In preparation for this showcase, I decided the time would be right to give
The Stone of Cold Fire another viewing. I did, I did.
I had intended to rewatch the film a while ago. I was going to join in for the live stream that Mumbling hosted back in June (or even the stream before that in May). But then I missed it because it was hosted in the morning and I ended up sleeping in. I'm not much of an early bird.
But anyway, I later watched the film by myself so I could compose some new thoughts here.
1) It has be postulated by many authors, including myself, that Sierra might be some kind of psychopath or sociopath (a person without emotional empathy for others) based upon his words and actions during the seventh film. Including his willingness to kidnap Ducky and then to discard her to what he assumes is her doom. What do you think?
I would say that, yes, he is most definitely something along those lines. He strikes me as more of a sociopath than a psychopath, as he doesn't seem full-on "crazy," per say. More just cruel and sadistic, although I guess the two terms probably have a lot of interchangeability. Either way, he might be the most evil antagonist in the series. With many of the Sharpteeth, it's ambiguous if they're truly malicious or merely hungry predators looking for food, whereas Sierra is a lot more overtly sinister. Sierra also doesn't seem as comical as the other, more sentient villains such as Ozzy & Strut and Ichy & Dil.
2) What is your personal head-canon about how these two met up? It does seem that Rinkus knows how to recognize and handle Sierra's more intense impulses to lash out to a much better degree than Pterano.
It struck me that Rinkus & Sierra are quite reminiscent of Ozzy & Strut, albeit Rinkus & Sierra seem to get along better. My personal head-canon is that the two of them met each other and became friends (or at least partners in crime) before either of them met Pterano. When they did meet Pterano, they were initially won over by his charm and his apparent leadership skills, hence he became the leader of the trio. Over time, however, Rinkus & Sierra began to see through Pterano's façade and thus why they turned on him. That's what I think, it is, it is.
But as for how Rinkus & Sierra met
each other, I actually envision it being something pretty mundane. Like... I dunno... maybe they were out scavenging for tree stars and they just happened to bump into each other and they got into an argument over who should get the last tree star.
But then they decided to work together for the time being.
3) To my fellow science nerds: one of the hashtags for this gif image is #Birds, how does that make you feel? 
I'm not a science nerd myself, but I do have to wonder how the idea of a large pink reptilian flyer holds up.
Other assorted thoughts:I like the very opening shot in space with the
distinct music playing; mysterious at first, then epic. It's fitting too given the Rainbow Faces and the general theme of a vast, cosmic universe. It's also strangely fitting somehow that Petrie is the one doing the opening narration.
Cera (to Petrie)
: "My father once told me that the grown-ups kicked your uncle out of the herd."Littlefoot: "Wow! What did he do?"Cera: "Uh, I forget that part. But I do remember it was pretty awful."...that's one way to put it.
Early on, when the Far Walkers arrive, Littlefoot mentions that they came from the "Cold Lands." This makes me wonder what the Cold Lands are really like. My first thought was that it was a distant land where winter had already hit. However, in the eighth film, the dinosaurs are all surprised when it starts snowing. What makes it even more interesting is that the dinosaurs were still living outside the Great Valley in the first film, and in all that time it appears that they never encountered snow. Hmm, so what are the Cold Lands like then? Is it a region that's simply cold, but not outright snowing? Or is there in fact snow there, but the main characters weren't there to see it and so they merely knew that it was a "cold" area? Would it depend on the season or time of year? As in, is it
always a cold place?
When Littlefoot rolls onto the pinecone, I love seeing him scratch it off with his back leg like a dog or a cat. It just looks adorable.
When the Rainbow Faces tell everyone about the Stone of Cold Fire, there's
another distinct musical cue that plays. I never noticed it on my previous viewings, but I have OwlsCantRead to thank for pointing it out to me, so I knew to keep a close ear out for it this time around. It's a great piece of music; I've actually gotten chills listening to it before. The second half of the track also plays again in the eighth film when the Gang builds a snowman of Spike, and it works really well in that scene too, completely changing the context from mystical to sad.
There's a cute moment soon after the Rainbow Faces, when Pterano is telling Petrie and his siblings some story of his that was likely made up. Pterano is clearly a pompous windbag, but him telling the kids stories is endearing at the same time.
Another cute moment when Ducky feels bad for how she and the rest of the Gang upset Petrie, and then she leaves her nest to go cheer him up. A good one for the shippers.
Even moreso later on when they reunite after Ducky's abduction and hug each other, then Petrie breaks down crying in her arms and she comforts him. LBT 7 & 8 are good movies for Ducky and Petrie fans in general.
See here for the
second half of my review...
