The Gang of Five
The forum will have some maintenance done in the next couple of months. We have also made a decision concerning AI art in the art section.


Please see this post for more details.

Why does everyone hate The Secret of Saurus Rock?

OllyDirectioner

  • Chomper
  • *
    • Posts: 124
    • View Profile
I've always loved it. I hear alot of people complain about it, saying that LBT started "going downhill" after that, but I strongly disagree. I thought the whole plotline was interesting, the twins are adorable <3, Doc is just plain awesome, and I have always had great respect for the moral of the story, which is that the people in your family who take care of you can be heroes too. :)


Malte279

  • The Circle
  • The Gang of Five
  • *
    • Posts: 15608
    • View Profile
    • http://www.ineinemlandvorunsererzeit.de.vu
I never had much of a problem with LBT 6. There are parts where I see how people could have an issue with it (the lone dinosaur legend and the bad luck issue), but personally I prefered LBT 6's vagueness which permitted the viewers to make up their minds (we can decide whether we believe in the whole story) by far over explicity of the "Star Trek departure" of the rainbowfaces in LBT 7.
For me LBT 7 was the first LBT movie I had serious issues with.


OllyDirectioner

  • Chomper
  • *
    • Posts: 124
    • View Profile
Number 7 is one of my favorites, especially when it came out (though I was mostly just dazzled by the new animation style). Idk, I always tend to like things that no one else likes.  :huh:


Kor

  • The Circle
  • The Gang of Five
  • *
    • Posts: 30087
    • View Profile
I liked 6.  It is a fun movie to watch.  It may not be perfect, but very few movies are.


Bruton the Iguanodon

  • Guest
Though I liked the first five movies better, particularly 3, I enjoyed movie 6  and is one of the LBT movies I saw as a kid, hence, one of the "classics" (movies 1-9, to be specific, are these). The twins were annoying, the storyline felt un-LBT, and it lacked the magic of the previous sequels, particularly 2-4. It's very fun, though, and has a good moral that I find applicable to my own life. My mom, despite how I act around her sometimes, truly is a hero to me.

Yes, 6 was a big turning point, I felt. But I feel that turning point had begun with movie 5. Movie 5 feels like a cross between the first 3 sequels in this. It's good, but it has some of the annoying qualities of this one (more annoying songs) and both have inferior animation to 2-4.


OllyDirectioner

  • Chomper
  • *
    • Posts: 124
    • View Profile
3 is my favorite "early" sequel. My favorite sequel period is 10. Even my sister (who openly hated LBT as long as I watched it) found 10 rather enjoyable and even funny. :D


Ducky123

  • *feels like Pterano*
  • Member+
  • Littlefoot
  • *
    • Posts: 7485
    • View Profile
I personally never had problems with the newer sequels(except Wisdom of Friends  :x )
In fact I like the later sequels more than some earlier ones. LBT 2 and 6 aren't that great imo, while 8,9,11 and 12 are really enjoyable, 10 is good, too, just a bit less enjoyable ;)
But I can't hate any LBT movie. Even The Wisdom of Friends isn't completely terrible... It has some parts, which I like. Though the Yellow Bellies are just  :crazy

As for LBT 6 I don't really like Littlefoots behavior( his"fandom" of Doc is annoying for me, sry)
But the message of the movie is well choosen :yes  and I like Dinah and Dana, they're just cuties :lol:
Inactive, probably forever.


Mumbling

  • Administrator
  • Littlefoot
  • *
    • Posts: 8939
    • View Profile
I don't. In fact, I liked that sequel the most when I was young (then again I only knew LBT up to sequel 6).


Mr Wonk

  • Petrie
  • *
    • Posts: 595
    • View Profile
I loved all the sequels and never had a problem with any of the movies.... yet. So of course I like The Secret of Saurus Rock. I don't really have any problems with this one. I thought it was funny how Littlefoot tries to act like "Lone Dinosaur". I don't think Land Before Time had a downfall. Some people say the sequels ruined everything while other people say the 13th movie was the end of everything. The question is... does that matter? As long as you enjoy them that's really it... right? :p


StrutEggStealer

  • Professional Veggie-Eater
  • Member+
  • Ducky
  • *
    • Posts: 1514
    • View Profile
Quote from: OllyDirectioner,Apr 2 2013 on  07:17 PM
Number 7 is one of my favorites, especially when it came out (though I was mostly just dazzled by the new animation style). Idk, I always tend to like things that no one else likes.  :huh:
Same here :3
I even liked LBT 13 up to a certain point...
LBT 6 though was always a summertime favorite of my siblings and I. We woudl be lying on the floor, watching the movie, singing and laughing along. And Doc was just so mysterious and awesome, too :)
LBT 7 and 2 are my ultimate faves of the franchise, followed by 10-12 :)
"Not all who wander are lost"
J. R. R. Tolkein


LoyfeCycleProtector

  • Petrie
  • *
    • Posts: 793
    • View Profile
2 and 5 have always been my favorites: I can't help but be a Chomper fanboy. But I've liked film six. I prefer film seven to it, but it was still a good sequel.


Almaron

  • Spike
  • *
    • Posts: 322
    • View Profile
I remember not liking this one as much as the fifth one when I first saw it, but then when I tracked them down on DVD years later that completely reversed; I much preferred 6 to 5! Course, I subsequently came to prefer those ones out of the majority and often had them playing on the TV in the background while playing on the computer...not only were they two of the first few ones I bought, but I also liked most if not all of the songs in them (as opposed to some others, where I only liked half...or none, in 8's case!).


aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato)

  • Member+
  • Littlefoot
  • *
    • Posts: 8266
  • Rations
    • View Profile
    • aabicus.com
LBT 8 was where the series began going downhill; Big Freeze sucked. Suarus Rock was fine, at least it was still traditionally animated.


OllyDirectioner

  • Chomper
  • *
    • Posts: 124
    • View Profile
Actually, my main reason for loving LBT so much when I was an adolescent was because I liked to watch each one in order just to see the evolution of animation. :smile I thought it was interesting how much the animation world had changed from simply drawings to computer-generated animation.


FreckledOne

  • Spike
  • *
    • Posts: 273
    • View Profile
I will be honest here. Of all of the LBT sequels I've seen all the way through (that would be 2-8) the 6th one is my least favorite. It just doesn't "click" with me. The main problems that I have with it are as follows:

1. Dana and Dinah are annoying. They also don't seem to have much personality, and only really exist to get the gang to follow them out of the Great Valley (something that the gang probably would have done anyway ;) )

2. The animation quality seems worse than in other sequels. Maybe Universal outsourced to a different studio for this one.

3. The songs. I just don't think the country/western sound fits in the LBT universe. (Okay, "On your own", or whatever that song is called, is not so bad).

Also, I'm pretty sure all of the sequels are traditionally animated, and from what I gather, 2-6 were inked and painted on cels, while 7-13 were digitally inked and painted. The only time computer generated animation for the characters was used was in the TV series, whenever they needed the characters to run. (Unless they used the computer models for the sequels I've not seen  :unsure: )


*Disclaimer: This is all my opinion. Everybody else has their own reasons for liking-disliking this sequel. I only gave mine.


jalistair

  • Ruby
  • *
    • Posts: 14
    • View Profile
Well I didn't think it was anything horrible, I enjoyed it for what it was. With the sequels I tend to think the Original is it's own stand alone film and the sequels are more along the lines of animated FanFics (Especially 7). But 6 wasn't that bad after all. It had a good story to it and I like how the meanest Sharptooth could be the Sharptooth from the first film, but it allows the audience to come to that conclusion themselves. :lol


Bruton the Iguanodon

  • Guest

Quote
It may not be perfect, but very few movies are.

LBT 3 was, in my opinion. I think it's my favorite movie of all time.  :smile


Bruton the Iguanodon

  • Guest
Quote
1. Dana and Dinah are annoying. They also don't seem to have much personality, and only really exist to get the gang to follow them out of the Great Valley (something that the gang probably would have done anyway 

Agreed. LBT 6 would be as good as 5 or better if they hadn't been there. But they needed Saurus Rock to break somehow and the writers were too lazy to find a way just using the gang. (Which is why I think us members here  would make good writers ;) )


Quote

2. The animation quality seems worse than in other sequels. Maybe Universal outsourced to a different studio for this one.

I belive it was the same as movie 5. Really, I hated the colors of this movie and 5 compared to 2-4. The colors in those movies were mainly beautiful greens and blues and grays, whereas 5 had more yellows and chartruses, and 6 had more reds. But that's ok, seeing as it showed them wanting to do something different. As I said before, though, 6 being a disapointment didn't seem too unexpected after 5, which felt like a cross between the earlier sequels and this one, quality wise.

Quote
3. The songs. I just don't think the country/western sound fits in the LBT universe. (Okay, "On your own", or whatever that song is called, is not so bad).

The first I fast forwarded through as a kid (I'd been fast forwarding it 5 minutes before it even started, seeing as I liked messing with the VCR); when I watched it again back in summer 2011 I remember sorta liking it...sorta like how some people may have a "guilty pleasure" for songs like "Baby one more time". But i definitely considered it inferior to other songs the series had gotten.


The second I LOVED as a kid; at least the first verse; I'm not sure if I liked Spike's part really. But I thought it was epic and watched it until I started seeing it for it's flaws (Ducky's line about getting a "boo-boo" sounded really whiny, I thought) and soon forgot about it. But then when I heard it on that youtube medley of songs, I was suddenly hooked and listened to it again and it was like rediscovering it! It was definitely a high point of the movie, and one of the few great moments between just our gang WITHOUT THE TWINS. Really, the twins got in the way of the gang having so many great moments together, like in 5, which is why I like it over this one. Anyways about this song I still see it for it's flaws...but it's great and one of the last "Great" songs the series got. What genre is it, BTW? I've heard someone say it's swing, but it could also be called jazz or blues...also, do you think it would sound as good without Spike's vocals?

The last one I'd pretty much forgotten about by the time I rediscovered LBT 2 years ago, and I like it, but the more I hear it, I see it's flaws.I love the piano riff, though, espicially before the last verse. I get the visual of being alone on a deserted school campus on a sunny day, almost.


Quote
Also, I'm pretty sure all of the sequels are traditionally animated, and from what I gather, 2-6 were inked and painted on cels, while 7-13 were digitally inked and painted.

I miss the animation of 2-6! :(

All in all, while not as good as the first 5, at the end of a long day this one is definitely fun. The score was beautiful, and it was a fine way to end the LBT of the 90's. I hear it was actually originally going to be the last one. Is that the reason that we didn't get one in 1999?

Oh, and after the credits, watch the universal logo. It's...different


Malte279

  • The Circle
  • The Gang of Five
  • *
    • Posts: 15608
    • View Profile
    • http://www.ineinemlandvorunsererzeit.de.vu
While I think it would not have hurt to allow for some more personality on the part of the twins I kind of like the general idea of Cera of all characters being put in charge of someone. Also I think the twins provided the necessary motivation to head out for Saurus Rock. Without the need to find them going out there would have appeared rather reckless. It would appear as another case of the recklessness which I think has in some other cases been criticized.


Amaranthine

  • Member+
  • Littlefoot
  • *
    • Posts: 7354
  • Can You Love Me Despite The Cracks?
    • View Profile
This is the first sequel directed by Charles Grosvenor so the darker, more muted coloration we see in the previous sequels are slightly "upped" in visual quality. Although actually looking at it, it kind of reminds me a bit of the style in the fifth movie.

The songs are are pretty mediocre and out of place considering the tone of the series. This country-midwestern tone of the songs are pretty just...what. Granted they aren't as terrible as some of these other sequels, it still felt alienating.
 
One of the issues I had with this was how they treat Little Foot's character. If you recall back in the original how Little Foot was put in the position of leader because he needed to be in order for his friends and himself to survive so they can get to their destination. In the following sequels, while he does assert himself, he's a bit more "laid back" about it and doesn't seem to feel the need to force his views on his friends. In fact, in the previous sequels, it's his friends that pretty much peer pressure him into doing certain otherwise dumb things (i.e. going to the sinking sands). And when he does decide to do something that is otherwise reckless it's because he in his heart of heart believes it's right. (I.e. All of the fourth sequel) In this sequel, he acts out his self-glorifying fantasy of being the "hero" and saving everyone. And while I think this could be okay and appropriate for a kid, he becomes fan boy obsessed with Doc when he finally comes in the valley. Little Foot has already been in otherwise dangerous situations, he loves his grandparents and his friends, he's compassionate, he has the perservence to go through his challenges when times are tough. He has his grandparents to look up to, he loves his grandfather, and when Doc finally just said after this whole film, "You already got a hero kid." referring to Grandpa, it made Little Foot a bit more grateful, a reminder of what he had.

Also just the WTFery that was Dinah and Dana. Again, since it was not directed by the same guy, we don't get a gradual introduction about those two characters, where they came from, who they are, and why we should care about them. All we know is that they're a niece and nephew of Cera and grand kids to Tops. We aren't told if Cera had a surviving sister, although we could assume since other Triceratops make some cameo appearances in the previous sequels, though aren't prominent and inconsistent. And the way they establish or hand wave Cera's whole responsibility arc is just so half baked, and with those two characters we really as the audience wouldn't care about in the first place.

Yes, those are probably a few reasons why this sequel may not be well received by some fans.