The Gang of Five
The Land Before Time => General Land Before Time => Topic started by: NewOrder on February 05, 2007, 01:29:41 PM
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According to sources LBT will go up to the 14th sequel. How do you feel about this? Do you think no 14 should be the last, or should there be more? Should Universal just bet on continous seasons for the TV series?
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I honestly think they should stop producing LBT sequels. All Universal is doing is trying to milk as much money out of the franchise as possible, and to do that they produce sequels. I didn't mind the first couple, but started to lose interest by the 6th or 7th. I think the sequels are doing more harm than good in the LBT franchise. The number of sequels are also most likely the reason why the quality of LBT started to go down starting at the 5th movie, and also why LBT is not as popular as it once was during the early sequels.
And about the TV series, I think that came a little too late for LBT. Universal should have produced the TV series in the mid 90s when the movies were popular, at least according to what my dad says. He doesn't understand why Universal waited until this year to release a TV series.
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Where did you find out that the series will stop with movie fourteen? (XIV.) We're already at movie # 12. Does this mean the "end times" are near? With the TV series, it seems as if the francise is stonger and more vital than ever; they even say that it sold well on the newly-redone website. I hope we're not nearing the last movie :(
Edit: Technically, the 14th sequel is the 15th movie.
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There's no evidence to suggest that the 14th will be the last.
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It all depends on the quality of the sequels. There is still so much room left, so many good stories which are yet to be told. If future sequels were bound to be bad I'm afraid it would be better to stop right now.
However, they are not bound to be bad!
There have been flaws about several of the last sequels and yet there have been very positive aspects about them too. It woud be utopic (but not impossible), I suppose, to expect future sequels to become as good as the earlierst once again. There is still something positive in most of the recent sequels.
Therefore I cannot support any calls for an end to LBT based only on the number. If a thousand more good sequels can be made, by all means make a thausand sequels. If no good sequel at all could be made, by all means don't even consider making a bad one.
There is yet room for good stories.
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The only problem I have with continuous sequels is the changing of voice actors. LBT has been through so many different ones, and it's really painful hearing some of the new ones and trying to adapt to them.
But the movies aren't really dieing on me at all. Each new one that's about to be released, I feel just as anxious as the one before.
But if universal really wants to just keep going with this series, then let them. No matter how many different ones they release, and how cheesy some of them may be, I'll still watch them and always be a fan of LBT no matter what :p
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I still feel too many sequels can hurt the LBT franchise rather than help it. Too many sequels, even good ones, are not a good idea in my opinion.
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I don't care too much about LBT as a franchise, but more about it as a story. The quality of the story is of major importance (and good stories have a positive aspect on LBT as a franchise too).
I must disagree with your idea that even if good sequels could be produced they should not because too high a number might hurt the franchise.
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I just feel that LBT doesn't need all this continuation.
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I wouldn't like LBT to end, but the new sequels really have to be something. I saw an improvement in LBT XII, however I no longer feel the same way as I did before. Untill LBT VII, I spent all year searching for information and very anxious for the moment I'd get my hands on the sequel, now I don't feel the same way. And watching the sequel brings a couple of laughs and stuff, but the most rcent ones lack the "magic" of the first ones. Maybe it's just because I've grown up, or that the hopeof Ali's return that kept me a fan all these years is fading.
Anyway, I hope that when the final sequel comes, and it will come, they make an ending that dignifys not only the sequels but the original movie as well.
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the most rcent ones lack the "magic" of the first ones
This is why I feel that Universal should not have gone this far in producing the sequels. I feel the damage has already been done, though. I feel that the number of sequels may have been the reason LBT lost a lot of its popularity that it once had in the 90s. It's hurting the franchise, and that's not good.
I don't care too much about LBT as a franchise, but more about it as a story.
But the story is still dependent on the franchise, the marketting. The more popularity it loses, the less LBT stuff we will see in the future. And once the franchise is over, then no more LBT sequels, the way I see it anyway. Universal produces the LBT sequels for one thing only: money. And if they don't get enough money, they may end up stopping production of LBT movies.
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I do see your point, but I still can't agree to the idea of abandoning any continuation of the land before time even in case of some more good sequels.
There are still stories left to be told. While I admit that it is very unlikely that the glory of the earliest sequels will ever return I also see that in spite of some extreme shortcomings in some cases there was still a lot on the positive side in case of most sequels. Cut out the rainbowfaces (or their obvious departure), take a little more care about the colors and LBT 7 wouldn't have been too bad. LBT 8 was a good basic idea too. Take more care about the realism, at a little more depth to the character conflicts and developements and it would have been good. LBT 9 was simple but good. There were some plot holes (e.g. why couldn't Petrie fly just a little higher to tell their parents about were), but some nice music, some very emotional scenes, and scenes which reminded of earlier LBT movies in a positive way. LBT 10... well, it is the one of which I wish that it had never been made, but most of you disagree with me. There are emotional scenes and beautiful music to it.
My point is that LBT hasn't deteriorated beyond recognition and it need not do so even if the series is being continued. And if good sequels continue to be produced I suppose this would do more good on the economic sector than a high roman numeral would do bad.
Once the series is stopped the merchandize would cease soon anyway, so why not give it a try. With some enthusiasm, creativity, and sense for what made the early movies good the production team could still come up with something.
I don't think LBT should be abandoned lightly.
I hope my mind won't be changed by the TV series I haven't seen yet.
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I too must agree that the more recent movies do lack that certain specialty that the first few had. Every movie just seems to follow a long journey into the mysterious beyond because something bad has happened in the valley, or the kids just decide to go on an adventure.
But the way I see it, it doesn't really matter because nothing is continuing at all. None of the movies ever "continue" after the previous one. It's all a completely new adventure, like a brand new movie. The characters barely even refer to recent times.
If you look at some of the really popular movie series, like "The Matrix" and "Lord of the Rings", each movie continued onto the next. So of course, the series would eventually have to come to a stop. But LBT can't really "end" because there really is no series. Every movie is its own story, and there's no connection at all.
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Cut out the rainbowfaces (or their obvious departure)
Ah yes, the infamous "aliens in LBT" moment. That took me by surprise, and did realize how unLBT it was.
While I do not agree with making more sequels, I would still watch the new movies as they come out, since it's about dinosaurs and I like dinosaurs.
Every movie is its own story, and there's no connection at all.
Not entirely true, though for the most part it is. LBT 5 was connected to LBT2 with the reintroduction of Chomper and his parents, and how the kids remembered them. And don't forget LBT 10, which was connected to LBT1 with Bron's story of what happened during that time. And I guess you can say that LBT11 is also connected to LBT1 because of the absense of Cera's mother and how Cera feels about Tria. I could be wrong though.
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Not entirely true, though for the most part it is. LBT 5 was connected to LBT2 with the reintroduction of Chomper and his parents, and how the kids remembered them. And don't forget LBT 10, which was connected to LBT1 with Bron's story of what happened during that time. And I guess you can say that LBT11 is also connected to LBT1 because of the absense of Cera's mother and how Cera feels about Tria. I could be wrong though.
Yea, there were a select few moments where they referred back, but there still wasn't much connection at all. In each movie, the gang kind of starts off like nothing ever happened.
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What about the ninth movie? That seemed to recapture at least some of the spirit of the first movie.
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Oh yeah and it also connected with LBT5 with that song Big Water, and how they were returning to the ocean.
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There's also plenty of connectivity in the tv series; just look at episodes 3 and 6:
3. - Showed Saurus rock
- Mentioned the sheltering grass (from movie II)
6. - Mentioned Pterano
- Had motifs of bad luck (movie VI) and the foul-smelling plants (movie V)
Who knows? Maybe there will be a mention of Ali or Bron in a later episode. Those possibilities are just as likely as a Pterano mention, and that happened.
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There are many references to previous sequels in later sequels and also on the TV series. So you can't completely put aside a concept of a continuing story on the overall. I would like a last sequel that would somehow gather all the other sequels and reach some sort of conclusion, maybe all the Dinosaurs having to live together, and only the ideal of the Great Valley could save them, something like that.
I believe Roy Allen Smith's idea was this, you can tell by what Ali says at the end of LBT 4, we'll all live together someday, even as a reference to Tickles. When Charles Grosvenor came in, the hole concept changed...
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I know that there were some times when they did mention things from previous movies. Maybe my idea of no connection at all was a bit of an over-statement, but it still doesn't change the fact that none of the movies continue off of what happened at the end of the last movie. There's no main story that spreads over all of the sequels. It's just a gang of 5 dinosaurs who experience many journeys and mis-haps throughout their childhood. :lol
If they were going to make a big ending for all the movies, there wouldn't be much they could do. They could have Ali return and everybody just live happily ever after. Or the gang could grow up and that would be the end. But there isn't really any story to conclude except that the gang just lived on peacefully.
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Well, the tv series does mention disparate creatures living together, especially in the third episode; something is mentioned about Ruby having to learn the secret of how Littlefoot and his friends live together. I still think that the whole "living together in peace" theme is still on; its just that Charles Grosvenor is going about it in a different way. It should be noted that in his very first LBT movie, he reintroduces Chomper and the whole idea of living together in spite of differences. Of course, Chomper is a Roy Allen Smith character (like Ali.) The closest Grosvenor has come to having a normally dangerous dinosaur live together with herbivores is Ruby, and although she is an egg-eater, she can also eat plants as well, which mitigates the whole situation. I'm sure we will eventually see Ali again; we just have to wait. My personal theory on why it's taking so long is that they want to save her for a series-turning occasion; one that brings the matter of "living together someday" to its conclusion.
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Ruby's an oviraptor and I thought oviraptors weren't egg-eaters. All the fossils of an oviraptor stealing an egg turned out to be a mother oviraptor protecting one of her own eggs.
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The name "Oviraptor" means "egg stealer." It's possible that they could eat eggs, but this isn't a necessity. Anyway, Ruby could almost definitely live peacefully in the valley, even when she grows up, but Chomper... there's no real way he could peacefully live in the valley when he's fully grown.
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They were given that name because when they were first discovered, the fossil depicted one "stealing" an egg. But in reality, it was protecting the egg. It was an egg nurturer, not an egg stealer.
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Maybe. We don't exactly know. I guess this means I can't tell either way; i've read conflicting accounts about Oviraptors' diets.
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Obviously someone is making money so until that stops, Universal will be making new sequels. The day the profits dry up is the day you've seen the last sequel....good story or crummy one. They could stop now and I think most of us would be pleased with what we have.
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I don't think there's any proof that the oviraptor stole the eggs from other dinosaurs and ate them. On the other hand, there's no proof that it didn't. I don't think eggs were part of the main diet though.
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Personally, I don't want the series to end without a reappearance of Ali and Bron, both of whom they said we would see again.
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I think the ending of the original film is one of the best ever made. If the sequels could have a similar one that would be great. Btw, what if the LBT ended after the first movie? How do you think you'd look at LBT without the sequels or tv series?
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I don't argue the point that the original movie had a spirit very different from that of the sequels. Nevertheless I must confess that I'm certain that this one movie of little more than an hour probably couldn't have kept me enthusiastic for such a long time. I would have always looked back at it fondly, but without the sequels I don't think I would have been as much of a land before time fan. I just wouldn't have had so much to say about it. I wouldn't have started writing own LBT stories if it hadn't been for the sequels.
So with all the credit to the first movie and its being of a much higher level than the sequels I will never deny the great contribution of the sequels to what "The land before time" means to me.
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I think the ending of the original film is one of the best ever made. If the sequels could have a similar one that would be great. Btw, what if the LBT ended after the first movie? How do you think you'd look at LBT without the sequels or tv series?
For the longest time, we only had the original and we were still happy as kids around 1994 or so. Probably wouldn't change much for me since the original is what I like the most and that was my initial forway into the web--I wanted to make a site about the original, but hence because of the sequels, I wouldn't have made it without including them. So this board would be one thing that probably wouldn't be around if not for the sequels....I guess that's one reason I don't mind their presence.
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LBT 4 was the big reason I became an LBT fan, it sioidified my kinship with the series. I no longer have any of the movies, they were given as a Christmas present to my little cousin, but I don't mind. The torch needed to be passed some time... Ali will be back, I'm sure of it.. as will Bron.. patience is needed that's all. If the series goes for a couple of seasons, we'll probably see her again. Perhaps a two or three part story involving her return, and Ruby and Chomper adapting to her.
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I hope the producers of the series think the same way you do Nick -_-
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They were given that name because when they were first discovered, the fossil depicted one "stealing" an egg. But in reality, it was protecting the egg. It was an egg nurturer, not an egg stealer.
Kinda gets me thinking of the Dinotopian name for them, Ovinutrix. (Egg Nurse). Just a musing, probably pointless lol
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Hmm. I'm going to have to side with Malte on this. The number of films in a franchise are not the end-all-do-all deciding factor. Its the quality. If they kept making good ones, I wouldn't care how many there were, either. The only issue would be shelf space. <_< :^.^:
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The only issue would be shelf space. <_< :^.^:
My own little "LBT shrine" is rather full already. Nevertheless I would certainly go for a larger shelf rather than renouncing a sequel, always provided that it is a good one.
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Well, the tv series does mention disparate creatures living together, especially in the third episode; something is mentioned about Ruby having to learn the secret of how Littlefoot and his friends live together. I still think that the whole "living together in peace" theme is still on; its just that Charles Grosvenor is going about it in a different way. It should be noted that in his very first LBT movie, he reintroduces Chomper and the whole idea of living together in spite of differences. Of course, Chomper is a Roy Allen Smith character (like Ali.) The closest Grosvenor has come to having a normally dangerous dinosaur live together with herbivores is Ruby, and although she is an egg-eater, she can also eat plants as well, which mitigates the whole situation. I'm sure we will eventually see Ali again; we just have to wait. My personal theory on why it's taking so long is that they want to save her for a series-turning occasion; one that brings the matter of "living together someday" to its conclusion.
It is believed that they infact ate various hard shelled creatures mulesks and things such as sea scorpions and various other mulesks. They would likely have eaten plants. It was originally assumed they were egg eaters do to their having a beak. But a beak also serves well to crack other hard shelled critters.
As for rubys parents coments it was not live togather it was live and work togather. Its all about learnign how to team up against a obstical. In this case red claw. It is basically ruby and chomper learning how to wage war agaisnt redclaw and get rid of him once and for all be that by killing him or running him off to some place he can not return from.
As for the sequels they have had a common theme through out. Wich is exactly what ruby and chomper are in the vally to learn. How to work togather and how to over come what ammounts to racial misstrust and or hatred. So in a way the films and show are interconnected. There are gaps of corse and they can use the show to fill those in.
As for the sequels in general they will never be as good as the first. If you look for them to be and hope they will be you will be disapointed every time.