tree Star again
 * The Land Before Time (1988) - Chapter 9 - Running into Cera
 * The Land Before Time (1988) - Chapter 10 - Littlefoot meets Ducky and Petrie

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"

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".
 * Bill Erwin is credited as voicing Grandpa Longneck, despite the character not speaking in the film.
 * This film is the first in which Littlefoot, Ducky and Cera cry.
 * Cera screamed, "Sharptooth!" in English, Hungarian, Japanese, German,
 * Littlefoot screamed, "Sharptooth!" in Canadian French, European French, Russian, Czech, Dutch, Greek,
 * The Grey-Nose sounds like Fred Jones from Scooby Doo Where Are You
 * Cera's appearance was similar to that of Marie from The Aristocats.

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 peteionsauruses fight over the cherry uses two backgrounds, one for the vertical pan, and another for the horizontal. The two backgrounds do not match exactly; peteinosaurus, 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. (although cut scenes have shown an in between part where they move positions slightly)
 * 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
 * Daddy Topps
 * Mama Swimmer
 * Ducky's Siblings
 * Papa Swimmer
 * Petrie's Mother
 * Petrie's Siblings


 * One-off characters
 * Cera's Mother
 * Cera's Siblings
 * Rooter
 * The original Sharptooth
 * Littlefoot's Mother (deceased; is mentioned in later films and appears in a flashback in The Great Longneck Migration it should be noted that in some scenes in the later films there is a longneck that usually appears alongside Grandma and Grandpa Longneck.)
 * The Grey-Nose
 * The Fat Crown-Head


 * Species' Debuts:
 * Ankylosaurus
 * Apatosaurus
 * Archelon
 * Cimolestes
 * Colossochelys
 * Compsognathus
 * Crassigyrinus
 * Dimetrodon
 * Dimorphodon
 * Dinilysia (In the storyboard only)
 * Diplodocus
 * Edaphosaurus
 * Eryops
 * Fabrosaurus
 * Heterodontosaurus
 * Hylonomus
 * Ianthasaurus
 * Lesothosaurus
 * Metriorhynchus
 * Ornithomimus
 * Ornithosuchus
 * Pachycephalosaurus
 * Parasaurolophus
 * Peteinosaurus
 * Platyhystrix
 * Proganochelys
 * Pterodactyl
 * Pterodactylus
 * Saurolophus
 * Sordes
 * Stegosaurus
 * Steropodon
 * Triceratops
 * Tyrannosaurus
 * Worm lizard