Hi, guys! As you probably know I'm pretty new here and am really exited about all of this---I finally get to share my opinions on LBT and talk about it on this site!
So here's my topic. I looooooove the first film, but I think it could have been even better!! So here's my script of how I would improve it. (I know a lot of scenes were filmed for the film that ended up being taken out because they were too scary. Such a shame.)
Here it goes!
Darkness...
1. Ext. Underwater
....strange creautures swim about in this blue underworld...
...we hold still on this intriguing sight...
...and begin to pan to the right. We see more of these strange creatures...one nearly is eaten by what appears to be a crocodile.
...now moving through plants...
...which are crushed by an enormous foot. Fade to turtles swiiming through the now shallow water...as the title appears:
"The Land Before Time"
2. Ext/Int. Shallow Cove
We watch as more creatures splash through the water, and hear:
NARRATOR
Once, upon this same earth...beneath this same sun...long before you, before the ape and the elephant as well, before the wolf, the python, the whale, before the mammoth, and the mastadon...long, long ago...
Smash to:
3. Ext. Misty Forest - Day
An enormous apatasaurus raises her neck into a profile shot, and looks out into the distance. Two others follow her...
NARRATOR
In the time of the dinosaurs!
4. Ext. Desert - Late Day
A Heard of Triceratops wander through the vast wasteland.
NARRATOR
These great giants were of two kinds...some had flat teethand they ate the leaves of the trees.
One of the triceratopses looks back at his staggering fellows.
MALE TRICERATOPS
C'MON!
FADE TO
5. Ext. Desert - Late Day
A herd of saropods catiously makes their way through the desrt.
NARRATOE
Some had sharp teeth, and they preyed upon the leaf eaters. and some had sharp teeth.
Then the leaves began to die. The mighty beasts, who appeared to rule the earth…
6. Ext. Misty Swamp – Night
Pteradactlys soar through the mysterious deep blue sky, while in the distance the same apatasaur herd of three we saw earlier continues their march through the strange, wet land.
NARRATOR
…were ruled, in truth, by the leaf. Desperate for food, some dinosaur herds struck out towards the west…
Cut to a closeup of the youngest of the apatssaurs, the female, making her way through the swamp.
NARRATOR
…searching in hope of lands still lush and green. It was a journey towards life.
7. Ext. Swamp – Early Morning
A male saropod drinks from a pond, while his mate lies in the BG guarding a nest of eggs. Close in on the female, nuzzling her eggs lovingly.
NAARATOR
It was a mrach of many dangers. Sharpteeth stalked the herds waiting to seize any who strayed.
We cut to a closeup of the nest of eggs.
NARRATOR
The leaf eaters stopped only to hatch their young.
And it’s just then that one begins to hatch, feet coming out first. A butterfly flutters right there and watches as the baby inside comes out, tail first, then head. This is Ducky. She is sweet and innocent looking and just pierces your heart. Curiously she looks up at the butterfly, laughs, and rolls down the hill, following it, still in her egg. She gets to her feet and chases it through a log, then falls out of the end of it, losing the remainder of her shell. She then proceeds to chase a woodchuck, only to nearly land in the mouth of a turtle, only to be saved by her mother, who grabs her by the tail.
DUCKY
Ha, ha, ha. Mama.
Ducky’s mother takes her back to the nest…where her siblings have already hatched! Ducky nuzzles one of them affectionately.
8. Ext. Desert – Morning.
Now cut to a pair of triceratopses and their young ones, one of whom is still mostly---except for her feet---in her egg. She blindly bumps into her father’s leg, then into one of her siblings, and then finally butts her head her mother’s nose. She falls, but gets up again and does the same…that does the trick, she’s fully hatched! This is Cera.
NARRATOR
Some of the young seemed born without fear.
Cera’s father bends into the frame and looks at her. Cera glares at both her parents and rams her head into her mother’s nose, then her father’s. She falls and rubs her sore head. Suddenly there’s thunder. Rain begins to pour. Cera’s mother puts her arm comfortingly around her young one.
9. Ext. Swamp – Late Night
The dark night sky. Rain pours down relentlessly. We cut to the trio of apatasaurs we’ve seen twice now, drinking from a pond.
NARRATOR
All that remained of one herd was a mother, and her own parents.
We cut to a nest of eggs…or what remains of it. All but one egg is broken.
NARRATOR
They only had one last hope for the future.
The egg begins to move. Lightning flashes.
We suddenly cut to an eggstealer, a shadowy, slender, black lizard who eyes the egg, wrapped around the mother’s tail.
NARRATOR
Yet…even hatching could be dangerous.
In one sudden movement the eggstealer jumps into the water and grabs the egg. The mother tries to grab it back, but---it flies out of the eggstealers hands…
10. Ext. Muddy Hill – Night
…down a muddy hill…
11. Muddy Grass – Night
…through muddy grass…
12. Root covered ground – Night
…across this patch of ground…
13. Int. Stream – Night
…which it tumbles into …
14. Ext. Stream – Night
…where it briefly rises to the surface, before tumbling down a waterfall…
15. Ext. Clearing – Night
…where it finally comes to a stop in the middle of. We notice it’s stopped raining. A bunch of small lizards run away in fear. One brave one stays and catiously sniffs the egg---but it’s hatching, and it runs away too!
Now we see it happen…tail first…then hind legs…and the head and forefeet, on his head is the cutest baby apatasaur we’ve ever seen. He falls backwards, turns around, and smiles the cutest smile ever at us viewers.
Cut to the herd searching for their young one. Just as the mother looks like she’s lost hope, she pauses, and we see what she sees---her baby sitting there smiling in the middle of the clearing. A tear falls from the mother’s eye as she walks over to meet the miracle she gave birth to.
MOTHER (lovingly)
Oh, there you are!
The little apatasaur cringes in fear as his mother licks him clean.
MOTHER
Oh, don’t be frightened!
He perks up as she licks him and laughs, and then he licks her, too. They smile at each other. It’s truly heartwarming.
We cut to the young one’s grandparents, smiling. The grandfather bends down to look at the baby.
GRANDFATHER (placing his foot next to the little one’s)
Look how small his feet are! They’re smaller then one of my toes!
The mother bends down and looks into her child’s eyes.
MOTHER
Then you shall be called Littlefoot.
Littlefoot smiles, pleased at his new name. His mother picks him up by the tale and sets him on her back, where he lies down. The three adult longnecks all look on in happiness as he licks his lips and then falls to sleep.
LITTLEFOOT’S MOTHER (Affectionately, as if she could never live without him)
…beautiful Littlefoot.
FADE TO BLACK.
