What happened to Cera's mother and sisters?

Saft · **on:** February 23, 2009, 02:47:24 PM

I apologise if this topic has been menitoned but today I was watching The Land Before Time and began to wonderi and evaluate (all the possibilites) where Cera's Mother and sisters where. Why did they not appear in the Great Valley and participate in reuniting with their lost family member?

If there is an explanation in one of the movie series, then I'm afraid I haven't seen it. I've only watched from 2 to 10.

My personal opinion is that they somehow died in the earthquake.

Nick22 · **Reply #1 on:** February 23, 2009, 02:49:41 PM

Its not stated for sure, but it is likely they died. Topsy ended up marrying again. (Tria) and Now Cera has a step-mom and step-sister.

Explorer · **Reply #2 on:** February 23, 2009, 02:55:31 PM

They could have also lost track of each other, but that could lead to the stated above.

Mumbling · **Reply #3 on:** February 23, 2009, 03:02:22 PM

I think there is a topic like this out here, I'm sure any of the admins can find it...

There's no explenation in the sequels though, they most probably have died, yes.

Malte279 · **Reply #4 on:** February 23, 2009, 03:08:13 PM

I don't know where exactly the thread is but I'm quite sure there was one on this question and it was also mentioned in multiple other threads.
One fanfiction of mine is partly focused on the "lost" members of Cera's family. The presence of Dinah and Dana in LBT 6 further complicates matters if indeed they are related by blood rather than being adopted or being temporarily in the care of Cera's Dad though they are not related.

Nick22 · **Reply #5 on:** February 23, 2009, 03:11:34 PM

Dinah and Dana are interesting character imo. Are they related to CEra or just temporarily being rauised by Topsy while thier parents travel..?

Saft · **Reply #6 on:** February 24, 2009, 12:00:09 PM

I always imagined that Dinah and Dana were blood related of Topsy and a previous elder sibling to Cera, who somehow were either visiting The Great Valley or arrived before 'Grandpa Threehorn'.

Malte279 · **Reply #7 on:** February 24, 2009, 12:34:26 PM

Alas with the total lack of concern for coherence on the part of the producers of LBT (it cannot be worded any friendlier) all explanations for elements such as Dinah and Dana are almost apologetic efforts undertaken by us where the producers just don't seem to have cared at all. Especially since the turning up of Tria all attempts of explanation based on the assumption that Cera's mother was still there (or any other relatives of her) become rather shaky at best.
For this absence of other relatives of Cera, for their unexplained disappearing after LBT 6, and for them looking very different from Cera (both by color, and the fact that they already sprout three horns) my favorite excuse is that Tops may have taken care of two apparently orphaned Threehorns when he was enroute to the Great Valley (being separated from the rest of his family might have worked to soften up Tops' rough shell for the two hatchlings). A later turning up of Dinah's and Dana's parents in the Great Valley might explain their vanishing in later sequels. I admit this explanation is shaky too (e.g. it assumes all the threehorns we saw in the early sequels to be not related to Cera; which is however an assumption that is supported by their total absence in the Tria sequels), but it may be as stable as we can get it under the given circumstances.

Saft · **Reply #8 on:** February 24, 2009, 12:40:09 PM

Yes I see your point Malte.

Or we could presume that Topsy had another 'wife' before Cera's mother?

Suggestions, suggestions.

I only wish that the producers had put thought into the whole character relations. It's the same problem with the 'Who is Nala's father?' in the Lion King.

Kor · **Reply #9 on:** February 24, 2009, 12:59:52 PM

They were not clear on that, one can take it either way. Which some may say is one of the good points of their not being very clear.

Nick22 · **Reply #10 on:** February 24, 2009, 01:34:59 PM

A good point Saft, perhaps Nala's father was dead, or is a unnamed relative of Mufasa and Scar, which would make Nala and Simba cousins..

Saft · **Reply #11 on:** February 24, 2009, 02:02:52 PM

I always thought that Nala's father was Scar because, as we know that when a new male takes over the pride he kills the cubs to bring the females into 'heat'. Scar when he took over didn't kill Nala. But then, it is disney. Disney doesn't tend to look into the biological deeper depths of life.

As for the topic, Dinah and Dana do complicate matters of the The Land before time verse but as avid fans we could always bring theories into why, whom and what.

Like the fact (in my opinion) Cera's mother and siblings died in the earthquake.

Does anyone think that Cera wasn't very 'bothered' about her mother and sisters deaths? I was thinking about this last night. Unlike Littlefoot when his mother died, Cera (and possibly Spike and maybe Petire) was the only other one who lost a parent (and siblings). I feel as though that although she (like me incidently) had a sort of a relationship with her mother, she had more of a relationship, a strong relationship with her father as they seem more alike. Although we don't know what her mother's or sibling's personalities were like.

Nick22 · **Reply #12 on:** February 24, 2009, 02:11:56 PM

The lion taking over only kills the male cubs, he leaves the females be.. he needs mates after all. Which is why LK2 always struck me as ofdd. If Scar had a family, why didn't he just bring in them when he took over?

Saft · **Reply #13 on:** February 24, 2009, 02:17:11 PM

Unless Zira was just one of those avid worshippers who never really had any of Scar's children, but imagined that her cubs (Nuka, Vitani and Kovu) WERE Scar's? As we know and can presume that Kovu wasn't Scar's son, and presume that Vitani and Kovu are both litter mates. Maybe Nuka could be Scar's son?

Or maybe Vitani could be Scar and another lioness's daughter (Sarafina, Nala, Sarabi?) cub or even Kovu, that Zira 'adopted' as her own? After all, Zira is (to put it bluntly) obsessed with Scar.

pokeplayer984 · **Reply #14 on:** February 24, 2009, 02:20:04 PM

My prediction supports the fact that Cera's mother was around temporarily, but died later.

It all points to LBT 5. We all know that the Great Valley residents had to leave due to all the food being eaten by swarming leaf gobblers. (Man, those bugs sure had an appetite. Bigger than Spike's.) I believe that during the trip that some of the residents didn't survive. One of which was unfortunately Cera's mother. (Starvation, dehydration or get killed by a sharptooth? I don't know!)

Also, I believe that during LBT 5, one of Cera's elder siblings found someone, fell in love and mated. I predict the eggs containing Dinah and Dana were laid after LBT 5, and LBT 6 was sometime after they hatched.

I also believe that Cera's sibling didn't want the eggs at first. They didn't want to take care of them, and left the responsibility to Topsy while they got their bearings together. Obviously, they did get everything together after LBT 6 and took care of those twins. They're probably somewhere further away in the valley.

That's my prediction in a nutshell. It might not work, but it's the best I can come up with.

Hope this helps.

Saft · **Reply #15 on:** February 24, 2009, 02:25:27 PM

Interesting Pokeplayer. I like the theory. Although, why wouldn't the sibling want to take care of her eggs?

I remember, this was a couple of years ago when I was delving into the world of fanfiction that one of the first stories that I read was a explanation of what happened to the adults after they became seperated from their children. I remember that Cera's mother died of starvation whilst one of her siblings was killed by a sharptooth. I can't recall the fanfiction very much as it is a long time since I've read Land Before Time fanfiction plus that particular story. However, that theory could too be plausible.

Nick22 · **Reply #16 on:** February 24, 2009, 02:25:31 PM

its possible tha Nuka could be Scars son. Kovu does loook a like like Scar, especially after Zira stratched him.. They didn't doi a good job of explaining the bloodlines.. And if Nala had mated with Scar wouldn't she have revealed that to Simba.."You're not my first" Sort of thing?

Saft · **Reply #17 on:** February 24, 2009, 02:28:07 PM

I guess that the fan world can expand on these sort of situations. After all, isn't that what fanfiction is all about?

There is no denying that The Lion King 2:Simba's Pride was full of 'plot holes'. It can possibly be said about the Land Before Time sequels too. Although most of these are and can be slightly explained.

Malte279 · **Reply #18 on:** February 24, 2009, 02:31:21 PM

Quote

I always thought that Nala's father was Scar because, as we know that when a new male takes over the pride he kills the cubs to bring the females into 'heat'. Scar when he took over didn't kill Nala.

In the Lion King musical the immediate cause for Nala to run off from pride's rock is Scars trying to take her for his wife. I have no idea however if there were any cut scenes from the movie or if that scene was entirely the invention of the musical. In any case it would make Nala's being Scar's daughter unlikely... I hope :blink:

Quote

Like the fact (in my opinion) Cera's mother and siblings died in the earthquake.

Does anyone think that Cera wasn't very 'bothered' about her mother and sisters deaths? I was thinking about this last night. Unlike Littlefoot when his mother died, Cera (and possibly Spike and maybe Petire) was the only other one who lost a parent (and siblings). I feel as though that although she (like me incidently) had a sort of a relationship with her mother, she had more of a relationship, a strong relationship with her father as they seem more alike. Although we don't know what her mother's or sibling's personalities were like.

In one story of mine Cera's mother and her siblings are lost in the earthquake, but she and two of Cera's sisters survive to play a crucial role in the story. As for Cera's being unconcerned I think it is not her but the producers who didn't bother to include anything about her family and who never outrightly indicated the loss of Cera's mother until LBT 11 (in fact there is a scene from the 2nd movie including a triceratops who is very likely meant to be Cera's mother).
The focus in the original movie and to a large degree of the sequels as well was on Littlefoot so we get much more of an insight into his feelings than we do in case of Cera or even less so in case of the others (never the slightest hint of Petrie wondering about his father or even knowing anything about him). Also I don't suppose Cera to be a character who would be likely to discuss such matters even with her closest friends. It had been questioned recently if even Littlefoot told the others about the death of his mother throughout the first movie (personally I suppose he must have), if there are such doubts about him than I suppose Cera is even less likely to talk about it. Not to talk about it to others does not mean absence of emotion however. I don't think we ever saw Cera cry in front of the others, but we did see her cry.

In case of Ducky's father, he was last spotted in LBT 5 while by all means he would have had to be in LBT 8 if we assume him to be still alive. Nevertheless we never hear any mention of it or see the slightest shadow on Ducky's cheerful nature. Should we (as in case of Cera) therefore assume her to be cold towards her father? I don't think so. It is just the lack of interest on the part of the producers in anything that does not directly relate to the story

Nick22 · **Reply #19 on:** February 24, 2009, 02:31:22 PM

that, and it paled in comparison to its predecessor, which imo was the last truly 'great' film, Disney animation produced. While the movies after TLK were good, none of them reached the stature of the Lion King. had there been an animated film category in 1994, it would have won it, easily..