That’s okay pokeplayer984 (:
I’m guessing you’re more interested in what makes the later sequels good, but if you want I’ll post another answer about the earlier sequels.
I have to agree with Ludichris1, the ones that end up meaning the most to us are those that we grew up with. I lost track after LBT VII, although I was aware they were releasing new sequels, mostly because I was in high school, and in that coming of age phase where you start ignoring childish things, even if you will later regret them. I picked up LBT again when I was in my second year in college, that’s when I joined TGOF, and decided to watch the most recent sequels, mostly just so I could keep up with the threads and also out of pure curiosity.
Recently, I’ve rewatched all twelve sequels, the original movie and the complete TV series so, my opinion isn’t in any way shaped by nostalgia. As someone who used to work in the TV industry I can also analyze the sequels with a critical and technical point of view.
Let’s begin, shall we?
LBT VI: I remember at the time this movie came out, I was very disappointed with the overall premise. Seeing a Longneck as the main character lifted my hopes that Ali could make a comeback as well. When I saw it for the first time and realized she wasn’t there, it ruined the whole experience for me. Still, at the time I used to watch a LBT movie every day and I didn’t stop, tearing apart my old VHS watching it to exhaustion.
Rewatching it more recently made me think of some of the similarities that this sequel has with The Time of the Great Giving. Its story focused more on Littlefoot’s character, and not Cera’s like in LBT III. But we still get the lonely song in the end, the gang’s adventure to Saurus Rock and the action packed finale. Like in LBT III, this is a very slow paced story that takes its time to unfold. Some of the bad luck events that happen in the valley seem somewhat forced. The movie itself takes its time to move the plot forward.
However LBT VI introduces some great points that we continued to see throughout the later sequels. It introduces the mythos of the Lone Dinosaur, the only other legend we’ve ever heard of in TLBT franchise other than the myth of the Great Valley in the original film, up to this point. The existence of something more beyond the realm of reality, and the wonder that such an idea brings to the minds of young children.
It has its faults, but it’s responsible for a new trend in the LBT franchise. It was also the first one that RAS had no contact with, and where we could see Grosvenor’s idea for what he foresaw as the future of the franchise.
LBT VII: Aliens! I mean, it’s a pretty farfetched idea, and technically, it would be as bad as dropping humans in the Great Valley. However, it was very well made. The rainbowfaces were fascinating. They were one of the first examples of how scientific and logical thinking could lead to new discoveries and to a better understanding of their world. The songs were very good. And having an antagonist like Pterano, a character with so many layers to his personality, and with such a dark backstory, made this one of the better sequels. It’s nice to see a villain who’s not just a random Sharpteeth, and who has ulterior motives and ambitions that drive his own resolution. We also got to see a lot of character development for Petrie, and we’ve learned something about the grownups journey to the valley.
LBT VIII: It’s a Spike story, stick around for the fun (Family Guy reference). I love Spike and it was great to finally see more deeply into his character. We also got to know more about Ducky and Spike’s family dynamic, and how much his mother loves him, in spite of him being different from them. It’s again, a slow paced movie, Sharpteeth return as the main villains, although I would have to say, the cold, and the snow are the main antagonists of this film. It’s entertaining, but again, not one that sticks out from the rest. The best part about it was Spike’s character development, and Ducky’s too.
LBT IX: This is one of my favourite sequels. Littlefoot is once again the main character, and we get to meet Mo, one of the best guest characters of the later sequels. Even though his character design was meant to sell more toys, his personality and goofiness brought a positive light to this movie. For the first time we get to revisit an old song, something that never happened up to this point. It’s also one of the few times where Petrie’s ability to fly is actually useful for his friends and for the plot. It could’ve done without the whole Imaginary Friends concept, both the song and the idea itself.
LBT IX also has one of the best songs of the franchise in “No one has to be alone”. It’s a simple plot, with a journey with a specific destination, a bit of a through back to the first film. This is probably the sequel that best embodies the concept of the hero’s journey. With a set destination, a friend in need, a clear goal, and ever growing perils with a nice message in the end.
LBT X: On a personal level, this movie’s biggest mistake was to not include Ali. I understand that it could’ve been too much, since we got to see Bron for the first time, and his relationship with Littlefoot would have to take a considerable amount of time from the script. Still, it would make a lot of sense for Littlefoot to meet up with Ali along the way. The first part of the movie could’ve been about her reintroduction to the franchise, and the second part about his father.
The way Bron was introduced felt a bit out of left field. Especially the explanation for why he wasn’t around. It’s nice to finally have an answer to what happened to Littlefoot’s father, but still, they could’ve come up with a better back story. We once again get to live through a mystical quest, that, like in LBT VII, gives a bit more to the story and makes the characters wonder about what’s beyond the mysterious beyond. Adventuring and Bestest Friends are two great songs. That scene where the gang says goodbye to Littlefoot is one of the most emotional moments in LBT History. His resolution to come back to the Great Valley and say goodbye to his father, although expected, had a very deep emotional weight. Pat and Sue’s characters are funny and well thought out. Overall, it’s one of the best sequels, with very little flaws, and it also provides a very fast paced action/adventure experience for the viewer, with more adult themes than those we were used to up to this point.
LBT XI: I’ve only learned to appreciate this one after I rewatched it a few weeks ago. It’s a slow paced adventure centered in the Great Valley. Littlefoot suffers from a character regression when he blames the tinysaurus, instead of owning up to his mistake. In spite of this, the main protagonist is now Cera, who has to deal with her father starting to date someone else. X and XI both had themes that centered on changes made to their core families. I guess it’s the way the franchise saw to reach out to kids with divorced parents, and to try and help them through the process.
The tinysaurus were fun characters, and it was good to see both Cera and Topsy get a bit of character development. Littlefoot’s side story was so out of character it didn’t make much sense, but still it sort of worked as a premise to introduce the tinysaurus, and as a catalyst to a resolution between Topsy, Cera and Tria.
It’s a slow paced movie, with no great songs to remember, but it’s entertaining. It would fit better as a TV episode, though. They could’ve introduced Tria in a different way and develop a more action centered plot. It’s not that bad, it has some good messages about moving on, owning up to your mistakes and understanding your parents need for a personal life of their own.
LBT XII: A change of pace when compared to the previous sequel. Day of the Flyers is a fun adventure where we get to know more about Petrie’s culture and family, and where we get introduced to Guido, a funny, Woody Allen type character, who, like Mo, lights up the tone of the movie and makes for a great guest character. Although Petrie is the main character in this one, Cera has a lot of character development as well through her relationship with her newborn sister Tritia.
I believe this sequel’s only flaw, and one that’s mostly recurrent in every sequel is Petrie’s scary egg personality. He took on Sharptooth in the original movie and we’ve seen him be brave and fly through clouds without much trouble. Having him scared all the time makes for a good comic relief, but it seems lazy and a bit out of character by this point in the series. It would also make sense for his siblings to admire him since he’s been on a lot of adventures and knows the mysterious beyond better than most grown-ups in the Great Valley. I was expecting more of a character evolution for Petrie than what we got. However, I liked the theme about how you shouldn’t be afraid to express yourself, and make your own path in life, even if it means bending the rules a little bit. It’s also a story about friendship and loyalty, and about getting to know one’s self.
LBT XIII: I can’t sincerely, in any way say anything positive about this film. The acting was poor, Littlefoot’s voice is annoying. Don’t even get me started on the Yellowbellies. This could’ve been a very forgetful TV episode, but instead we got the sequel that almost killed the franchise. I remember being here on TGOF when we were speculating about what XIII would be about. Most of us believed it would shine a light on how Chomper and Ruby found themselves in the Great Valley, and answer questions like, who is Redclaw and what happened to Chomper’s parents. Instead we’ve got Sandra Oh and Cuba Gooding Jr phoning it in. It’s entertaining, I guess, for very small kids, but the more adult themes that we were getting in the later sequels were just gone, the comedy was awful and the action was too slow paced. This is the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, the Jurassic Park III, the Phantom Menace of The Land Before Time franchise.
These are my thoughts on both the positive and negative points of the later sequels. If you’d like I can also do the same to LBT II through V.
