The Gang of Five

The Land Before Time => General Land Before Time => Topic started by: Dracorider19 on May 01, 2017, 01:58:50 AM

Title: Why Ali wasn't in LBT 10
Post by: Dracorider19 on May 01, 2017, 01:58:50 AM
As fans may typically know, especially Ali fans, the much-loved character Ali for some reason did not appear in the 10th LBT, The Great Longneck Migration.                                                 This is quite a disappointment, as Ali should have appeared since the film was about a longneck migration. I have a theory as the reason why she did not appear is probably because the producers may have felt Ali wasn't neccessary for the film, and wanted to focus on the characters of Bron and Shorty instead, perhaps thinking Ali would have gotten in the way. Though it would have been pleasing to the fans if they could just leave out Shorty and have Ali brought in, which would make more sense.

Anyone have their ideas on why Ali didn't appear in LBT 10, canon-wise?
Title: Why Ali wasn't in LBT 10
Post by: Sneak on May 01, 2017, 05:37:11 AM
Quote from: Dracorider19,May 1 2017 on  08:58 AM
because the producers may have felt Ali wasn't neccessary for the film, and wanted to focus on the characters of Bron and Shorty instead
this.
The same happened with poor Shorty in LBTXIV.

The only possible reason of her "canon" disappearance is that she and her herd was too far away from crater (obviously, not all longnecks from Before Time Earth came here.). But I doubt she went SO FAR away.
Title: Why Ali wasn't in LBT 10
Post by: Ludichris1 on May 01, 2017, 08:10:39 AM
True, she was in a different herd, but yeah kind of odd we didnt' see her at the crater where like EVERYONE went to

But she did appear in the TV show o-O
Title: Why Ali wasn't in LBT 10
Post by: ADFan185 on May 01, 2017, 08:50:57 AM
Yeah it's sad she wasn't in anymore movies. She was a pretty cool character in my opinion
Title: Why Ali wasn't in LBT 10
Post by: LBT90321 on May 01, 2017, 03:30:42 PM
It's a pitty she didn't show in 10.
Title: Why Ali wasn't in LBT 10
Post by: Ducky123 on May 01, 2017, 04:06:52 PM
Because Littlefoot and Ali still haven't grown. Therefore, they were too small and childish to ship them in the canon story. Though, that's what fanfiction writing is for, right? :lol  :blink:
Title: Why Ali wasn't in LBT 10
Post by: somerandomfangirl on May 01, 2017, 05:32:57 PM
I think it is just a case of the producers wanted the focus to be on Littlefoot meeting his dad. Having Ali there too would have caused the focus to be a bit all over the place. In-universe, however, it doesn't really make all that much sense. If all longnecks were heading to this one place, then Ali and her herd surely would have been there as well, right?

I think the producers wanted to find a way to reunite Littlefoot with his dad, but honestly I don't think the whole migration thing was the best way to go about it as it brings in plotholes such as Ali's absence. I personally think just having Bron accidentally stumble into the Great Valley with his herd and meeting Littlefoot there would have worked just as well.

It is a shame Ali wasn't in the film, but in a way I'm glad they just kept the focus on Littlefoot bonding with his dad and adopted brother. You never know, she might still return someday. :)
Title: Why Ali wasn't in LBT 10
Post by: Sneak on May 01, 2017, 05:33:35 PM
I think you confused threads, Ducky. :p
Title: Why Ali wasn't in LBT 10
Post by: Gentle Sharptooth on May 02, 2017, 04:33:11 AM
I would rather have had Ali than Shorty, but I believe I might be minority that didn't care for Shorty's character.
Title: Why Ali wasn't in LBT 10
Post by: Sovereign on May 07, 2017, 10:03:04 AM
I'm happy that we got Shorty introduced into the series. He added a lot of new factors to Littlefoot's character and there's a lot of potential in his own development. Even if Ali's presence could have made the story in the 10th film  more interesting, I wouldn't trade Shorty's debut for Ali's return. After all, why should those characters' presence in the film be mutually exclusive?  :p
Title: Why Ali wasn't in LBT 10
Post by: LBT90321 on May 07, 2017, 10:05:35 AM
It's a mystery
Title: Why Ali wasn't in LBT 10
Post by: ADFan185 on May 08, 2017, 04:52:45 PM
Shorty is a great character I loved him a lot in movie ten. I could understand why he was a bully towards LittleFoot since he was the outcast In the movie. No one wanted anything to do with him and I felt bad for shorty. So I'm glad he got a cameo in one movie and I'm sure if they did add Ali it would of been very interesting to see how that would of panned out.
Title: Why Ali wasn't in LBT 10
Post by: Hypno on July 08, 2017, 08:55:35 AM
The film makers simply left her out, that's that, at least that's what I think.
Title: Why Ali wasn't in LBT 10
Post by: Ducky123 on July 08, 2017, 10:33:44 AM
Just like they left out Shorty in 14... it doesn't make any sense  :bang If there's no technical need for a character to appear in a movie but they'd belong there anyway based on previous stories... they should still appear imo
Title: Why Ali wasn't in LBT 10
Post by: Sovereign on July 08, 2017, 10:43:25 AM
It's pretty funny actually: wouldn't it actually have been easier for Universal to develop the plot of the tenth film with Ali as a part of it? After all, her caracter was already established and her presence would have been more than logical. With the the Great Migration and JOTB, I've got the feeling that Universal spends extra time to come up with a worse plot than they needed to.  :sducky
Title: Why Ali wasn't in LBT 10
Post by: Sneak on July 08, 2017, 11:23:31 AM
I would like to see that. If film has been bigger, Ali's character and plotline (NOT romantic!!! гг) would appear without any problem. And not only her... What about Doc? :D
Title: Why Ali wasn't in LBT 10
Post by: Hypno on July 08, 2017, 11:32:54 AM
I doubt he'd travel with such a large group of longnecks. Maybe he's the only one who knows it's just an eclipse and not the end of the world :lol
Title: Why Ali wasn't in LBT 10
Post by: Dr. Rex on November 19, 2017, 11:38:39 PM
Yep, this is one of the few things about Movie 10 that bugged me. And let's not forget Doc, though I think that one was for the better since we would've had three father figures for Littlefoot instead of two in the movie, and that would've been pretty complicated to juggle.
Title: Why Ali wasn't in LBT 10
Post by: DaveTheAnalyzer on December 09, 2017, 06:10:24 PM
Doylist reasons, yeah, they probably didn't want to complicate the plot by bringing Ali and Doc into the matter. I believe this is the longest film in the series, but even then, they don't have time to juggle so many characters (Though there are parts I think could have been cut or shortened to more streamline the thing). There's also the fact the kids might be entering the series late or watching them in any order, so they don't want to confuse things too much with passed characters they are supposed to know.

Watsonian-wise, I can see why not all longnecks would go. Ali's herd is migratory and timing is probably vital, so they can't just drop everything to pursue some dream. Others might be busy surviving, so I can see why the Tinysauruses stayed with whatever they were doing prior to arriving in the valley. Then there are those who are not fit for the long journey, or don't want to abandon the food and comfort they have. This could be the case for Bron's herd, most of whom he indicated near the end of the film seem to have stayed put wherever they were staying. Him wording that place as home is weird, since it seemed to indicate the herd lives there full-time instead of being migratory as indicated, but inconstancy with this franchise is normal and can be hand-waved.

As for Doc, well...he's the Lone Dinosaur. No prophetic dream is going to tell him what to do. ;)
Title: Why Ali wasn't in LBT 10
Post by: Hypno on December 09, 2017, 06:33:02 PM
Yep, this is the longest of them all. LBT X is 1 hr 24 mins.
Title: Why Ali wasn't in LBT 10
Post by: Littlefoot505 on December 15, 2017, 03:33:32 PM
I think the answer for both Ali not being in LBT X and Shorty not being in LBT XIV is simple: Universal was just too lazy to try and put them in.
Title: Why Ali wasn't in LBT 10
Post by: Sovereign on December 15, 2017, 04:00:21 PM
As I said in an older post, Universal's laziness with the older characters only made their job harder. Great Migration's story could have easily been built around both Ali and Shorty. As jor JOTB, Shorty's absence probably only made the screenwriting process only as Shorty serving as the Gang's guide and the longneck brothers' growing relationship would have been an easy way to built a decent story. Of course, it would have been nearly impossible to include them the later films in the cap of 80 minutes which was probably a major factor in leaving them out. 20 extra minutes would clearly have been too much. :p
Title: Why Ali wasn't in LBT 10
Post by: Littlefoot505 on December 15, 2017, 06:12:54 PM
Quote from: Sovereign on Dec 15 2017, 03:00:21 PM
As I said in an older post, Universal's laziness with the older characters only made their job harder. Great Migration's story could have easily been built around both Ali and Shorty.
Yeah, I do agree with that.
Title: Why Ali wasn't in LBT 10
Post by: Dr. Rex on December 24, 2017, 07:45:29 PM
Quote from: Littlefoot505 on Dec 15 2017, 02:33:32 PM
I think the answer for both Ali not being in LBT X and Shorty not being in LBT XIV is simple: Universal was just too lazy to try and put them in.
There were probably also story and budget-related reasons. I mean, they did have the capacity to include Littlefoot's mother in the Movie 14 prologue so the new fans would be kept up to speed. I'd imagine they remembered Ali and Shorty fleetingly, but just couldn't include them for the sake of the length and/or budget.
Title: Re: Why Ali wasn't in LBT 10
Post by: NewOrder on March 30, 2020, 02:11:54 PM
I've been on lockdown for 19 days and I've decided to rewatch the entire LBT series. Today was time for The Great Longneck Migration. It's incredible how after all these years this movie still fills my heart. It's hard to stop the tears listening to Bestest Friends.

I know this sequel has a lot of emotional points, but it still grinds my gears that they didn't find a way to include Ali in it. What about you guys? How do you think they should've included her?
Title: Re: Why Ali wasn't in LBT 10
Post by: Dr. Rex on March 31, 2020, 12:08:04 AM
I've been on lockdown for 19 days and I've decided to rewatch the entire LBT series. Today was time for The Great Longneck Migration. It's incredible how after all these years this movie still fills my heart. It's hard to stop the tears listening to Bestest Friends.

I know this sequel has a lot of emotional points, but it still grinds my gears that they didn't find a way to include Ali in it. What about you guys? How do you think they should've included her?
Honestly, I've thought about it, and it made me realize something.

This is supposed to be a story about Littlefoot reuniting with his father, first and foremost. It may not look like it in the beginning, but ultimately, that's what this film boils down to. Without that, there's no other meaningful theme or message that can be gleaned. The whole Longneck migration/solar eclipse thing is just a complex excuse to get the two of them together, as well as a red herring/smokescreen to make the twist leave even more of an impact. (Plus, since this is the tenth LBT film, I assume the crew wanted to make this commemorative movie as special and epic as possible.)

Because of that, I think Ali's inclusion in the film would've been more of a detriment, a distraction from Littlefoot and Bron's storyline, than anything else. As much as I would've liked for Ali to be in the movie, I think it might've been for the best. For example, before I thought of this, I thought Ali could've played the role of Littlefoot's love interest here, and Shorty falls in love with her too, so he and Littlefoot strike up a rivalry over her. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized how out-of-place it would seem in the overall movie. I can't imagine what kind of role Bron would've played in this scenario, how it would affect Littlefoot and Bron's relationship (whether positively or negatively), and whether it would've been beneficial or detrimental to Shorty's own character arc as the writers intended it.

There's also the issue of pacing and fulfilling time quotas for the movie. The movie needs to be 85 or so minutes, otherwise I assume it would go over-budget. How much of the film would've been sacrificed just so Ali can have a role in this? Maybe there might be a sequence or two that could be cut for her sake, but once again, this goes back to my earlier argument on how out-of-place she already would be.

With that in mind, I personally can't imagine anything that would be good for her outside of a small cameo. But that's just me, though.
Title: Re: Why Ali wasn't in LBT 10
Post by: Gentle Sharptooth on March 31, 2020, 11:10:53 AM
Because the writers had planned to put her in the LBT Series.
Title: Re: Why Ali wasn't in LBT 10
Post by: Flathead770 on April 01, 2020, 12:01:18 AM
She was too busy being together with Rhett!
Title: Re: Why Ali wasn't in LBT 10
Post by: Anagnos on April 01, 2020, 09:30:22 AM
I've been on lockdown for 19 days and I've decided to rewatch the entire LBT series. Today was time for The Great Longneck Migration. It's incredible how after all these years this movie still fills my heart. It's hard to stop the tears listening to Bestest Friends.

I know this sequel has a lot of emotional points, but it still grinds my gears that they didn't find a way to include Ali in it. What about you guys? How do you think they should've included her?
Honestly, I've thought about it, and it made me realize something.

This is supposed to be a story about Littlefoot reuniting with his father, first and foremost. It may not look like it in the beginning, but ultimately, that's what this film boils down to. Without that, there's no other meaningful theme or message that can be gleaned. The whole Longneck migration/solar eclipse thing is just a complex excuse to get the two of them together, as well as a red herring/smokescreen to make the twist leave even more of an impact. (Plus, since this is the tenth LBT film, I assume the crew wanted to make this commemorative movie as special and epic as possible.)

Because of that, I think Ali's inclusion in the film would've been more of a detriment, a distraction from Littlefoot and Bron's storyline, than anything else. As much as I would've liked for Ali to be in the movie, I think it might've been for the best. For example, before I thought of this, I thought Ali could've played the role of Littlefoot's love interest here, and Shorty falls in love with her too, so he and Littlefoot strike up a rivalry over her. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized how out-of-place it would seem in the overall movie. I can't imagine what kind of role Bron would've played in this scenario, how it would affect Littlefoot and Bron's relationship (whether positively or negatively), and whether it would've been beneficial or detrimental to Shorty's own character arc as the writers intended it.

There's also the issue of pacing and fulfilling time quotas for the movie. The movie needs to be 85 or so minutes, otherwise I assume it would go over-budget. How much of the film would've been sacrificed just so Ali can have a role in this? Maybe there might be a sequence or two that could be cut for her sake, but once again, this goes back to my earlier argument on how out-of-place she already would be.

With that in mind, I personally can't imagine anything that would be good for her outside of a small cameo. But that's just me, though.

Honestly, I feel like had they put her in the film, she might have served a real purpose instead of being completely forgotten. This entire film's plot was simply too boring to get excited about, and it showed especially with the level of writing. I can't be the only one to think that it was probably one of the laziest in the entire franchise. From the very start, they gave us this foreshadow that the dreams the longnecks had would play a major role, but they seemed completely okay with ditching that idea before it even had a chance to take root.

We can argue that had they put her in the film, she would've become essentially useless and merely served a side role in the grand scheme of things. However, I feel like her presence would have made the movie so much more enjoyable to watch. And the talk about Littlefoot and Shorty having a quarrel about who will eventually triumph to become her mate is just ridiculous. They're children. Love is not the first thing on their mind, especially after coming to a new place in search of answers for their peculiar dreams.

Yes, the 10th film is not the best sequel there is available, but it doesn't deserve the place of being the worst sequel overall. People's opinions are not always one, and there is nothing wrong with that. :yes
Title: Re: Why Ali wasn't in LBT 10
Post by: Rhett on April 01, 2020, 09:33:24 AM
She was too busy being together with Rhett!
Of course! Where else would she be? Definitely not in a stinky sequel!  :rhett_grin
Title: Re: Why Ali wasn't in LBT 10
Post by: Enchanted-Valley96 on April 01, 2020, 11:30:24 AM
I quite enjoyed the sequel.

They probably couldn't find a voice actress or child voice actor for him.
Title: Re: Why Ali wasn't in LBT 10
Post by: NewOrder on April 06, 2020, 11:13:46 AM
I've been on lockdown for 19 days and I've decided to rewatch the entire LBT series. Today was time for The Great Longneck Migration. It's incredible how after all these years this movie still fills my heart. It's hard to stop the tears listening to Bestest Friends.

I know this sequel has a lot of emotional points, but it still grinds my gears that they didn't find a way to include Ali in it. What about you guys? How do you think they should've included her?
Honestly, I've thought about it, and it made me realize something.

This is supposed to be a story about Littlefoot reuniting with his father, first and foremost. It may not look like it in the beginning, but ultimately, that's what this film boils down to. Without that, there's no other meaningful theme or message that can be gleaned. The whole Longneck migration/solar eclipse thing is just a complex excuse to get the two of them together, as well as a red herring/smokescreen to make the twist leave even more of an impact. (Plus, since this is the tenth LBT film, I assume the crew wanted to make this commemorative movie as special and epic as possible.)

Because of that, I think Ali's inclusion in the film would've been more of a detriment, a distraction from Littlefoot and Bron's storyline, than anything else. As much as I would've liked for Ali to be in the movie, I think it might've been for the best. For example, before I thought of this, I thought Ali could've played the role of Littlefoot's love interest here, and Shorty falls in love with her too, so he and Littlefoot strike up a rivalry over her. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized how out-of-place it would seem in the overall movie. I can't imagine what kind of role Bron would've played in this scenario, how it would affect Littlefoot and Bron's relationship (whether positively or negatively), and whether it would've been beneficial or detrimental to Shorty's own character arc as the writers intended it.

There's also the issue of pacing and fulfilling time quotas for the movie. The movie needs to be 85 or so minutes, otherwise I assume it would go over-budget. How much of the film would've been sacrificed just so Ali can have a role in this? Maybe there might be a sequence or two that could be cut for her sake, but once again, this goes back to my earlier argument on how out-of-place she already would be.

With that in mind, I personally can't imagine anything that would be good for her outside of a small cameo. But that's just me, though.

Honestly, I feel like had they put her in the film, she might have served a real purpose instead of being completely forgotten. This entire film's plot was simply too boring to get excited about, and it showed especially with the level of writing. I can't be the only one to think that it was probably one of the laziest in the entire franchise. From the very start, they gave us this foreshadow that the dreams the longnecks had would play a major role, but they seemed completely okay with ditching that idea before it even had a chance to take root.

We can argue that had they put her in the film, she would've become essentially useless and merely served a side role in the grand scheme of things. However, I feel like her presence would have made the movie so much more enjoyable to watch. And the talk about Littlefoot and Shorty having a quarrel about who will eventually triumph to become her mate is just ridiculous. They're children. Love is not the first thing on their mind, especially after coming to a new place in search of answers for their peculiar dreams.

Yes, the 10th film is not the best sequel there is available, but it doesn't deserve the place of being the worst sequel overall. People's opinions are not always one, and there is nothing wrong with that. :yes

I agree that in terms of pacing and the overall plot, it would be hard to find the time or the space in the movie to fit Ali in a way that would be satisfying for the fans and that would make some sense to this sequel's main story arc.

That being said I thought about a few ways that she could be introduced. One way would be for her herd to arrive in the great valley just before the sleep stories about the eclipse began. Then the old one could be the one to tell the story about how Longnecks stopped the night circle from bringing the bright circle down upon the Earth. Littlefoot and his Grandparents would follow Ali's herd to the meteorite crash site.

Seeing Littlefoot and Ali going off on an adventure together would make Cera jealous and she and the rest of the gang would follow. The third act could still be about Littlefoot meeting Bron, with Ali falling a bit to the background.

Another way would be to have Littlefoot and the gang meet Ali as they were leaving the crash site at the end of the movie and this could serve as cliffhanger for the next movie. Instead of Invasion of the Tinysaurus we'd have something like Return to the Land of Mists with Ali having a greater roll.

PS.: I had no idea there were people who liked Rhett's character.
Title: Re: Why Ali wasn't in LBT 10
Post by: Dr. Rex on April 06, 2020, 09:58:11 PM
I've been on lockdown for 19 days and I've decided to rewatch the entire LBT series. Today was time for The Great Longneck Migration. It's incredible how after all these years this movie still fills my heart. It's hard to stop the tears listening to Bestest Friends.

I know this sequel has a lot of emotional points, but it still grinds my gears that they didn't find a way to include Ali in it. What about you guys? How do you think they should've included her?
Honestly, I've thought about it, and it made me realize something.

This is supposed to be a story about Littlefoot reuniting with his father, first and foremost. It may not look like it in the beginning, but ultimately, that's what this film boils down to. Without that, there's no other meaningful theme or message that can be gleaned. The whole Longneck migration/solar eclipse thing is just a complex excuse to get the two of them together, as well as a red herring/smokescreen to make the twist leave even more of an impact. (Plus, since this is the tenth LBT film, I assume the crew wanted to make this commemorative movie as special and epic as possible.)

Because of that, I think Ali's inclusion in the film would've been more of a detriment, a distraction from Littlefoot and Bron's storyline, than anything else. As much as I would've liked for Ali to be in the movie, I think it might've been for the best. For example, before I thought of this, I thought Ali could've played the role of Littlefoot's love interest here, and Shorty falls in love with her too, so he and Littlefoot strike up a rivalry over her. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized how out-of-place it would seem in the overall movie. I can't imagine what kind of role Bron would've played in this scenario, how it would affect Littlefoot and Bron's relationship (whether positively or negatively), and whether it would've been beneficial or detrimental to Shorty's own character arc as the writers intended it.

There's also the issue of pacing and fulfilling time quotas for the movie. The movie needs to be 85 or so minutes, otherwise I assume it would go over-budget. How much of the film would've been sacrificed just so Ali can have a role in this? Maybe there might be a sequence or two that could be cut for her sake, but once again, this goes back to my earlier argument on how out-of-place she already would be.

With that in mind, I personally can't imagine anything that would be good for her outside of a small cameo. But that's just me, though.

Honestly, I feel like had they put her in the film, she might have served a real purpose instead of being completely forgotten. This entire film's plot was simply too boring to get excited about, and it showed especially with the level of writing. I can't be the only one to think that it was probably one of the laziest in the entire franchise. From the very start, they gave us this foreshadow that the dreams the longnecks had would play a major role, but they seemed completely okay with ditching that idea before it even had a chance to take root.

We can argue that had they put her in the film, she would've become essentially useless and merely served a side role in the grand scheme of things. However, I feel like her presence would have made the movie so much more enjoyable to watch. And the talk about Littlefoot and Shorty having a quarrel about who will eventually triumph to become her mate is just ridiculous. They're children. Love is not the first thing on their mind, especially after coming to a new place in search of answers for their peculiar dreams.

Yes, the 10th film is not the best sequel there is available, but it doesn't deserve the place of being the worst sequel overall. People's opinions are not always one, and there is nothing wrong with that. :yes

I agree that in terms of pacing and the overall plot, it would be hard to find the time or the space in the movie to fit Ali in a way that would be satisfying for the fans and that would make some sense to this sequel's main story arc.

That being said I thought about a few ways that she could be introduced. One way would be for her herd to arrive in the great valley just before the sleep stories about the eclipse began. Then the old one could be the one to tell the story about how Longnecks stopped the night circle from bringing the bright circle down upon the Earth. Littlefoot and his Grandparents would follow Ali's herd to the meteorite crash site.

Seeing Littlefoot and Ali going off on an adventure together would make Cera jealous and she and the rest of the gang would follow. The third act could still be about Littlefoot meeting Bron, with Ali falling a bit to the background.

Another way would be to have Littlefoot and the gang meet Ali as they were leaving the crash site at the end of the movie and this could serve as cliffhanger for the next movie. Instead of Invasion of the Tinysaurus we'd have something like Return to the Land of Mists with Ali having a greater roll.

PS.: I had no idea there were people who liked Rhett's character.
Those are actually pretty cool-sounding ideas.

I see the potential in Rhett's character...as a VILLAIN! XP
Title: Re: Why Ali wasn't in LBT 10
Post by: Gentle Sharptooth on April 07, 2020, 02:10:37 PM
I've been on lockdown for 19 days and I've decided to rewatch the entire LBT series. Today was time for The Great Longneck Migration. It's incredible how after all these years this movie still fills my heart. It's hard to stop the tears listening to Bestest Friends.

I know this sequel has a lot of emotional points, but it still grinds my gears that they didn't find a way to include Ali in it. What about you guys? How do you think they should've included her?
Honestly, I've thought about it, and it made me realize something.

This is supposed to be a story about Littlefoot reuniting with his father, first and foremost. It may not look like it in the beginning, but ultimately, that's what this film boils down to. Without that, there's no other meaningful theme or message that can be gleaned. The whole Longneck migration/solar eclipse thing is just a complex excuse to get the two of them together, as well as a red herring/smokescreen to make the twist leave even more of an impact. (Plus, since this is the tenth LBT film, I assume the crew wanted to make this commemorative movie as special and epic as possible.)

Because of that, I think Ali's inclusion in the film would've been more of a detriment, a distraction from Littlefoot and Bron's storyline, than anything else. As much as I would've liked for Ali to be in the movie, I think it might've been for the best. For example, before I thought of this, I thought Ali could've played the role of Littlefoot's love interest here, and Shorty falls in love with her too, so he and Littlefoot strike up a rivalry over her. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized how out-of-place it would seem in the overall movie. I can't imagine what kind of role Bron would've played in this scenario, how it would affect Littlefoot and Bron's relationship (whether positively or negatively), and whether it would've been beneficial or detrimental to Shorty's own character arc as the writers intended it.

There's also the issue of pacing and fulfilling time quotas for the movie. The movie needs to be 85 or so minutes, otherwise I assume it would go over-budget. How much of the film would've been sacrificed just so Ali can have a role in this? Maybe there might be a sequence or two that could be cut for her sake, but once again, this goes back to my earlier argument on how out-of-place she already would be.

With that in mind, I personally can't imagine anything that would be good for her outside of a small cameo. But that's just me, though.

Honestly, I feel like had they put her in the film, she might have served a real purpose instead of being completely forgotten. This entire film's plot was simply too boring to get excited about, and it showed especially with the level of writing. I can't be the only one to think that it was probably one of the laziest in the entire franchise. From the very start, they gave us this foreshadow that the dreams the longnecks had would play a major role, but they seemed completely okay with ditching that idea before it even had a chance to take root.

We can argue that had they put her in the film, she would've become essentially useless and merely served a side role in the grand scheme of things. However, I feel like her presence would have made the movie so much more enjoyable to watch. And the talk about Littlefoot and Shorty having a quarrel about who will eventually triumph to become her mate is just ridiculous. They're children. Love is not the first thing on their mind, especially after coming to a new place in search of answers for their peculiar dreams.

Yes, the 10th film is not the best sequel there is available, but it doesn't deserve the place of being the worst sequel overall. People's opinions are not always one, and there is nothing wrong with that. :yes

I agree that in terms of pacing and the overall plot, it would be hard to find the time or the space in the movie to fit Ali in a way that would be satisfying for the fans and that would make some sense to this sequel's main story arc.

That being said I thought about a few ways that she could be introduced. One way would be for her herd to arrive in the great valley just before the sleep stories about the eclipse began. Then the old one could be the one to tell the story about how Longnecks stopped the night circle from bringing the bright circle down upon the Earth. Littlefoot and his Grandparents would follow Ali's herd to the meteorite crash site.

Seeing Littlefoot and Ali going off on an adventure together would make Cera jealous and she and the rest of the gang would follow. The third act could still be about Littlefoot meeting Bron, with Ali falling a bit to the background.

Another way would be to have Littlefoot and the gang meet Ali as they were leaving the crash site at the end of the movie and this could serve as cliffhanger for the next movie. Instead of Invasion of the Tinysaurus we'd have something like Return to the Land of Mists with Ali having a greater roll.

PS.: I had no idea there were people who liked Rhett's character.

I like the idea of a cliffhanger and a return to Valley of Mists. We waited so long for Ali to return, I expected to see her as often as we have the beloved Chomper.

There are many Rhetti or Rhettites. Like? I know someone who is Rhett’s prophet and acolyte. I speaking of you @Vojeds. :D
Title: Re: Why Ali wasn't in LBT 10
Post by: RainbowFaceProtege on April 07, 2020, 02:19:50 PM
I think the reason Ali wasn't in LBT 10 was just because there was already a lot going on in that movie. The longnecks following their sleep stories, the Gang of Four sneaking after them, Littlefoot meeting his dad, dealing with Shorty...I'm sorry to say I think Ali would've seemed rather awkwardly shoehorned in the middle of all that. Aside from just kinda being there, what would she have contributed?
Title: Re: Why Ali wasn't in LBT 10
Post by: Gentle Sharptooth on April 07, 2020, 02:26:48 PM
I think the reason Ali wasn't in LBT 10 was just because there was already a lot going on in that movie. The longnecks following their sleep stories, the Gang of Four sneaking after them, Littlefoot meeting his dad, dealing with Shorty...I'm sorry to say I think Ali would've seemed rather awkwardly shoehorned in the middle of all that. Aside from just kinda being there, what would she have contributed?

Ali should have had a cameo, but I agree there was a lot going on and I see why the writers focused on the Bron and Littlefoot arch. If Ali was to have a cameo, I would have as the other user suggested, placed her cameo after the defeat of the sharpteeth, and perhaps right after Bron leaves with his herd.
Title: Re: Why Ali wasn't in LBT 10
Post by: RainbowFaceProtege on April 07, 2020, 02:34:21 PM
I think the reason Ali wasn't in LBT 10 was just because there was already a lot going on in that movie. The longnecks following their sleep stories, the Gang of Four sneaking after them, Littlefoot meeting his dad, dealing with Shorty...I'm sorry to say I think Ali would've seemed rather awkwardly shoehorned in the middle of all that. Aside from just kinda being there, what would she have contributed?

Ali should have had a cameo, but I agree there was a lot going on and I see why the writers focused on the Bron and Littlefoot arch. If Ali was to have a cameo, I would have as the other user suggested, placed her cameo after the defeat of the sharpteeth, and perhaps right after Bron leaves with his herd.

Now, a cameo like that could've worked! :yes It would have satisfied Ali fans if Littlefoot was given that moment to catch up with her, but at the same time, it wouldn't have been so much of a focus as to distract from the main story.
Title: Re: Why Ali wasn't in LBT 10
Post by: Gentle Sharptooth on April 07, 2020, 02:52:08 PM
I think the reason Ali wasn't in LBT 10 was just because there was already a lot going on in that movie. The longnecks following their sleep stories, the Gang of Four sneaking after them, Littlefoot meeting his dad, dealing with Shorty...I'm sorry to say I think Ali would've seemed rather awkwardly shoehorned in the middle of all that. Aside from just kinda being there, what would she have contributed?

Ali should have had a cameo, but I agree there was a lot going on and I see why the writers focused on the Bron and Littlefoot arch. If Ali was to have a cameo, I would have as the other user suggested, placed her cameo after the defeat of the sharpteeth, and perhaps right after Bron leaves with his herd.

Now, a cameo like that could've worked! :yes It would have satisfied Ali fans if Littlefoot was given that moment to catch up with her, but at the same time, it wouldn't have been so much of a focus as to distract from the main story.

The question is, would Rhett have been with her?   :rhett_shocked
Title: Re: Why Ali wasn't in LBT 10
Post by: RainbowFaceProtege on April 07, 2020, 04:06:23 PM
The question is, would Rhett have been with her?   :rhett_shocked

Rhett didn't exist until four years later. :SmugSpike Nice try baiting people, though!
Title: Re: Why Ali wasn't in LBT 10
Post by: Gentle Sharptooth on April 07, 2020, 04:11:16 PM
The question is, would Rhett have been with her?   :rhett_shocked

Rhett didn't exist until four years later. :SmugSpike Nice try baiting people, though!

But how do we know if Rhett wasn’t with Ali four years earlier? ;)

Not baiting, just curious if Ali did make a cameo, if Rhett would have already been with her.
Title: Re: Why Ali wasn't in LBT 10
Post by: RainbowFaceProtege on April 08, 2020, 12:48:23 PM
The question is, would Rhett have been with her?   :rhett_shocked

Rhett didn't exist until four years later. :SmugSpike Nice try baiting people, though!

But how do we know if Rhett wasn’t with Ali four years earlier? ;)

Not baiting, just curious if Ali did make a cameo, if Rhett would have already been with her.

Well, as far as canon goes, it's possible that Ali and Rhett's herds could have met up years earlier. Thinking about it in the context of making a movie, though, I doubt the writers had invented Rhett four years in advance in real life.
Title: Re: Why Ali wasn't in LBT 10
Post by: Gentle Sharptooth on April 13, 2020, 02:46:12 PM
The question is, would Rhett have been with her?   :rhett_shocked

Rhett didn't exist until four years later. :SmugSpike Nice try baiting people, though!

But how do we know if Rhett wasn’t with Ali four years earlier? ;)

Not baiting, just curious if Ali did make a cameo, if Rhett would have already been with her.

Well, as far as canon goes, it's possible that Ali and Rhett's herds could have met up years earlier. Thinking about it in the context of making a movie, though, I doubt the writers had invented Rhett four years in advance in real life.

Why do you think it took so long for Ali to make a second appearance?
Title: Re: Why Ali wasn't in LBT 10
Post by: RainbowFaceProtege on April 13, 2020, 04:34:29 PM
I think it was because the series switched directors. The promise of Ali returning was probably forgotten for a while.
Title: Re: Why Ali wasn't in LBT 10
Post by: Dr. Rex on May 23, 2020, 12:50:17 AM
I think it was because the series switched directors. The promise of Ali returning was probably forgotten for a while.
I'd say that sounds reasonable.
Title: Re: Why Ali wasn't in LBT 10
Post by: Gentle Sharptooth on May 23, 2020, 02:06:18 AM
I think it was because the series switched directors. The promise of Ali returning was probably forgotten for a while.

That is probably the case. But why the writers would shelve or put on the back burner a romance between Ali and Littlefoot is beyond me.
Title: Re: Why Ali wasn't in LBT 10
Post by: Dr. Rex on July 04, 2020, 06:56:39 AM
Another way would be to have Littlefoot and the gang meet Ali as they were leaving the crash site at the end of the movie and this could serve as cliffhanger for the next movie. Instead of Invasion of the Tinysaurus we'd have something like Return to the Land of Mists with Ali having a greater roll.
This idea just made me realize something: LBT should've done what the Pokémon movies did during the Sinnoh era and made a trilogy of movies that were connected.

LBT 10:

The movie begins as per usual, with Littlefoot and his grandparents leaving the Great Valley because of their sleep stories. On their way to the meteorite crash site, they're joined by herds of Longnecks; we reunite with old characters like Ali and Doc; and we meet new characters like Bron, Sue, Shorty, Rhett, etc. The rest of the gang follows behind and meets Pat like usual. The reason why Longnecks are converging and venturing out in the middle of nowhere is treated as a mystery throughout the film and is still unresolved by the end of the film; only bits and pieces of hints can be put together in this puzzle.

Because this is the tenth film, we could have cameos and/or clip show-style flashbacks of other characters and films. All the while, this new super-herd is constantly being followed by many Sharpteeth that have been habitually following the individual herds and now become occasional nuisances to the super-herd, just for action's sake. However, Chomper and his parents are among these Sharptooth, and they're not aware Littlefoot is a member of that super-herd because of its tremendous size. The film ends on a cliffhanger when Littlefoot realizes Bron is his father, just as the super-herd reaches the crash site.

LBT 11

The film begins with the super-herd entering the crash site and beginning to settle in. As they do, Littlefoot deals with the revelation that he just found his long-lost father, which makes things extremely complicated with his relationships. Eventually, Bron explains why he was never in Littlefoot's life to begin with, and they begin to bond. Bron tells Littlefoot all about what his mother was once like (perhaps even finally revealing her true name), including revealing she was a capable fighter who could hold off multiple Sharpteeth (this is important for later on). He also starts teaching Littlefoot how to lead a herd of Longnecks, which gets him close to Bron's herd, including Shorty, and also sparks a romantic relationship between him and Ali. Of course, Rhett is a butt and an antagonist about it, but he eventually gets his butt kicked.

Meanwhile, the rest of the gang is lagging behind with Pat like in canon (perhaps being aided along the way by characters like Tickles and Mo), while Grandpa decides to dig deep into the mystery of the sleep stories and soon learns of the solar eclipse. The film ends on another cliffhanger, with the Sharpteeth that had been following the super-herd, an ambivalent Chomper and his parents included, gathering en masse to take advantage of the all-you-can-eat buffet they have on their hands.

LBT 12

The film begins with Shorty jealously running away like in canon, and Littlefoot follows him to bond with him and get him back, but instead of being attacked by one Sharptooth, they're attacked by the super-pack. They're cornered, but before they're killed, the leader (who has been the biggest nuisance out of all the Sharpteeth in the trilogy) suddenly chooses to capture Littlefoot instead, while Shorty manages to run away. Through captivity, Littlefoot finally reunites with Chomper, who helps him escape. In the process, Chomper learns through his understanding of Sharptooth language that the Sharptooth leader was one of the Sharpteeth that Bron and Littlefoot's mother fought off in the past, and that he lost his mate to them as well; he recognized Bron in the herd earlier, saw him talking to Littlefoot, and put two and two together, so now, he's seeking revenge.

Littlefoot's escape triggers an epic battle between the important Longneck characters and the Sharpteeth super-pack, which is joined by the rest of the gang and Pat. Chomper and his parents rebel, with his parents helping Bron kill the Sharptooth leader. But before the rest of the super-pack could overwhelm the heroes, the solar eclipse happens, scaring off the Sharpteeth. The Longnecks carry out the mysterious tradition that has guided them through the entire trilogy, "saving the world". Afterwards, Chomper and his parents leave on good terms with the heroes. Littlefoot chooses to return to the Great Valley with his friends and grandparents rather than have a future with Bron and Ali, which they accept. The film, and therefore the trilogy, ends on a triumphant note, with Littlefoot recalling the life he's led so far, which put him on the path of this epic journey in the first place. Cue commemorative montage of all the films, one last scene of the gang returning to the Valley, and then...fade to ending credits.

...

Did I just write all this epicness in one go?

Anyway, back to the original point...I think that kind of approach would've solved the dilemma of Ali being out-of-place in an otherwise standalone film. Just give this premise A LOT of breathing room so she could find a role in which she's integral to the plot.

Then again, I doubt the prospect of the characters leaving the Great Valley, only to return two movies later, would be something in the crew's cards. XP
Title: Re: Why Ali wasn't in LBT 10
Post by: Ducky123 on August 02, 2020, 07:04:32 AM
I've been on lockdown for 19 days and I've decided to rewatch the entire LBT series. Today was time for The Great Longneck Migration. It's incredible how after all these years this movie still fills my heart. It's hard to stop the tears listening to Bestest Friends.

I know this sequel has a lot of emotional points, but it still grinds my gears that they didn't find a way to include Ali in it. What about you guys? How do you think they should've included her?
Honestly, I've thought about it, and it made me realize something.

This is supposed to be a story about Littlefoot reuniting with his father, first and foremost. It may not look like it in the beginning, but ultimately, that's what this film boils down to. Without that, there's no other meaningful theme or message that can be gleaned. The whole Longneck migration/solar eclipse thing is just a complex excuse to get the two of them together, as well as a red herring/smokescreen to make the twist leave even more of an impact. (Plus, since this is the tenth LBT film, I assume the crew wanted to make this commemorative movie as special and epic as possible.)

Because of that, I think Ali's inclusion in the film would've been more of a detriment, a distraction from Littlefoot and Bron's storyline, than anything else. As much as I would've liked for Ali to be in the movie, I think it might've been for the best. For example, before I thought of this, I thought Ali could've played the role of Littlefoot's love interest here, and Shorty falls in love with her too, so he and Littlefoot strike up a rivalry over her. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized how out-of-place it would seem in the overall movie. I can't imagine what kind of role Bron would've played in this scenario, how it would affect Littlefoot and Bron's relationship (whether positively or negatively), and whether it would've been beneficial or detrimental to Shorty's own character arc as the writers intended it.

There's also the issue of pacing and fulfilling time quotas for the movie. The movie needs to be 85 or so minutes, otherwise I assume it would go over-budget. How much of the film would've been sacrificed just so Ali can have a role in this? Maybe there might be a sequence or two that could be cut for her sake, but once again, this goes back to my earlier argument on how out-of-place she already would be.

With that in mind, I personally can't imagine anything that would be good for her outside of a small cameo. But that's just me, though.
Coming from someone who is trying to achieve this addition of Ali to the movie in a fanfiction I can confirm that...
A: Including Ali would have required the film to be much longer, too long, as unfortunate as it is
B: The parts of the story that will play in the oasis from LBT 10 are really really complex. There wouldn't be a clear focus on the relationship between Littlefoot and Bron (which hasn't been handled quite well in the movie but that's a topic for another day) because of the love triangle taking away a lot of attention, especially if they'd have planned to go for a more confronting development between the two boys.
C: The movie had enough potential to become material for an entire season of the tv-series. Consider this, I'll need around 40 chapters for the characters to even reach the oasis, that's an estimated 150-200k words. The movie was extremely condensed already, down to the bare minimum of what the synopsis had to offer! Adding Ali just wouldn't have worked when the movie already suffered from its own time limit.

Great post, there's nothing I could add  :^^spike

This doesn't change the fact though that I want her to be in this movie, I just realize that it realistically isn't going to happen  :rolleye

She was too busy being together with Rhett!
:DocSerious

Rhett didn't even exist back then  :rhett_ohno

Quote
We can argue that had they put her in the film, she would've become essentially useless and merely served a side role in the grand scheme of things. However, I feel like her presence would have made the movie so much more enjoyable to watch. And the talk about Littlefoot and Shorty having a quarrel about who will eventually triumph to become her mate is just ridiculous. They're children. Love is not the first thing on their mind, especially after coming to a new place in search of answers for their peculiar dreams.
They are still kids but kids can develop crushes and with a crush comes jealousy. It wouldn't be about who gets to marry Ali of course lol but it could certainly be about who Ali should play with. It could have added to Shorty's already difficult relationship with Littlefoot. Bron abandones and neglects him, Littlefoot takes away the girl he likes (because it'd reckon Ali would be really glad to see him and ditch Shorty who's more of a bully and a tough guy than the thoroughly kind and funny Littlefoot) so he can't spend much time with her anymore (while playing with her alone). That is assuming Ali and Shorty meet before Littlefoot joins the picture which, in my opinion, would result in the biggest effect. Now how would Shorty feel if you were to take away not one but two things that are very important to him and the reason for that is one silly longneck. I would be mad at that particular longneck.  :idea

I won't deny, they might be more interested in what the dreams were about or just about the adventure itself, exploring new places, meeting new people etc. but I've always been assuming that there's at least some amount of "liking each other" between Ali and Littlefoot  :PAli

Quote
I agree that in terms of pacing and the overall plot, it would be hard to find the time or the space in the movie to fit Ali in a way that would be satisfying for the fans and that would make some sense to this sequel's main story arc.

That being said I thought about a few ways that she could be introduced. One way would be for her herd to arrive in the great valley just before the sleep stories about the eclipse began. Then the old one could be the one to tell the story about how Longnecks stopped the night circle from bringing the bright circle down upon the Earth. Littlefoot and his Grandparents would follow Ali's herd to the meteorite crash site.

Seeing Littlefoot and Ali going off on an adventure together would make Cera jealous and she and the rest of the gang would follow. The third act could still be about Littlefoot meeting Bron, with Ali falling a bit to the background.

Another way would be to have Littlefoot and the gang meet Ali as they were leaving the crash site at the end of the movie and this could serve as cliffhanger for the next movie. Instead of Invasion of the Tinysaurus we'd have something like Return to the Land of Mists with Ali having a greater roll.

PS.: I had no idea there were people who liked Rhett's character.

Those are both very interesting versions, both of which I didn't realize in my story so I guess I should probably add a third :P

No changes to Littlefoot and Shorty who travel to the oasis with their respective folks but Ali is somewhere far away with her herd, longing to go. Old One is too worried about a journey into Lands Unknown but Ali tries on her own since she doesn't like herd life much anyway (it's boring and she's lonely), her mother following her after she runs away. They happen to bump into Bron's herd and travel together to the oasis where they eventually meet Littlefoot. (this is 40+ chapters condensed into a single paragraph lol, there's so much more :P )
The Gang would still go simply because they feel left out and it's boring without Littlefoot, I think that's enough motivation for them to go already haha.

Quote
This idea just made me realize something: LBT should've done what the Pokémon movies did during the Sinnoh era and made a trilogy of movies that were connected.

LBT 10:

The movie begins as per usual, with Littlefoot and his grandparents leaving the Great Valley because of their sleep stories. On their way to the meteorite crash site, they're joined by herds of Longnecks; we reunite with old characters like Ali and Doc; and we meet new characters like Bron, Sue, Shorty, Rhett, etc. The rest of the gang follows behind and meets Pat like usual. The reason why Longnecks are converging and venturing out in the middle of nowhere is treated as a mystery throughout the film and is still unresolved by the end of the film; only bits and pieces of hints can be put together in this puzzle.

Because this is the tenth film, we could have cameos and/or clip show-style flashbacks of other characters and films. All the while, this new super-herd is constantly being followed by many Sharpteeth that have been habitually following the individual herds and now become occasional nuisances to the super-herd, just for action's sake. However, Chomper and his parents are among these Sharptooth, and they're not aware Littlefoot is a member of that super-herd because of its tremendous size. The film ends on a cliffhanger when Littlefoot realizes Bron is his father, just as the super-herd reaches the crash site.

LBT 11

The film begins with the super-herd entering the crash site and beginning to settle in. As they do, Littlefoot deals with the revelation that he just found his long-lost father, which makes things extremely complicated with his relationships. Eventually, Bron explains why he was never in Littlefoot's life to begin with, and they begin to bond. Bron tells Littlefoot all about what his mother was once like (perhaps even finally revealing her true name), including revealing she was a capable fighter who could hold off multiple Sharpteeth (this is important for later on). He also starts teaching Littlefoot how to lead a herd of Longnecks, which gets him close to Bron's herd, including Shorty, and also sparks a romantic relationship between him and Ali. Of course, Rhett is a butt and an antagonist about it, but he eventually gets his butt kicked.

Meanwhile, the rest of the gang is lagging behind with Pat like in canon (perhaps being aided along the way by characters like Tickles and Mo), while Grandpa decides to dig deep into the mystery of the sleep stories and soon learns of the solar eclipse. The film ends on another cliffhanger, with the Sharpteeth that had been following the super-herd, an ambivalent Chomper and his parents included, gathering en masse to take advantage of the all-you-can-eat buffet they have on their hands.

LBT 12

The film begins with Shorty jealously running away like in canon, and Littlefoot follows him to bond with him and get him back, but instead of being attacked by one Sharptooth, they're attacked by the super-pack. They're cornered, but before they're killed, the leader (who has been the biggest nuisance out of all the Sharpteeth in the trilogy) suddenly chooses to capture Littlefoot instead, while Shorty manages to run away. Through captivity, Littlefoot finally reunites with Chomper, who helps him escape. In the process, Chomper learns through his understanding of Sharptooth language that the Sharptooth leader was one of the Sharpteeth that Bron and Littlefoot's mother fought off in the past, and that he lost his mate to them as well; he recognized Bron in the herd earlier, saw him talking to Littlefoot, and put two and two together, so now, he's seeking revenge.

Littlefoot's escape triggers an epic battle between the important Longneck characters and the Sharpteeth super-pack, which is joined by the rest of the gang and Pat. Chomper and his parents rebel, with his parents helping Bron kill the Sharptooth leader. But before the rest of the super-pack could overwhelm the heroes, the solar eclipse happens, scaring off the Sharpteeth. The Longnecks carry out the mysterious tradition that has guided them through the entire trilogy, "saving the world". Afterwards, Chomper and his parents leave on good terms with the heroes. Littlefoot chooses to return to the Great Valley with his friends and grandparents rather than have a future with Bron and Ali, which they accept. The film, and therefore the trilogy, ends on a triumphant note, with Littlefoot recalling the life he's led so far, which put him on the path of this epic journey in the first place. Cue commemorative montage of all the films, one last scene of the gang returning to the Valley, and then...fade to ending credits.

...
@Dr. Rex are you a writer in disguise? This synopsis is so good that I REALLY want to see this written now  :)littlefoot :TakeMoney Come join us fanfiction writers, this will be epic!  :exactly
Title: Re: Why Ali wasn't in LBT 10
Post by: Dr. Rex on August 15, 2020, 02:26:30 AM
This idea just made me realize something: LBT should've done what the Pokémon movies did during the Sinnoh era and made a trilogy of movies that were connected.

LBT 10:

The movie begins as per usual, with Littlefoot and his grandparents leaving the Great Valley because of their sleep stories. On their way to the meteorite crash site, they're joined by herds of Longnecks; we reunite with old characters like Ali and Doc; and we meet new characters like Bron, Sue, Shorty, Rhett, etc. The rest of the gang follows behind and meets Pat like usual. The reason why Longnecks are converging and venturing out in the middle of nowhere is treated as a mystery throughout the film and is still unresolved by the end of the film; only bits and pieces of hints can be put together in this puzzle.

Because this is the tenth film, we could have cameos and/or clip show-style flashbacks of other characters and films. All the while, this new super-herd is constantly being followed by many Sharpteeth that have been habitually following the individual herds and now become occasional nuisances to the super-herd, just for action's sake. However, Chomper and his parents are among these Sharptooth, and they're not aware Littlefoot is a member of that super-herd because of its tremendous size. The film ends on a cliffhanger when Littlefoot realizes Bron is his father, just as the super-herd reaches the crash site.

LBT 11

The film begins with the super-herd entering the crash site and beginning to settle in. As they do, Littlefoot deals with the revelation that he just found his long-lost father, which makes things extremely complicated with his relationships. Eventually, Bron explains why he was never in Littlefoot's life to begin with, and they begin to bond. Bron tells Littlefoot all about what his mother was once like (perhaps even finally revealing her true name), including revealing she was a capable fighter who could hold off multiple Sharpteeth (this is important for later on). He also starts teaching Littlefoot how to lead a herd of Longnecks, which gets him close to Bron's herd, including Shorty, and also sparks a romantic relationship between him and Ali. Of course, Rhett is a butt and an antagonist about it, but he eventually gets his butt kicked.

Meanwhile, the rest of the gang is lagging behind with Pat like in canon (perhaps being aided along the way by characters like Tickles and Mo), while Grandpa decides to dig deep into the mystery of the sleep stories and soon learns of the solar eclipse. The film ends on another cliffhanger, with the Sharpteeth that had been following the super-herd, an ambivalent Chomper and his parents included, gathering en masse to take advantage of the all-you-can-eat buffet they have on their hands.

LBT 12

The film begins with Shorty jealously running away like in canon, and Littlefoot follows him to bond with him and get him back, but instead of being attacked by one Sharptooth, they're attacked by the super-pack. They're cornered, but before they're killed, the leader (who has been the biggest nuisance out of all the Sharpteeth in the trilogy) suddenly chooses to capture Littlefoot instead, while Shorty manages to run away. Through captivity, Littlefoot finally reunites with Chomper, who helps him escape. In the process, Chomper learns through his understanding of Sharptooth language that the Sharptooth leader was one of the Sharpteeth that Bron and Littlefoot's mother fought off in the past, and that he lost his mate to them as well; he recognized Bron in the herd earlier, saw him talking to Littlefoot, and put two and two together, so now, he's seeking revenge.

Littlefoot's escape triggers an epic battle between the important Longneck characters and the Sharpteeth super-pack, which is joined by the rest of the gang and Pat. Chomper and his parents rebel, with his parents helping Bron kill the Sharptooth leader. But before the rest of the super-pack could overwhelm the heroes, the solar eclipse happens, scaring off the Sharpteeth. The Longnecks carry out the mysterious tradition that has guided them through the entire trilogy, "saving the world". Afterwards, Chomper and his parents leave on good terms with the heroes. Littlefoot chooses to return to the Great Valley with his friends and grandparents rather than have a future with Bron and Ali, which they accept. The film, and therefore the trilogy, ends on a triumphant note, with Littlefoot recalling the life he's led so far, which put him on the path of this epic journey in the first place. Cue commemorative montage of all the films, one last scene of the gang returning to the Valley, and then...fade to ending credits.

...
@Dr. Rex are you a writer in disguise? This synopsis is so good that I REALLY want to see this written now  :)littlefoot :TakeMoney Come join us fanfiction writers, this will be epic!  :exactly
I am a fanfiction writer; I just haven't written an LBT fic before. I mentioned once or twice before that I had a pretty good idea for a fic; I'm just waiting for the perfect opportunity to write it. Thanks, though! I appreciate the praise. :)
Title: Re: Why Ali wasn't in LBT 10
Post by: Dr. Rex on September 10, 2020, 11:47:40 PM
Another way would be to have Littlefoot and the gang meet Ali as they were leaving the crash site at the end of the movie and this could serve as cliffhanger for the next movie. Instead of Invasion of the Tinysaurus we'd have something like Return to the Land of Mists with Ali having a greater roll.
This idea just made me realize something: LBT should've done what the Pokémon movies did during the Sinnoh era and made a trilogy of movies that were connected.

LBT 10:

The movie begins as per usual, with Littlefoot and his grandparents leaving the Great Valley because of their sleep stories. On their way to the meteorite crash site, they're joined by herds of Longnecks; we reunite with old characters like Ali and Doc; and we meet new characters like Bron, Sue, Shorty, Rhett, etc. The rest of the gang follows behind and meets Pat like usual. The reason why Longnecks are converging and venturing out in the middle of nowhere is treated as a mystery throughout the film and is still unresolved by the end of the film; only bits and pieces of hints can be put together in this puzzle.

Because this is the tenth film, we could have cameos and/or clip show-style flashbacks of other characters and films. All the while, this new super-herd is constantly being followed by many Sharpteeth that have been habitually following the individual herds and now become occasional nuisances to the super-herd, just for action's sake. However, Chomper and his parents are among these Sharptooth, and they're not aware Littlefoot is a member of that super-herd because of its tremendous size. The film ends on a cliffhanger when Littlefoot realizes Bron is his father, just as the super-herd reaches the crash site.

LBT 11

The film begins with the super-herd entering the crash site and beginning to settle in. As they do, Littlefoot deals with the revelation that he just found his long-lost father, which makes things extremely complicated with his relationships. Eventually, Bron explains why he was never in Littlefoot's life to begin with, and they begin to bond. Bron tells Littlefoot all about what his mother was once like (perhaps even finally revealing her true name), including revealing she was a capable fighter who could hold off multiple Sharpteeth (this is important for later on). He also starts teaching Littlefoot how to lead a herd of Longnecks, which gets him close to Bron's herd, including Shorty, and also sparks a romantic relationship between him and Ali. Of course, Rhett is a butt and an antagonist about it, but he eventually gets his butt kicked.

Meanwhile, the rest of the gang is lagging behind with Pat like in canon (perhaps being aided along the way by characters like Tickles and Mo), while Grandpa decides to dig deep into the mystery of the sleep stories and soon learns of the solar eclipse. The film ends on another cliffhanger, with the Sharpteeth that had been following the super-herd, an ambivalent Chomper and his parents included, gathering en masse to take advantage of the all-you-can-eat buffet they have on their hands.

LBT 12

The film begins with Shorty jealously running away like in canon, and Littlefoot follows him to bond with him and get him back, but instead of being attacked by one Sharptooth, they're attacked by the super-pack. They're cornered, but before they're killed, the leader (who has been the biggest nuisance out of all the Sharpteeth in the trilogy) suddenly chooses to capture Littlefoot instead, while Shorty manages to run away. Through captivity, Littlefoot finally reunites with Chomper, who helps him escape. In the process, Chomper learns through his understanding of Sharptooth language that the Sharptooth leader was one of the Sharpteeth that Bron and Littlefoot's mother fought off in the past, and that he lost his mate to them as well; he recognized Bron in the herd earlier, saw him talking to Littlefoot, and put two and two together, so now, he's seeking revenge.

Littlefoot's escape triggers an epic battle between the important Longneck characters and the Sharpteeth super-pack, which is joined by the rest of the gang and Pat. Chomper and his parents rebel, with his parents helping Bron kill the Sharptooth leader. But before the rest of the super-pack could overwhelm the heroes, the solar eclipse happens, scaring off the Sharpteeth. The Longnecks carry out the mysterious tradition that has guided them through the entire trilogy, "saving the world". Afterwards, Chomper and his parents leave on good terms with the heroes. Littlefoot chooses to return to the Great Valley with his friends and grandparents rather than have a future with Bron and Ali, which they accept. The film, and therefore the trilogy, ends on a triumphant note, with Littlefoot recalling the life he's led so far, which put him on the path of this epic journey in the first place. Cue commemorative montage of all the films, one last scene of the gang returning to the Valley, and then...fade to ending credits.

...

Did I just write all this epicness in one go?

Anyway, back to the original point...I think that kind of approach would've solved the dilemma of Ali being out-of-place in an otherwise standalone film. Just give this premise A LOT of breathing room so she could find a role in which she's integral to the plot.

Then again, I doubt the prospect of the characters leaving the Great Valley, only to return two movies later, would be something in the crew's cards. XP
I just realized I didn't give the parents for the rest of the gang roles, and what would an LBT film be without the likes of Cera's father or Petrie's mother? Let's say, in LBT 10, they follow Cera and the others when they realize their children are missing, join up with them in LBT 11 and agree to follow them on their journey somehow, and participate in the final battle in LBT 12.