I was only a year when the first LBT film was in theaters. It was until the movie could be purchased/rented (back in the times of VHS) that my mother got a hold of it. I do believe she bought the VHS around my older brother's birthday when he had a few friends over. I was still young and in the state where either parent set you on the floor near the TV and played a VHS tape to distract and keep you entertained with. This happens to be LBT for me. And yes, the movie was quite a distraction for me! I stared at the screen as Littlefoot traversed the Mysterious Beyond with a treestar draped over his back, when Cera was freaked out by the 'tar monster' Littlefoot and the others posed towards her, how I didn't give as much thought as I do presently with the relationship between Ducky and Spike as two different types of dinosaurs, and then finding Petrie's fears amusing itself. It was after seeing LBT when I was a few more years older that I came to have an intriguement for dinosaurs themselves.
Dating back to Elementary, whenever one of my teachers mentioned or said he/she would be talking about dinosaurs and then would ask for us to do a project about one of them, I was beyond excited. And as long as I can remember, I always chose along the lines of the Apatosaurus/Brontosaurus - so from this proof alone, I had a liking towards the
longnecks. Of course, I love all kinds of dinosaurs, namely those such as Cera, Ducky, Petrie, and Spike.
Sometimes when I'd be at places like Walmart or Blockbuster with a friend or family member, the other side would come across another LBT that wasn't the first original. They'd joke: "Ha! Just how many sequels will this show go to?" I grudgingly chuckled along with them, giving them the satisfaction that I agreed with them, whilst in the back of my mind I desired to rent/buy the very one we passed.
The first LBT will always be the all time classic. At times when I would see sequels such as II-V be brand new and purchasable I was quite thrilled and interested to see what Littlefoot and the others had in store. But when it got passed those numbers, I grew a little concerned. Were they sucking this idea far passed dry? Weren't they overdoing this a little?
I've seen all of the LBT, except for VIII, IX, XII, and XIII. Yes, I can't lie; I have yet to see those yet; though I've had at least glimpses of VIII. I've heard comments on them, such as for XIII wasn't at all good, but I can't be sure until I see those I haven't for myself.
Favorites? Well, I like all I've seen, they each have at least one or more things I like about them whether that be development or plot. But for me, the ones that got to being my greater favorites were IV and X.
IV: There was the introduction of Ali. Big surprise.
I also liked the idea of Grandpa Longneck getting ill, showing that without him both Grandma and Littlefoot were a lot more vulnerable. And as a writer, I kept thinking about what would have happened if they hadn't gotten the Golden Nightflower to him in time and the two had to actually leave with the migrating herd of longnecks. That and how it would be such a huge twist for Littlefoot and his friends and they didn't come across the other until further into their lives. Then there was the fact Ali's a female. Male + Female = hatchlings! I really would like to see Littlefoot and Ali become mates, or at least be given that lead that they would be in the end run. Of course, I find that to be pretty obvious anyway!
And then I saw Rhett's debut WITH Ali. When I was watching 'The Brave Longneck Scheme', I mentally fumed. There's
no one meant for Ali except for Littlefoot!
X: Seeing several longnecks was a joy itself for me. I
loved Sue. When she found someone taller than her, I was happy she was no longer the 'big one' to everyone and hoped that turned out to be her mate. Then there was Bron, Littlefoot's long lost father. Bringing back characters we never really saw such as a main character's parent is an instant plus for me. We got to hear his story when the earthquake separated them and how he never gave up looking for Littlefoot, despite he was now seen as a leader of a separate herd. Shorty annoyed me at first, but it was made up for having Littlefoot have bonding time with his father. Then Littlefoot had a talk with Shorty and wanted to consider the other like his brother. THEN I liked Shorty. Finally, there was the debate of whether Littlefoot would go with his father and herd or stay with his Grandma and Grandpa. Again, as a writer, I couldn't help but imagine if the alternative had happened, but Littlefoot is such a sweetheart, he stay with his Grandparents. But hope was not all lost; Bron and Shorty may appear at the Great Valley. The one thing about this movie I was disappointed with was that Ali let alone her herd was never there. If they say 'Longneck Migration' I expect MOST of them to be there, including a reoccurring of characters in a previous movie. Alas, one can still dream, can't they?
With that, I can't help but just picture Littlefoot, Ali, Rhett, and Shorty as a group of friends together with the others.
