How stupid can Littlefoot be?

[Bruton the Iguanodon]

"Our families...not like we'll ever see our families again".

Gosh, when I watch Littlefoot say this line I feel like screaming at him, "You've got a mode of transportation right in front of you---ELSIE! Did you forget she saved you and Chomper a minute ago? Why not ask her if she'll take u guys back?" But no, its not until Elsie offers to help that the idea even crosses Littlefoot's mind. I didn't like Littlefoot terribly in 5, the guy who voiced him made him sound like he was drunk a lot of the time, and he got all pissed just cause he thought one of his friends ate his last treestar...but Littlefoot doesn't get mad like that! Don't get me wrong, I thought he was as much of a hero as in 1 and 4, but he just felt kinda annoying. "It's not fair asking one of us to cross it alone. If one of us goes, we all go." And it's only then that he realizes they can't all get across...stupid...

[aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato)]

Eh, it happens. I'm honestly not sure if an elasmosaurus could do what it did in real life; its body was streamlined, designed to shoot under the water, not bob on the top with the neck sticking out like a periscope.

Also, Littlefoot knew nothing about the ocean or its inhabitants, so he isn't as familiar with the whole concept as we are. It's kind of like the first time you play a game with a weird concept thrown in, like Portal or Braid/i]. You don't think of things a veteran can come up with instantly.

[DarkHououmon]

Littlefoot probably just didn't think to have Elsie take them across the sea at the time. There was the chance she would have said no to him. They had just met and Elsie had literally no obligation to help them out. Elsie was nice enough to get Chomper and Littlefoot to shore, yes, but that's different than carrying several children back to shore.

I wouldn't really say Littlefoot was stupid; I think a correct statement is that Littlefoot didn't think of asking Elsie for help. This isn't really a sign of stupidity.

And no, Lettuce, a plesiosaur would not be able to do that in real life. Their heads would not have been able to rise out of the water for starters; the vertebrate was too weak. So there was no logical way Elsie could have saved Littlefoot and Chomper the way she had; she would have to get them to grab onto her head when she put it as close to the surface as she could and then swim down to the beach and drop them off there.

And to do this with all the children, I'm not sure how that would have worked out.

[Bruton the Iguanodon]

I wouldn't really say Littlefoot was stupid; I think a correct statement is that Littlefoot didn't think of asking Elsie for help. This isn't really a sign of stupidity.

When you want more then anything to get home and there's a possible method of trasportation in front of you (he didn't know 4 sure whther Elsie would say no)? I think that kinda is.

[The Friendly Sharptooth]

Littlefoot may very well have just proven his genius by what he said, not stupidity. My second ex does this to me often on World of Warcraft:

“Oh, Michael, I’ll never be able to afford that piece of gear. /Silence.”

Me: Hang on, I’ll send the gold right now.

“Oh, Michael, I’ll never be able to solo that boss. /Silence”

Me: On my way.

“Oh, Michael, I’ll never get this quest done fast enough. /Silence”

Me: Summon me.

It’s called making the person feel guilty and/or obligated. Guilty by having the means and not doing it, and obligated by making caring people feeling a sense of duty to someone in need. Many people do it. It’s a common psychological trick to get people to do what you want. Littlefoot may very well have known Elsie could do it; after all, she did just carry him seconds before he said that which may have given him the idea. Secondly, it is awkward for many to directly ask for favors. Many people request help indirectly through vague and/or emotional statements. After Elsie agreed, he may very well have thought to himself, “It worked!” Children are surprisingly clever and devious sometimes, and Littlefoot has certainly proven wisdom beyond his years. This is my guess as to why he really wasn’t stupid.

[Bruton the Iguanodon]

But he said, "Not like we'll ever see our families again" as if he thought they had zero chance, when obviously there's a very sweet possibility of transportation who may likely have said yes had he asked. But no, he seemed serisouly convinced that chances were zero. By the way, Friendly Sharptooth, thanks for the video response---it was awesome. I loved how you said, "I don't think I was harsh enough on this song." You stick to your opinins, man, and don't let anyone change them!

One thing you didn't tell me, however, was whether you think it would be a good idea to show more of Ducky's dark side.

[LBTLover1]

He probably had post-traumatic stress disorder.  I mean think about it, he is going through all these life to death situations and now he is all stressed out that he can't think anymore.

[Bruton the Iguanodon]

Still, it was obvious they had a way!! What's wrong with him?!  <_<

[DarkHououmon]

I don't think post traumatic stress disorder had anything to do with it.

I'm inclined to think that Friendly Sharptooth's idea might be the best explanation for why Littlefoot says that they'll never see their families again. He was probably trying to get Elsie to feel sorry for him so she'd offer an ride, rather than asking her himself, perhaps feeling nervous about it.

[Bruton the Iguanodon]

He seemed kind of genuialy upset though...which would seem to cross that out too.

[Malte279]

Maybe he just didn't presume a favor from a total stranger before being offered said favor.

[Bruton the Iguanodon]

But she offered to take him and Chomper back to shore...I just don't get it, even the line itself, "Not that we'll ever see our families again" is strange...Littlefoot doesn't give up that easily, and certainly not when there's a method of transportation right in front of him. This wasn't the only instnce in which he felt out of character in 5...what the hell was up with him going "If anyone ate my last treestar I'm gonna be mad!" and then getting all agressive with the others...what the hell, Littlefoot didn't use to cry over spilled milk... :huh:

[DarkHououmon]

It's one thing to take them back to the island, which is right in front of her and not a big deal. It's another ballpark entirely when we're talking about multiple kids riding her for the trip back to the shore, which by the way was no short trip. It looks close, but as the kids commented, it's "a lot further away than it looks."

[LBTFan13]

Here's how I see it.

Littlefoot and the others got pretty far ahead of the group when they left. Sure they assumed that leaving foot prints in the ground would lead the group in their direction, but how would Littlefoot have known that they would have immediately reached the shoreline. For all he knew, they could have still been a long way from the Big Water. It wasn't until after Elsie mentioned Grandpa Longneck that he learned the grown ups did in fact reach the Big Water.

Now say Elsie brings the group back to the main land and the grown ups were not there. One could argue that they could simply follow the tracks they made backwards. But what guarantee would there be that the tracks would still be there. Judging by the how easy the tracks were made, the quality of the ground is closer to soft dirt than hard rock. For all they knew, the tracks could have eroded into the ground, or something else could have made tracks over theirs.

I don't really think Littlefoot showed stupidity when he made that statement. Yes, you can argue that it isn't in Littlefoot's character to give up so easily, but you have to remember that even with this trait, he is still just a kid. It is very easy for kids to lose hope or get sad about certain things. I think seeing Chomper with his parents sparked the sadness he was feeling from not being with his.

This is the reason why I actually really enjoyed his portrayal in LBT V. It really showed signs that he was still a kid regardless of everything he has learned and been through. He wanted the first tree star and argued with his friends over it. When somebody else ate it, he blamed his friends for it instead of realizing that it was probably for the better. When the grown ups started arguing, he immediately began fighting with Cera. In my opinion, these are all things a kid would normally do regardless of the situation.

I will agree that the voice actor for Littlefoot in V was probably the worst out of all of them (not counting Thomas Dekker as his singing voice), but I wouldn't say he was terrible as a voice actor all together. There could have been far worse choices.

[DarkHououmon]

Littlefoot and the others got pretty far ahead of the group when they left. Sure they assumed that leaving foot prints in the ground would lead the group in their direction, but how would Littlefoot have known that they would have immediately reached the shoreline. For all he knew, they could have still been a long way from the Big Water. It wasn't until after Elsie mentioned Grandpa Longneck that he learned the grown ups did in fact reach the Big Water.

One problem with this assertion: Littlefoot and the gang did actually see their parents at the shore. If you look at an earlier scene when they were first stranded, there is a scene where they are trying to get the adults' attention, which they can see from the island. To quote Littlefoot, "Petrie, you can fly over and tell them where we are."

So yeah Littlefoot knew full well that the adults had reached the shore, and not much long after they had got stuck on the island too. So the adults weren't that far behind them.

[Bruton the Iguanodon]

Okay...so if they knew the adults had reached the shore... where does that leave us?

[Bruton the Iguanodon]

He was soooo stupid to actually think they'd never see their families again when there was a mode of transportation...

[DarkHououmon]

No he wasn't. Why do you insist he was stupid? So what if he didn't consider Elsie a mode of transportation? Didn't you ever stop to think about the fact that they are strangers? It's one thing for her to help them up to the island; it's another to transport them along a big gap of water. Littlefoot didn't know that Elsie would want to help.

Then there's the theory that maybe he did know that Elsie could transport them, but rather than outright ask, he makes a woeful comment to try to get pity. In this case, then Littlefoot is smart, not stupid, as he found a way to get Elsie to take them across without outright asking her.

Whether or not Littlefoot did know that Elsie could take them or not before she offered is up for debate, but it's ridiculous to call him stupid if he didn't know. Sorry, but there's no grounds for that comment, no proof that he was stupid. A better comment would be "Littlefoot was a little slow at realizing that Elsie could help them get across." Being slow isn't the same as being stupid; it just means it takes a little longer to see a solution or answer. I can be a little slow as well, but I'm certainly not stupid.