History WesternANimation / TheLandBeforeTime

If you would like to read the movie storybook by Jim Razzi, click here: https://archive.org/details/landbeforetime00razz/mode/2up

The first film, made at the dawn of UsefulNotes/TheRenaissanceAgeOfAnimation, is well remembered for its excellent character animation and arresting visual atmospherics (both hallmarks of Creator/DonBluth's work), surprisingly complex themes and [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic memorably bombastic soundtrack]] by Music/JamesHorner. It was also the first major dinosaur film made after the Dinosaur Renaissance reached popular culture a few years before Spielberg's own ''Film/{{Jurassic Park|1993}}'' carried the torch in live-action, and features the refined image of dinosaurs since then (see ShownTheirWork below).

The film released its first sequel in 1994, and Universal Cartoon Studios ended up making a sequel almost every year up to 2007, for a grand total of twelve. These sequels (featuring no involvement from any of the original film's creators nor its voice actors, save for a notable RoleReprise by original Cera VA Candace Hutson in the first three) took a much LighterAndSofter tone than the original film, [[FanonDiscontinuity a move that alienated them from many of the first movie's fans]]. Still, others embrace these sequels into the canon of the series and see them as enjoyable, harmless, and frequently heartwarming kids' films that contain unexpectedly deep, complex themes and moral lessons. The series also had a short-running TV show in 2008 that lasted for one season. When this show ended, the series seemed to be headed towards a hard-earned retirement. [[{{Uncancelled}} But]] on February 2nd, 2016, a fourteenth movie was finally released, and it is the last installment for the series to date. With so many sequels, it would be an unorthodox way to teach kids Roman numerals, [[Franchise/StarWars alongside]] [[Franchise/FinalFantasy some]] [[VideoGame/{{Minecraft}} other]] [[UsefulNotes/SuperBowl franchises]].

The first film, made at the dawn of UsefulNotes/TheRenaissanceAgeOfAnimation, is well remembered for its excellent character animation and arresting visual atmospherics (both hallmarks of Creator/DonBluth's work), surprisingly complex themes and [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic groundbreaking soundtrack]] by Music/JamesHorner. It was also the first major dinosaur film made after the Dinosaur Renaissance reached popular culture a few years before Spielberg's own ''Film/{{Jurassic Park|1993}}'' carried the torch in live-action, and features the refined image of dinosaurs since then (see ShownTheirWork below).

The film released its first sequel in 1994, and Universal Cartoon Studios ended up making a sequel almost every year up to 2007, for a grand total of twelve. These sequels (featuring no involvement from any of the original film's creators) took a much LighterAndSofter tone than the original film, [[FanonDiscontinuity a move that alienated them from many of the first movie's fans]]. Still, others embrace these sequels into the canon of the series and see them as enjoyable, harmless, and frequently heartwarming kids' films that contain unexpectedly deep, complex themes and moral lessons. The series also had a short-running TV show in 2008 that lasted for one season. When this show ended, the series seemed to be headed towards a hard-earned retirement. [[{{Uncancelled}} But]] on February 2nd, 2016, a fourteenth movie was finally released, and it is the last installment for the series to date. With so many sequels, it would be an unorthodox way to teach kids Roman numerals, [[Franchise/StarWars alongside]] [[Franchise/FinalFantasy some]] [[VideoGame/{{Minecraft}} other]] [[UsefulNotes/SuperBowl franchises]].

* 1995 -- ''WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTimeIIITheTimeOfTheGreatGiving'': A drought hits the Great Valley, and the dinosaurs within begin to crack under the strain.

* 2001 -- ''WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTimeVIIITheBigFreeze'': The Valley is once again put in danger, this time by a massive cold spell, while Spike meets members of his own kind and must decide whether to leave the Valley with them or remain with his adoptive family (and thus Ducky).

* 2005 -- ''WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTimeXIInvasionOfTheTinysauruses'': After accidentally getting rid of the fruits of a certain tree, Littlefoot blames a colony of tiny Longnecks. Meanwhile, Cera's father gets together with his old girlfriend, Tria.

The first film, made at the dawn of UsefulNotes/TheRenaissanceAgeOfAnimation, is well remembered for its excellent character animation and arresting visual atmospherics (both hallmarks of Creator/DonBluth's work), surprisingly complex themes and [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic groundbreaking soundtrack]] by Music/JamesHorner. It was also the first major dinosaur film made after the Dinosaur Renaissance reached popular culture a few years before ''Film/{{Jurassic Park|1993}}'' carried the torch in live-action, and features the refined image of dinosaurs since then (see ShownTheirWork below).

The first film, made at the dawn of UsefulNotes/TheRenaissanceAgeOfAnimation, is well remembered for its excellent character animation and arresting visual atmospherics (both hallmarks of Creator/DonBluth's work), surprisingly complex themes and [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic groundbreaking soundtrack]] by Music/JamesHorner. It was also the first major dinosaur film made after the Dinosaur Renaissance reached popular culture, and features the refined image of dinosaurs since then (see ShownTheirWork below).

The first film, made at the dawn of UsefulNotes/TheRenaissanceAgeOfAnimation, is well remembered for its excellent character animation and arresting visual atmospherics (both hallmarks of Creator/DonBluth's work),surprisingly complex themes and [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic groundbreaking soundtrack]] by Music/JamesHorner. It was also the first major dinosaur film made after the Dinosaur Renaissance reached popular culture, and features the refined image of dinosaurs since then (see ShownTheirWork below).

* AnAesop:
** Follow your heart. Littlefoot followed his mother's advice, and reached the Great Valley.
** The right way is not always the easiest one. As a result of taking an alternate path, Cera put herself and the rest of the group in harm's way simply to prove her worth to her father.

* ScreamsLikeALittleGirl: Petrie screeches at the sight of anything daunting throughout the movie. A particularly chilling PlayedForDrama case occurs during the climax however when he is dragged down a cliff with Sharptooth to his seeming death.

* CrapsackWorld: The world outside the great valley is extremely forbidding, stark, lonely and dangerous.

** Ducky's father appeared at the end of the original movie, and is seen in a few early sequels, but is never seen nor mentioned from the sixth movie onward.[[note]]This likely had to do with the infamous and tragic murder-suicide of Ducky's original voice actress Creator/JudiBarsi and her mother at the hands of her own father.[[/note]]

** Ducky's father appeared at the end of the original movie, and is seen in a few early sequels, but is never seen nor mentioned from the sixth movie onward.

The first film, made at the dawn of UsefulNotes/TheRenaissanceAgeOfAnimation, is well remembered for its excellent character animation (a hallmark of Creator/DonBluth films), surprisingly complex plotting, and [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic groundbreaking soundtrack]] by Music/JamesHorner. It was also the first major dinosaur film made after the Dinosaur Renaissance reached popular culture, and features the refined image of dinosaurs since then (see ShownTheirWork below).

The film released its first sequel in 1994, and Universal Cartoon Studios ended up making a sequel almost every year up to 2007, for a grand total of twelve. These sequels took a much LighterAndSofter tone than the original film, [[FanonDiscontinuity a move that alienated them from many of the first movie's fans]]. Still, others embrace these sequels into the canon of the series and see them as enjoyable, harmless, and frequently heartwarming kids' films that contain unexpectedly deep, complex themes and moral lessons. The series also had a short-running TV show in 2008 that lasted for one season. When this show ended, the series seemed to be headed towards a hard-earned retirement. [[{{Uncancelled}} But]] on February 2nd, 2016, a fourteenth movie was finally released, and it is the last installment for the series to date. With so many sequels, it would be an unorthodox way to teach kids Roman numerals, [[Franchise/StarWars alongside]] [[Franchise/FinalFantasy some]] [[VideoGame/{{Minecraft}} other]] [[UsefulNotes/SuperBowl franchises]].

** Only a handful of the sequels remember that the dinosaurs migrated to the Great Valley. Most of them act as if the dinosaurs have been living there for generations, with Mr. Thicknose being the most biggest example since he claims he's never been outside the Great Valley. Likewise, the idea of the Mysterious Beyond makes no sense since it was where everyone lived before they found the Great Valley.

* MisplacedWildlife: The franchise has many species of dinosaurs which lived millions of years apart all living in the same period.