The Gang of Five
The Land Before Time => 1988 Theatrical Release => Topic started by: WeirdRaptor on March 04, 2011, 05:09:51 AM
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You all, of course, remember Rooter. Despite his brief screentime, I notice a lot of people tend to remember this guy with a lot of fondness. Outright ensemble darkness fondness. Anyone ever wonder what his story was or if he could've or should've appeared in the sequels? I'm interested in discussing the possibilities here.
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From what I read, he was shoehorned in because I think executives (or whoever) found the mother scene to be too hardcore.
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His main point was likely to bring the circle of live element in. Rooter may have never reached the Great Valley, nor may he actually have searched for it or searched for it in the direction of the sunset. Yet all we know about him must remain speculative. An encounter between him and Littlefoot in the Great Valley or the Mysterious Beyond could be interesting if done well. He also is one out of several characters from whom Bron might have received information if he had... anyway.
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From what I read, he was shoehorned in because I think executives (or whoever) found the mother scene to be too hardcore.
Yep. When the psychologists they hired to go over the movie said that the death scene may be too sad for young viewers, they gave the idea for the Rooter scene, to soften the proverbial blow.
And Malte, that's an interesting point about Rooter being possibly who Bron found out about Mama Longneck from. Never thought of it before, but it does make sense.
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Actually that is more than I had actually been thinking off myself, but now that you mention it, indeed it could be possible that Rooter was the very one from whom Bron learned about the death of his wife.
Unless there are any major objections I might change the title of your thread by the way WeirdRaptor as I feel that the topic you brought up is neither odd nor pointless but quite interesting. Good going WR :yes
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Thank, Malte.
Well, when I was talking about Rooter's story, I wasn't referring to why he was dreamed up. I was literally talking about his life.
I'm kind of been thinking about what this guy's life was both before and after he talked to Littlefoot and why he was alone.
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I suppose chances are that he has not been alone for all his life. He was a rather old dinosaur and I suppose it is more likely than not that when he was talking to Littlefoot about the circle of life I probably talked from own (possibly painful) experience.
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Quite possibly a very one, too, considering the earthquake...
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I don't know, I never thought much of him when I first saw the movie. But now that I've rewatched it a few times, I think he was there to lessen the pain right after Littlefoot's mother's death.
You guy's could have a point at his past being particularly painful, especially after that earthshake.
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I'd guess he had lost 1, or more then 1, person he was close to.
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Seeing his age it needn't even been the earthquake that might have caused the possible loss of friends or relatives for Rooter.
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Yeah, he could have just outlived them. Man, this got depressing fast.
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NEW THEORY
Now bare with me
Look at rooters eyebrows
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v457/neoendgame/rooter.jpg)
Now this
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v457/neoendgame/220px-Chocolate_zingers.jpg)
I submit to you all that rooter is half Zinger.
:lol
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Darth Vader: "NNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
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He's one of my favorite one-off characters from the series. (I mean literally one-off. He's only in one scene in the whole series!) He really seems like someone who's been through a lot, and it was nice that Littlefoot had someone to comfort him, even though it was kind of tough love in a way
One thing about him is when he says "It's nobody's fault." I kind of had to wonder how far he was going with this. Was he saying in a way that you can't blame Sharptooth for what he did? He was only trying to survive after all, like everyone else in the movie.
I wouldn't want to see him back though. I feel he would kind of lose his magic if he did come back. There has been NOTHING since the first movie that's so emotional that he could really comment on it the way he did.
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Rooter will always have a special place in my memory. The scene between him and Littlefoot is the one I can remember distinctly from the time I first saw this film when I was two years old in the theater. While I only remembered bits and pieces of everything else, I remember this scene staying with me as I grew older.
He's really a great character, and I agree with vonboy that his advice borders on something far deeper. I also agree that he shouldn't be seen again, as he was there right when Littlefoot needed him, and then moved on, like a guardian spirit making brief contact. I just love that aspect about him. While scars themselves may not be erased, wounds heal, as does pain. Time heals all wounds. So very true Mr. Rooter, so very true.
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As a kid i never understood why the Rooter simply walked away and left a lonely child in the middle of nowhere. He could at least try to help Littlefoot the way his surviving relatives went. :huh:
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^
Here's a thought. Maybe Rooter couldn't help Littlefoot find his surviving relatives as since he was quite old, maybe he knew that he couldn't have survived the (*potentially futile search*) for relatives of a small dinosaur that was (again in keeping with what Littlefoot's mother said that all the dinosaurs stuck with their own kind) not of his kind. Which of course will sound absolutely horrible but hey if Rooter was going to crawl off and die then it was obviously much kinder of him to leave Littlefoot rather than force him to suffer further. Although maybe in another thought, Rooter might have thought that Littlefoot's relatives were close by and thus just left him and so his advice was merely passing in kind; yet that latter part may seem quite unlikely...
Anyway, enough of morbid theories...
Whilst I do like Rooter, I wouldn't go as far as to describe his character as 'great'. Especially since he was stuck in during late production. He does give some very deep meaning advice which does carry the overall theme of the film but he was used as a softner to the blow that had happened in the previous scene with death being the major factor. So the idea of and I quote fully;
''
Oh, it's not your fault. It's not your mother's fault. You pay attention to old Rooter. It is nobody's fault. The great circle of life has begun, but, you see, not all of us arrive together at the end.
....But she'll always be with you, as long as you remember the things she taught you. In a way, you'll never be apart, for you are still part of each other. ''
Anway, the whole meaningful message that Rooter gives to Littlefoot (and the audience) is that although death seperates, loved ones are always with you and death is a part of life...etc.
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Rooter was there to help soften the blow of the death part of the movie. He was a good character even tho he had a short part.
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I always had a thought that Rooter did see Littlefoot make it to the Great Valley. Yes, this is a crazy theory, but it seemed to me that the narrator was also the voice of Rooter, so I always pictured that Rooter did follow Littlefoot and the others, but never intervened because he knew Littlefoot had to do this on his own. Because of this, I always imagined that Rooter was the narrator the whole time.
Again, it's just a theory, but it's what I came up with.
In terms of his character, it's a real shame that he was added in solely to soften the blow of Littlefoot's mother's death, at least in the producers' minds, but I like others here agree that his advice to Littlefoot really can expand to kids in general. I don't know how many kids have experienced the death of a loved one when they first see this movie, but it does provide an insight as to what going through life after said death really feels like.
I agree that Rooter shouldn't come back in a sequel because then the purpose of his character is kind of lost. Having said that, I always like to think that Bron is speaking about him when he tells Littlefoot that somebody told him about Sharptooth. When you think about it, who else was there to see Littlefoot's mother die, and Rooter was the only one Littlefoot spoke about her to, at least right after her death.
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And that is a good theory. I had a similar theory also. I'm sure he did make it but little foot and the gang had to do on there own. I liked Little Foots toughness and willingness just to make it. to The Great Valley. Rooter's Speech was awesome and great.
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Kay this is embaressing...I hadn't seen movie 1 in years and for some reason was remembering this guy as a longneck...probably confusing him w/ the Grandpa since he's another elderly character, but anyways I was thinking maybe he was Littlefoot's long lost father, but anyways I looked it up online in November 2008 and discovered I'd remembered wrongly and that he did meet his longlost dad in 10, and well, that was embaressing. Umm...bye bye.