Cera's growing bond with the gang

[DaveTheAnalyzer]

After watching the first movie a few times, I started to wonder how Cera’s thoughts about the gang and how she came to warm up to them. She doesn’t seem to think highly of them through much of the movie but she doesn’t protest too much when she and Littlefoot play with bubbles before Sharptooth comes along and at times she seems to stick with the gang for more reasons than mutual protection. When Littlefoot and the others, covered black goo, pick up Cera and reassure they aren’t monsters, there’s shot of a smile briefly coming across her face. She comes through for them in the end when they drop the boulder on the sharptooth.

I kind of got the sense that liking these strange collection of dinosaurs snuck up on her before she was aware of it, but what do you all think? What did Cera think of the gang and how did she warm up to them as the movie went on?

[Sovereign]

That's a good question. Her motives are quite ambivalent most of the movie. I never got the feeling that Cera actually disliked the Gang (other than occasionally Littlefoot). Even when the two first met, Cera's expression isn't really angry or hostile. It becomes that way only when her dad shows up. At the pond, even if she tried to chase Littlefoot away at first, she didn't seem to mind his presence afterwards.

When Cera joined the Gang, it's clear that she was mostly interested in trying to promote her own bravery. It's anyone's guess whether she only wanted mutual protection or whether she actually cared about the others (at this point mainly Littlefoot, we don't know if she had met the others off screen before). Her reluctance to accept Spike didn't show too much empathy or valuing others' lives though. At this point, I think Cera cared little about the others. I know it's a deleted scene but I still think it's feasible to reference it.

After the narrator scene (There had never been such a herd before...), I think she's a bit more willing to continue with the others. She is as mean as ever but at this point she follows the others but it's unclear if she actually trusts in Littlefoot's guidance. Even if she didn't realize it, Cera must have had some subconscious liking to the Gang at this point as the sleeping scene shows. If the Gang had been mere annoyances to her, she probably wouldn't have joined the others in moving to Littlefoot. She swallowed her pride in order to follow the Gang. If she heavily disliked even Littlefoot, I wouldn't have seen this happening.

Cera knew about the Sharptooth all along. Even if she believed in Littlefoot's direction, there's a chance she followed them to see that they wouldn't be killed.  When the attack came, she probably thought that there was a chance to make the others follow her lead and earn their respect. She wanted to be the leader and while she was far from friendly, she begun to care about their opinion on her. It's far from clear, though. Cera could be seen as caring about nothing than herself and power if there wasn't that scene after the tar pit scene.

Reasons to her reactions on the events may be more complex but I think it's clear that she deeply regretted it. As you pointed out she was happy to see the others (whether because they were them or because they were alive at all). If the Gang (and her deeds) meant nothing to her, she would have probably left, not caring in the least what happened to the others. The fact that she returned is at least to me an implication that she, at least internally, had accepted her failure and that she was willing overcome her faults in order to rejoin the Gang.

[DaveTheAnalyzer]

Sorry for the later response. I often take my time composing these posts and that can take a few days.

Her reluctance to accept Spike didn't show too much empathy or valuing others' lives though. At this point, I think Cera cared little about the others. I know it's a deleted scene but I still think it's feasible to reference it.

I haven’t heard about that deleted scene. Admittedly, I haven’t paid much attention to those things and only know of the missing scenes where other dinosaurs are jerks to the gang. It would be interesting if that matter got addressed later in Cera and Spike’s friendship, where they now clearly more value each other.

I do remember when Cera talked about her sharptooth encounter with Littlefoot, Ducky, and Petrie, the latter two were an entranced audience and she might have been flattered by that attention. I can picture her thinking “Well, it wouldn’t be so bad to have them around.”

Yeah, probably after the “never such a herd” narration, she takes more of a subconscious liking to the gang. Even if she found the others’ idiosyncrasies irritating, she might have also found them amusing. Cera does have a good laugh when the gang piles up on each other get food from a single tree. At some point, her “oh, those losers” feelings might have started getting mixed with some elements of “Oh, my loser friends.” She might’ve pushed those feelings down but they didn’t go away.  

The sleeping scene does show that though she voiced she was content with sleeping alone, she did miss the companionship when Ducky and the others went over to sleep with Littlefoot instead. I could suspect that when she joined the sleep pile with the gang, she felt complete in some way, even if she might’ve tried to deny it.

Cera’s reaction from being saved from the domeheads by the gang did show that she was in some ways delighted that they came for her and she wasn’t alone. Her going off for a cry was probably to deal with that they still came to rescue her even after her failures and not helping them much in turn. Her helping with the boulder drop with the sharptooth was maybe in some ways to make up for her failure. She realized she couldn’t deal with life without them.

Hopefully these set of paragraphs make sense and aren’t too rambly. I’m usually trying to make sense of a character with these kind of response, so it isn’t always organized.

[Ducky123]

Let me try to take on this...

First encounter:
I think Cera was really trying to assault Littlefoot there after he had a good laugh at her after being sprayed in the face by a bug. It shows quite clearly, that she is brainwashed by her father to think high of threehorns but low of other kinds. Her pride was damaged there so she had to restore it by kicking Littlefoot's butt.

Second encounter:
I think Cera has too much fun playing in the bubbles to bother chasing Littlefoot off. Maybe she wanted to show off too there.

Sharptooth encounter:
I think this event is very important in the relationship between Cera and Littlefoot. Even though Cera doesn't show this, she must be glad about his mother saving her from certain death. Her pride just gets in the way.
They managed to escape together... I'm sure that such an event seals people and dinosaurs alike together a little

Encounter at the big underground:
As I mentioned, Cera probably knows that she's in Littlefoot's debt but - and maybe just because of that, acts as cold and mean as ever, also trying to show off which doesn't work

Encounter with Ducky & Petrie:
I do believe it is a coincidence that they run into each other to begin with. I do also believe that Cera has realised in the meantime, that finding her sisters by finding a way to cross the big underground is more than unlikely so she tried walking until she finds a way around it. As she fled from Sharptooth, knowing that he was on her trails, she meets a familiar face so she decides to push her reservations aside to come along. I'm sure she wouldn't admit it, but she was afraid of being alone, knowing that Sharptooth was around.

Finding Spike (deleted scene):
Cera has the most realistic and pragmatic opinion there. I cannot blame her for that to be honest. After all, Spike, after all these years, still often causes trouble (like eating vines they're trying to cross   )

Sleeping scene:
In the meantime, Cera has probably arranged herself with the group. She doesn't like them but sticks around because she's egoistic, only seeking the protection of numbers, but also, she suddenly has some people to look at her bragging and showing off.
I think she only tolerates the others sleeping with her because of sharing warmth. That, again, is only egoistic of hers.

Fight scene:
Well, Cera finally had enough of Littlefoot's leadership which didn't lead them anywhere. She is not to be blamed for that but for the things she, unnecessarily, says about Littlefoot's mother who once saved her life. She has reached a point where she doesn't see any use in the others anymore so she goes her own way, not bothering about the others (which is clearly visible when she doesn't check back on Ducky, Petrie and Spike)

Tar monster scene:
Cera realises that she's made a huge mistake and that she is dependent on their help after all. Maybe she even regrets putting the others into such dangers. I think the crying was mainly about the humiliation she receives

Sharptooth fight:
Maybe to redeem herself, maybe to show off or maybe just to get rid of Sharptooth (or a combination of those), Cera helps the others. However, when Petrie seems to be dead, she actually looks really sad which means that she must have cared at this point. That suggests that Cera must've realised how important those guys were for her and how much they meant for her while she was alone.

When they reach the Great Valley, they seem lile they're friends, just wanting to play together and everything seems to be fine. What does that suggest again? Well, there must have been a scene where Cera apologises (off-screen, I daresay it isn't a cut scene) and finally accepts the others as friends of hers.


Well, that is my take on this matter. It's just my interpretation which I've tried to work into one of my fanfics too (which I need to start uploading ugh note to self...   ) Feel free to argue with me

[ADFan185]

At first I hated her since she was a awful rude nasty character that Just needed to shut up. I was kinda shocked and surprised that even tho she's a bully that the gang still wanted her to be in the group. I did liked the fact as the movie progressed she slowly realized that without the gang she'd be lost and lonely. She came off as this big headed I think I know everything character but in the end she's not bright at all. So I guess she saw some good in these in the gang and they where not that bad even tho they're different species.

[DaveTheAnalyzer]

@Ducky123 Your scene rundown does point out an interesting pattern that might have influenced Cera into having a more genuine friendship with them. Despite all she did, Littlefoot and the others continued to help her and she depended on them. She did appear to hold some value in being self-sufficient and independent, so those moments might annoy her. It wasn’t until the tar monster scene that she got some humbling about what her true capabilities were and the tears might have been her in some ways realizing how powerless she can be.

Her going to help with the sharptooth fight seems motivated primarily by attempting to redeem herself and payback for all her help. Her sadness over Petrie’s apparent death does appear to indicate that gained some genuine connection with the gang. As I said before, there might have been some point where she shifted from “Oh, those losers” to “my losers.”

There might have been a moment of verbal acknowledgement to the friendship between them, though I suspect it was some small exchange along the lines of “we’re cool?” “we’re cool.”

@ADRFan185 As for why the gang allowed her to remain in the group, I suspect that though they might have found her difficult to deal with, they didn’t have the heart to abandon a fellow child to the wild.

[Gentle Sharptooth]

Let me try to take on this...

First encounter:
I think Cera was really trying to assault Littlefoot there after he had a good laugh at her after being sprayed in the face by a bug. It shows quite clearly, that she is brainwashed by her father to think high of threehorns but low of other kinds. Her pride was damaged there so she had to restore it by kicking Littlefoot's butt.

Second encounter:
I think Cera has too much fun playing in the bubbles to bother chasing Littlefoot off. Maybe she wanted to show off too there.

Sharptooth encounter:
I think this event is very important in the relationship between Cera and Littlefoot. Even though Cera doesn't show this, she must be glad about his mother saving her from certain death. Her pride just gets in the way.
They managed to escape together... I'm sure that such an event seals people and dinosaurs alike together a little

Encounter at the big underground:
As I mentioned, Cera probably knows that she's in Littlefoot's debt but - and maybe just because of that, acts as cold and mean as ever, also trying to show off which doesn't work

Encounter with Ducky & Petrie:
I do believe it is a coincidence that they run into each other to begin with. I do also believe that Cera has realised in the meantime, that finding her sisters by finding a way to cross the big underground is more than unlikely so she tried walking until she finds a way around it. As she fled from Sharptooth, knowing that he was on her trails, she meets a familiar face so she decides to push her reservations aside to come along. I'm sure she wouldn't admit it, but she was afraid of being alone, knowing that Sharptooth was around.

Finding Spike (deleted scene):
Cera has the most realistic and pragmatic opinion there. I cannot blame her for that to be honest. After all, Spike, after all these years, still often causes trouble (like eating vines they're trying to cross   )

Sleeping scene:
In the meantime, Cera has probably arranged herself with the group. She doesn't like them but sticks around because she's egoistic, only seeking the protection of numbers, but also, she suddenly has some people to look at her bragging and showing off.
I think she only tolerates the others sleeping with her because of sharing warmth. That, again, is only egoistic of hers.

Fight scene:
Well, Cera finally had enough of Littlefoot's leadership which didn't lead them anywhere. She is not to be blamed for that but for the things she, unnecessarily, says about Littlefoot's mother who once saved her life. She has reached a point where she doesn't see any use in the others anymore so she goes her own way, not bothering about the others (which is clearly visible when she doesn't check back on Ducky, Petrie and Spike)

Tar monster scene:
Cera realises that she's made a huge mistake and that she is dependent on their help after all. Maybe she even regrets putting the others into such dangers. I think the crying was mainly about the humiliation she receives

Sharptooth fight:
Maybe to redeem herself, maybe to show off or maybe just to get rid of Sharptooth (or a combination of those), Cera helps the others. However, when Petrie seems to be dead, she actually looks really sad which means that she must have cared at this point. That suggests that Cera must've realised how important those guys were for her and how much they meant for her while she was alone.

When they reach the Great Valley, they seem lile they're friends, just wanting to play together and everything seems to be fine. What does that suggest again? Well, there must have been a scene where Cera apologises (off-screen, I daresay it isn't a cut scene) and finally accepts the others as friends of hers.


Well, that is my take on this matter. It's just my interpretation which I've tried to work into one of my fanfics too (which I need to start uploading ugh note to self...   ) Feel free to argue with me

Your point about Cera probably resenting that Little Foot's mother saved her life, Long Necks stick their neck out for others, probably festered in Cera who is taught to think Threehorns are the titans and top of heap. I think she lashes out at Little Foot in their fight scene because she wants to put the debt she owes Little Foot's Mother behind her. She essentially does with the drowning Sharptooth climax.

Something the 1988 film captures that none of other sequels do, is the peril and sense of being lost in desolation, impending famine, dehydration, and death looming everywhere. when you shared about Cera having to find her sisters and wandering alone, I think about how terrifying it is when she finds Sharptooth in underground, and when she flees, she is probably thrilled to find company. Sharptooth is like something from nightmare.

[Ducky123]

Yep, you're completely right about that

The Cera-Littlefoot relationship in the original movie is pretty interesting to take on as a fanfiction writer  

[Sneak]

it's very bad there was not scene that completes" Cera's path. Her damn apologies! гг

[Ducky123]

Yeah... that is one of the few scenes that I would add to the first movie. Cera never really got true redemption for her insults at Littlefoot...

[Gentle Sharptooth]

Yeah... that is one of the few scenes that I would add to the first movie. Cera never really got true redemption for her insults at Littlefoot...

I think Cera didn't need to apologize because Little Foot and rest of Gang forgives easily. Little Foot sometimes holds on to grudge, but really only for 5mins. Cera relies on Gang forgiving her, she comes from a tribe of Threehorns that forgets nothing and forgives nothing, so Cera finds in Little Foot, Ducky, Petrie, and Spike is the grace she can't seem to find in her race or at least family of origin. Cera grumblings, but its my theory she only survives because of the rest of Gang, depending on their compassion and quick to forgive nature. This has rubbed off on her in later installments.

[Coyote_A]

I guess when it comes to Cera the rest of the gang simply accepted her for what she was. She came back to help them out and in the end all that mattered was that they all were unharmed and reached the Great Valley together... Who really cares if one hot-headed threehorn knows how to apologize or not?

[Sneak]

I care. <_<

Fine, you found for yourself that you need friends, you realized that these dinosaurs are your friends, you helped them in the tragic most moment, you went against usual threehorns' rules (racism about other kinds of dinosaurs)...  BUT DAMMIT!!! You just want to forget, to go away from what you told towards littlefoot during the whole movie and the most disgusting move when you insulted the person who saved your miserable life??? NO.

Fine, Littlefoot (what I ACTUALLY doubt) can so easily forgive her, but not me (and I think I'm not alone).

[ADFan185]

True you're right even tho she's annoying rude and heartless she's still part of the gang and a member of the gang of five

[Sovereign]

I'm not sure if it would have been a good idea to put that scene at the end of the first film due to the pacing issues but it could have served as a good starting point for the second film. It was one clear untied end in the original and it could have been a natural continuation of the possible "main plot" of the series.

[Gentle Sharptooth]

I guess when it comes to Cera the rest of the gang simply accepted her for what she was. She came back to help them out and in the end all that mattered was that they all were unharmed and reached the Great Valley together... Who really cares if one hot-headed threehorn knows how to apologize or not?

They're one in every herd (family).