The Gang of Five

The Land Before Time => 1988 Theatrical Release => Topic started by: WeirdRaptor on February 09, 2013, 04:01:40 PM

Title: So what attracted you to this movie originally?
Post by: WeirdRaptor on February 09, 2013, 04:01:40 PM
Yeah, I know this has been discussed before, but hey, why not re-discuss why we love this movie?

Well, for me, I've always been a dinosaur fanatic. Have been since day one, still am, and always will be. If there's a cool dinosaur movie in theaters, you can bet I'll be in line to see it.

There were innumerable things that struck a chord in me when I first watched it and still do. It may have been a long time ago, but I still remember it well. It was a unique film in many ways (at the time it was made, anyway). The central characters all live in a dying environment, which was something you didn't see in animation every. It gave the film a real edge, and if I dare say, a bleakness that was almost oddly quaint.
Also, despite the bulk of the movie being set in a desolate wasteland, every background is intricate and breath-taking to behold.
The characters animations are good, but not the best I've ever seen. Still, overall, the artwork is beautiful.

The death of Littlefoot's mother is a wonderfully low-key scene. Neither of the two characters move much in the scene and most of it is told with a completely still dark image of the forms of Littlefoot and his mother in a dark night rain with only the rain providing any movement. Oh, and the end of the scene: "Mother? Mother?!"  :cry

The "racial" plot device is well-handled, too. These kids haven't had much time to get too set in the old ways as of yet (excepting only Cera, who took to her father's "threehorns don't associate with anyone else" mentality to heart as The Bible). And when Littlefoot initially rebukes Ducky, it's more out of general bad disposition towards the whole world after the death of his mother.
But stilll, these are all very different individuals who have to learn about each other, their strengths, and make their strange herd work in ordere to survive.

And the characters are great! For a film that only clocks in at just over an hour, the writers managed to create five very well-rounded and lovable baby dinosaurs. Bluth and company made you fall in love with these five enough that at the climax when you think Petrie is dead, the scene will still haunt you long after you know he's a-okay. Then of course there's Littlefoot's interactions with his mother from beyond the grave. Those were gold. And then there's the reveal of The Great Valley being unveiled as the clouds move away at the very end. That was pure cinematic genius, as was everything that came with it. The closing reunions with the families, the ending narration, and finally: "If We Hold On Together", by Diana Ross.

In all, the film just mixed together near perfectly (that is, until you start to notice where a deleted obviously went, but I digress). Just the same, it's a film that has withstood the test of time going on 25 years this year, and it would have held up, with or without the sequels.

Lastly, I suppose any discussion of enjoying The Land Before Time would be remiss without some mention of what came after. There's no doubt that the sequels helped keep the property in the public eye by making it more noticeable, but that's come with mixed results and reception. Some of them were really good (but nothing compared to the original), and others...the less said, the better.

And all that's why I keep coming back to this film.
Title: So what attracted you to this movie originally?
Post by: StrutEggStealer on February 09, 2013, 04:42:59 PM
I was only a little child when I first saw this, and the reason being is that my older sisters were dinosaurs fans themselves - and plus, we had a movie mausoleum of the best cartoons of the 20th-21st Century :)
So I really had no choice in the matter of what we were watching and when. But I am sosososo glad I got introduced to LBT at that age^^
Title: So what attracted you to this movie originally?
Post by: DarkHououmon on February 09, 2013, 04:51:45 PM
I honestly don't know. I saw the movie when I was young and I don't remember my first time watching it. It might have been the dinosaurs.
Title: So what attracted you to this movie originally?
Post by: landbeforetimelover on February 09, 2013, 04:52:16 PM
Nothing.  I didn't actually buy the first movie myself.  My mother bought it for me when I was like 5 years old.  She picked it out because it was one of the only boyish movies available in the store she was shopping at.  Lucky for me though.  I really liked the movie and we soon purchased all the movies up to the 6th one (the latest one that was out at the time before I got out of LBT).
Title: So what attracted you to this movie originally?
Post by: Kor on February 09, 2013, 05:57:35 PM
Not sure which movie I first saw.  I'd guess it was 2 or 4.  Those along with 5 were shown the most often of the ones I saw on cable tv.  Cartoon network I think it was.  I liked the characters and when the first movie up on the animated theater thing they use to have, I think, on Sunday nights I was interested in how the original movie would be.  I liked the writing and characters and found it more mature of a story telling then the sequels were, though I like those also, some more then others.
Title: So what attracted you to this movie originally?
Post by: FreckledOne on February 09, 2013, 09:13:18 PM
I am fairly certain that I saw the original movie first when I was very young, and then the sequels as they were released.
The thing that attracted me the most was the high quality of animation. Yes, even when I was a toddler I was a little animation critic.  :rolleyes While there are a few parts that could have been done better, the overall quality was even better than Disney's to me. I also loved the backgrounds and the settings. I've read on other sites that the movie used too much of the color brown, but when I watch it I see greens, yellows, purples, etc. and it just looks beautiful.  :)

Another thing that drew me in was that there was a quest. I've noticed that I tend to like works that have big epic quests, and a bunch of baby dinosaurs having to find a faraway valley sounded kinda epic to me! I mean, they weren't even sure it existed and they went on anyway!

Believe it or not I really liked the first three sequels as a kid, but mostly when the gang left the Great Valley, again because of the questing aspect.  ;)
Title: So what attracted you to this movie originally?
Post by: Dino-Mario on February 09, 2013, 10:56:24 PM
The dinosaurs,definitely the dinosaurs.I was born in 1996 and the first dino movie i watched was Jurassic Park.I LOVED it.Then,my parents bought me the original LBT and watched it.IT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL!!!full of heartwarming moments and a great story.All its characters were lovely!!!If it weren't for JP and LBT,i wouldn't be the great dino fan i am nowadays.
Title: So what attracted you to this movie originally?
Post by: Cancerian Tiger on February 10, 2013, 03:42:56 AM
I saw the second film first, and I happened to be learning about dinosaurs in school around the time I first saw the film.  Thus my love of dinosaurs began :DD.

I was also drawn to the Gang immediately.  These guys are unlike any other group of characters I've ever known, and they're all down to earth and fun.  I especially took a liking to Cera, and Ducky is just too adorable ;).
Title: So what attracted you to this movie originally?
Post by: Ducky123 on February 10, 2013, 12:18:51 PM
My first movies were the original and LBT 8, which are still one of my favourites, but I don't know which was the first one I saw. I must have been around 4 or 5 yrs old :D
I like the story in general. The idea is great and it makes happy everytime when I watch LBT
The songs and the background music is pretty awesome and the animation is very good.
Well, I think everything's already said :D
Title: So what attracted you to this movie originally?
Post by: jansenov on February 10, 2013, 01:45:12 PM
I saw the Land Before Time by accident. I just wanted to watch something dinner. And there it was.


What immediately told me this was not just any old cartoon was the music. And then came the beautiful prehistoric world. I've always had an interest in the distant, long gone and imaginary, an escapist streak, if you will, and I've been familiar with dinosaurs since long I can remember (first dinosaur toys, then Dink, then a booklet about dinosaurs that I "devoured" in one day, and then Dinosaur, which had been my favourite movie until LBT), so the opening scenes (the part until Ducky's family scene) immediately struck a cord.


After that I was melted by the cute dinosaur babies hatching, though I can't recall most of the details from that first watching, like Ducky's first adventure, or the cracked eggs of Littlefoot's siblings. The next scene I can recall from my first viewing is Littlefoot's mother giving him the last treestar from the woods (oddly, I don't remember the break from last scene of Littlefoot the hatchling to the scene where a more grown Littlefoot chews a twig in the company of his mother; every time I watch the movie now, I find this break highly annoying).


Then this world started to become a lot bleaker. The bleakest landscape I've ever seen in an animated movie, but still with this otherwordly beauty. Cera was somewhat of an unpleasant surprise, as I didn't expect her to be so rude. But the true shocker was Topsy's harsh reaction. Although now, after intensive contact with GOF members, I understand this was a part of the movie's anti-racist narrative, back then I understood it as threehorns being warped by the cruelty of the world they lived in, as something the natural world does to you. That it was racism never occured to me, probably because racism has never been a part of my life experience, and only in high school I learned about it (there are very few non-whites in Croatia; in some parts of Croatia you can live your whole life without ever seeing a person of different color).


And then the otherwordly desert morphed into something very dark, with Sharptooth's appearance and the earthquake. Littlefoot's mother's death came as a huge shock, but it wouldn't fully sink in until after the end of the movie.


After this I was fully immersed into the movie, like I was right there with the characters. I forgot a lot of stuff here, but those I can remember I remember very vividly. From Littlefoot's suffering (his mother reminding him to how to reach the Great Valley; the shadow scene was heart-breaking), to Ducky's almost magical ability to cheer you up (the whole berry sequence, something I very vividly remember, but by all evidence shouldn't exist; I decided to leave the issue unsettled and not lose any more nerves over it). I paid particular attention to Littlefoot's treestar, as a thing that binds to his mother, and was greatly angered when the Sharptooth stepped on it. At that moment, in my very emotional state, the Sharptooth was evil incarnate, and this left such a powerful impact on me that to this day I haven't fully accepted Chomper as a member of the Gang.


Petrie was so-so. I didn't give too much thought to him back then. I even forgot his heroic contribution to sharptooth's demise! (nowadays Petrie's apparent death and Ducky's "Poor, poor Petrie!" is the saddest part of the movie for me).

I didn't have a high opinion of Cera back then. She seemed cruel and rude, and while I remember the huge disappointment of the Gang when they saw that they only encountered more desert instead of the Great Valley, I forgot the scene where Cera regrets what she had done.


After the Gang separated came another memorable moment. I remember Littlefoot wandering alone, apparently succumbing himself to doubt, and then his mother helps him again showing the way through the rocks. Littlefoot exits the cave and realises he found the Great Valley, which was still covered in darkness at this point but a river and the green landscape could clearly be recognised. Then Littlefoot's hears Ducky's and Petrie's cries for help, and hesitates. This was the most suspenseful moment of the movie for me, the making or breaking of Littlefoot's character.  But then he turns (I remember him running back through the cave and down the same landscape where he we saw his mother doing a miracle in the form of a cloud). Then he saves the rest of his friends, they kill the Sharptooth (his drowning was an immense relief), and leads them through the cave. At that moment the sun rises and they now finally see the Great Valley in its full glory. This particular memory is also an issue I decided to leave as unsettled.

Then there were the family reunions, paradise scenery of the Great Valley, and the movie ending after the Gang's group hug. I haven't heard Diana Ross' score until rather recently, a few weeks before I joined the forum.

During the movie I was crying, and after it ended I was crying even harder, to the point where my mother asked me what's wrong with me. I guess I was particulary emotional back then. I remembered Littlefoot's mother's death again, and one more thing that made me sadder still: the movie had ended. At that moment I wanted it to go on and on forever, now that the bad days were over and a neverending age of bliss had started for the Gang.

The Land Before Time was such a whirlpool of emotion that no other movie has ever given me something similar.
Title: So what attracted you to this movie originally?
Post by: WeirdRaptor on February 10, 2013, 05:22:44 PM
Whoa, good turnout. Lovely and thoughtful replies thus far, gang.
Title: So what attracted you to this movie originally?
Post by: Petrie85 on February 11, 2013, 11:15:46 AM
I remember seeing The Land Before I think once when I was three years old but I don't remember it much. Than I saw it again a few years later and I loved it. When I herd there was a ton of sequels that came out at first I was like why why destroy the first with so many sequels. But I saw them all and I actually liked some but hated most of them. But they where and still are enjoyable. I love how the first movie was dark and serious. I loved how Little Foot was a born leader helping his new friends find the Great Valley. I looked up to him as a kid. My favorite two characters where Petrie and Spike. I loved how Petrie tried so much to be liked and to try to be a good friend to everyone. Spike was the cool laid back character witch I liked since I'm pretty laid back when it comes to things. So I loved the animation Don Bluth used for the movie. It was amazing and very well done. One of my favorite childhood movies and still is to this day. I still get teary'd eye at the end of the first movie as well.
Title: So what attracted you to this movie originally?
Post by: Ducky123 on February 11, 2013, 04:04:49 PM
from jansenov: [After the Gang separated came another memorable moment. I remember Littlefoot wandering alone, apparently succumbing himself to doubt, and then his mother helps him again showing the way through the rocks. Littlefoot exits the cave and realises he found the Great Valley, which was still covered in darkness at this point but a river and the green landscape could clearly be recognised. Then Littlefoot's hears Ducky's and Petrie's cries for help, and hesitates. This was the most suspenseful moment of the movie for me, the making or breaking of Littlefoot's character. But then he turns (I remember him running back through the cave and down the same landscape where he we saw his mother doing a miracle in the form of a cloud). Then he saves the rest of his friends, they kill the Sharptooth (his drowning was an immense relief), and leads them through the cave. At that moment the sun rises and they now finally see the Great Valley in its full glory. This particular memory is also an issue I decided to leave as unsettled.]


ehm... Do you have the uncutted version of the original movie? My mum bought me the original video, when I was around 5 or 6 and at mine the Gang killed the sharptooth first and then discovering the Great Valley together( only Littlefoot is seen and followed the voice of his mother until he found the Great Valley. Then he called the Rest of the gang :) ) So I presume you own the uncutted version.
You're from Croatia, right jansenov? Maybe in Croatia only exists the uncutted version... ?!? I'm not sure :S :confused

(BTW: Can someone teach me how to quote? I know I'm very bad with computer skills, unfortunatily :D :bang  :bang  :rolleyes )
Title: So what attracted you to this movie originally?
Post by: Mumbling on February 11, 2013, 04:09:36 PM
Ducky123, there are two ways to quote. You can quote an entire message by using the 'quote' button on the topright corner of a post (next to the report button). A new screen will open up where you can type your own message, which will be put below the quoted message.

Another way is typing [*quote]paste quote here[*/quote] (without the  *).
Title: So what attracted you to this movie originally?
Post by: jansenov on February 11, 2013, 06:25:43 PM
@Ducky: No, I don't have the uncut version. I saw it on Super RTL over 10 years ago. And I'm not 100% certain that my memory of the alternate ending is genuine. There's a lot of evidence that speaks against the uncut version ever being aired anywhere, so my mind could be playing tricks with me.
Title: So what attracted you to this movie originally?
Post by: Petrie85 on February 11, 2013, 06:28:45 PM
Yeah I always thought the death of Little Foot's Mom is still the saddest moment of the movie. And it was pretty brave of Don Bluth to put in a kids animation. Witch is why I liked his movie. He doesn't sugar coat anything at all. Witch is very good. He just wanted kids to let kids know that yes death is a part of life that you have to face. And face it dead on witch is what made the Land Before Time such a good movie to watch and learn.
Title: So what attracted you to this movie originally?
Post by: Coyote_A on February 15, 2013, 10:56:47 AM
It was the first full-length cartoon I've ever seen. Will this answer suffice? :D
Title: So what attracted you to this movie originally?
Post by: Ducky123 on February 15, 2013, 02:21:01 PM
thanks, Iris :)
to @jansenov: That might be a possible reason... :D
Title: So what attracted you to this movie originally?
Post by: Dosu2Dinner on February 18, 2013, 06:05:32 AM
For me, it must have been the dinosaurs. I first saw the trailer for the movie on a VHS cassette of Jurassic Park which I had bought. I had watched that film on TV once before, and I really wanted to watch it again, because I absolutley loved the dinosaurs.
I saw the trailer for The Land Before Time on the cassette, and then I simply got interested in seeing another dinosaur-y film (I was like 7 at the time, dinosaurs simply ruled my life).
Title: So what attracted you to this movie originally?
Post by: Petrie85 on February 20, 2013, 08:49:53 AM
I remember also watching Jurassic Park Trilogy and I thought they where okay number one was good and always will be my favorite. The other two sequels where eh alright. Dinosaurs have always been my favorite thing to learn and study. So of course when you put Dinosaurs and Animation together you get a instant win from me right there. So I fell in love with everything about those movies. And the sequels where eh and okay as well. Movie X is still one of my favorite sequel's of all time.
Title: So what attracted you to this movie originally?
Post by: Justin1993 on February 21, 2013, 03:14:22 PM
The film was the start of my interest in dinosaurs.
Title: So what attracted you to this movie originally?
Post by: somerandomfangirl on March 02, 2013, 05:17:19 PM
Well, I believe my brother was the first one to own most of the video tapes of the films, and since he was 9 when I was born, he passed them down to me, as he wasn't that interested in them any more. I really enjoyed the first one, and from there my interest in dinosaurs grew. I couldn't stop watching The Land Before Time or it's sequels for most of my childhood. :lol
Title: So what attracted you to this movie originally?
Post by: Dinosaurman on March 04, 2013, 06:01:33 PM
I saw the movie when i was 5 or something. This movie arouse my interest in dinosaurs and I had a HUGE collection of dinosaur figures.

I believe that i watched this with my mother, it has been long since that so i cant remember so well.

My life would have been much different without this masterpiece of movie.
Title: So what attracted you to this movie originally?
Post by: Nahla on March 06, 2013, 06:35:05 AM
Well honestly the 4th one was the first I ever saw,I got it for $1 at a video  rental store that was closing down.

I loved it,so my parents ordered the rest.


When I saw the 1st one,I was shocked at how dark it was compare the others. But it a way it owns the others.

It also answered my questions why Littlefoot had no Mother present. Why the swimmers had Spike etc.
Title: So what attracted you to this movie originally?
Post by: Petrie85 on March 08, 2013, 07:58:55 AM
The music also helped me become a fan of this series. They where pretty cool and good.
Title: Re: So what attracted you to this movie originally?
Post by: chomper94 on October 19, 2021, 09:04:17 PM
I know I’m posting in an old thread, but I started getting attracted to this film after getting interested in dinosaurs in History.  That’s when I watched Jurassic Park, which led me to watching this movie.

And thanks to researching dinosaurs, that’s when I started watching this movie! :smile
Title: Re: So what attracted you to this movie originally?
Post by: Sneak on October 20, 2021, 08:51:58 AM
Well, I guess I loved and still love dinosaurs and cartoons very much. And film's story and characters were attractive as well.
Title: Re: So what attracted you to this movie originally?
Post by: aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) on November 14, 2021, 04:57:38 PM
For me it was the simplicity of their world. No bills, no electricity or technology, no buildings or vehicles or clothing or nations or wars... just nature, fire, predators, natural disasters. Other animal-oriented franchises do that, but they're usually set during humantimes and that stuff still finds its way in somehow. It's nice to get away from all that and appreciate a setting where modern life hasn't yet evolved in any possible fashion.
Title: Re: So what attracted you to this movie originally?
Post by: Dr. Rex on November 19, 2021, 12:36:05 AM
Well, firstly, it was the fact that I had already seen LBT II and LBT III before watching this movie, so I knew that this movie would feature characters I was already familiar with. There was also the fact that I knew it would be the origin story of their friendship, so that was definitely a lure for me.
Title: Re: So what attracted you to this movie originally?
Post by: StardustSoldier on December 05, 2021, 06:44:53 PM
Well, firstly, it was the fact that I had already seen LBT II and LBT III before watching this movie, so I knew that this movie would feature characters I was already familiar with. There was also the fact that I knew it would be the origin story of their friendship, so that was definitely a lure for me.

Ohh, that is interesting. I never really thought of the first movie as being the 'origin story episode' before, since I simply watched the films in order, but that would definitely be a unique way to approach it if you'd already seen the sequels.

For me, it was a movie I could remember from my childhood, but I hadn't seen it in almost two decades. After I happened to see an online article discussing the film's 30th anniversary a few years ago, that's when I was inspired to rent it from my local library and then I fell in love with it all over again. And that's what brought me to this lovely community here. :)
Title: Re: So what attracted you to this movie originally?
Post by: Dr. Rex on November 25, 2023, 11:44:17 PM
Well, firstly, it was the fact that I had already seen LBT II and LBT III before watching this movie, so I knew that this movie would feature characters I was already familiar with. There was also the fact that I knew it would be the origin story of their friendship, so that was definitely a lure for me.

Ohh, that is interesting. I never really thought of the first movie as being the 'origin story episode' before, since I simply watched the films in order, but that would definitely be a unique way to approach it if you'd already seen the sequels.

For me, it was a movie I could remember from my childhood, but I hadn't seen it in almost two decades. After I happened to see an online article discussing the film's 30th anniversary a few years ago, that's when I was inspired to rent it from my local library and then I fell in love with it all over again. And that's what brought me to this lovely community here. :)
Sorry for the very, very, VERY late response. I just saw this.

The only reason why LBT II and III were first on my viewing list was because those were the only installments available at my local library at the time. Eventually, I spotted the original available on the library's catalog and checked it out immediately. It was all just a matter of coincidence and convenience.

Ah, the good ole days of public libraries and VHS cassette tapes...