Ali of the movie or the TV series?

Bruton the Iguanodon · **on:** October 31, 2011, 07:08:04 PM

So, it's pretty obvious Ali went through a bit of a makeover from when a lot of us first remember seeing her in movie 4, in 1996, to when she finally made her long-delayed follow-up appearence in the 2007 TV series. So, which Ali do you like better---the new Ali or the old one? I'm curious to see how many votes TV series Ali will get...

And just so you know---original Ali for me, no question.

Belmont2500 · **Reply #1 on:** October 31, 2011, 07:28:53 PM

The original Ali is far better. In the TV series she was way too gullible and quite stupid.

Nick22 · **Reply #2 on:** October 31, 2011, 09:05:01 PM

LBT 4 ali and its not close. she was barely in the episode, and was as Belmont said far too gullible..

landbeforetimelover · **Reply #3 on:** October 31, 2011, 10:06:53 PM

I really disliked her voice in LBT 4, but the new Ali looks weird (TV Series style animation), her personality was off, and the new voice was better but not by much. In other words, original Ali.

Kor · **Reply #4 on:** October 31, 2011, 10:21:20 PM

I think I prefer the original Ali overall.

bushwacked · **Reply #5 on:** November 01, 2011, 03:28:21 AM

Original Ali. The one in the series really annoyed me for some reason.

Malte279 · **Reply #6 on:** November 01, 2011, 07:01:42 AM

It is not likely for many (if any) to prefer Ali from the TV series over Ali from the 4th movie for the reasons already laid out. Ali has always been an important character for many LBT fans with the "promise" of her return being something to cling to in the times when it was uncertain whether or not there would be any further LBT movies.
One truth about her is that basically we know very, very little about her which probably made many LBT fans come up with own ideas about her life and her character. One point that I think deserves to be credited about the TV episode is that (poorly done as it was) it was a lot more plausible for Ali not to be the single longneck child in a whole herd. The presence of further longnecks in LBT 4 likely would have complicated things. It is a funny detail that we never ever saw any of the young longnecks to play with which Littlefoot's mother promised to Littlefoot in the original movie. In many sequels (the early ones in particular) it looks like Littlefoot and his grandparents are the only longnecks around and every longneck appearing is a major character for the plot. Only in later sequels did we get ocassional glimpses at longnecks in the Valley who did not play any active part.

F-14 Ace · **Reply #7 on:** November 02, 2011, 09:14:57 PM

Original. The fake Ali that we saw in the TV series was basically a stupid and unlikable bimbo.

Cancerian Tiger · **Reply #8 on:** November 03, 2011, 01:04:50 AM

I have a somewhat love/hate relationship with this character (mostly love), but I have to say I liked her much better as her original self. She did grate on my nerves when she behaved in a racist manner in the beginning and separated Littlefoot from his friends, but as the film went on and she learned to accept others, she grew onto me. Her saving Cera got her a few extra brownie points, I'll admit

.

Her return to the series was a big disappointment. Not only was she incredibly airheaded and stereotypical, but it was as though she had learned nothing from the fourth film

. She was not the Ali I know, but a new character thrown into one TV episode under the false pretense of Ali. Therefore, the original Ali gets my vote

.

The Friendly Sharptooth · **Reply #9 on:** November 03, 2011, 01:18:35 AM

Note: Everything said is only my opinion, not facts, whether I say it as a definite or not. It just takes away from film to add "my opinion" before every claim.

http://vimeo.com/31527512

Password to view: Bard

Malte279 · **Reply #10 on:** November 03, 2011, 03:48:58 AM

A very interesting comment Michael and a view one can take. However, I disagree with the view that Ali didn't have any flaws in LBT 4.
Not being used to someone and therefore acting shy may not be a flaw, but in case of Ali it is not about being shy about someone for not being used to him or her. Having never ever seen or talked to Littlefoot before she introduced herself by biting his tail which doesn't exactly show a great degree of shyness about foreigners in general (come to think of it Littlefoot's reaction (especially thinking of his first contact with Shorty) could have been quite different

).
Ali's shyness bears a very distinct trace of racism / specism since it is not foreigners in general she fears but foreigners of other kinds (it might be compared to someone who doesn't want to get into contact with others because they have a different skin color). While one may debate the degree to which Ali personally is to be blamed for this (having grown up in a herd of longnecks only that obviously doesn't tolerate members from other species) it still remains a flaw of character.
With regard to her intention to sort of have Littlefoot for herself she is also not overly picking in her choice of methods making up excuses / lies and sort of blackmails Littlefoot into following her without the others by just rushing up. Not the attitude a character as perfect as you consider her would take.
And the whole trip too is based on a lie (or at least an intentional concealment of truth) on her part. Once again Littlefoot's reaction could have been quite different when she revealed that she has no clue where the nightflowers grow having never seen them (just imagine the flowers hadn't so distinctly lived up to their name; they might have passed them without even recognizing them).
It takes Littlefoot's being in mortal danger for Ali to leap over her shadow and talk to the others at which point the question may have to be considered why she then talked to Cera, Ducky, Petrie, and Spike rather than trying to get another grownup whose ability to clear away the rockslide might have been much more powerful. The main answer may be that it was necessary for the story so it would be kind of unfair to "blame" Ali for that, but still it remains not the action that a perfect character might take if the main point is to save Littlefoot's life.
So based on all that I cannot quite agree that Ali in LBT was a kind of Mary Sue character in special need of any additional flaws for lack of any.

Belmont2500 · **Reply #11 on:** November 03, 2011, 08:16:47 AM

Quote from: Malte279,Nov 3 2011 on 02:48 AM

A very interesting comment Michael and a view one can take. However, I disagree with the view that Ali didn't have any flaws in LBT 4.
Not being used to someone and therefore acting shy may not be a flaw, but in case of Ali it is not about being shy about someone for not being used to him or her. Having never ever seen or talked to Littlefoot before she introduced herself by biting his tail which doesn't exactly show a great degree of shyness about foreigners in general (come to think of it Littlefoot's reaction (especially thinking of his first contact with Shorty) could have been quite different ).
Ali's shyness bears a very distinct trace of racism / specism since it is not foreigners in general she fears but foreigners of other kinds (it might be compared to someone who doesn't want to get into contact with others because they have a different skin color). While one may debate the degree to which Ali personally is to be blamed for this (having grown up in a herd of longnecks only that obviously doesn't tolerate members from other species) it still remains a flaw of character.
With regard to her intention to sort of have Littlefoot for herself she is also not overly picking in her choice of methods making up excuses / lies and sort of blackmails Littlefoot into following her without the others by just rushing up. Not the attitude a character as perfect as you consider her would take.
And the whole trip too is based on a lie (or at least an intentional concealment of truth) on her part. Once again Littlefoot's reaction could have been quite different when she revealed that she has no clue where the nightflowers grow having never seen them (just imagine the flowers hadn't so distinctly lived up to their name; they might have passed them without even recognizing them).
It takes Littlefoot's being in mortal danger for Ali to leap over her shadow and talk to the others at which point the question may have to be considered why she then talked to Cera, Ducky, Petrie, and Spike rather than trying to get another grownup whose ability to clear away the rockslide might have been much more powerful. The main answer may be that it was necessary for the story so it would be kind of unfair to "blame" Ali for that, but still it remains not the action that a perfect character might take if the main point is to save Littlefoot's life.
So based on all that I cannot quite agree that Ali in LBT was a kind of Mary Sue character in special need of any additional flaws for lack of any.

In LBT4, Ali was only a bit of a Mary Sue. In the TV series she IS a Mary Sue, definately a good example of how bad you can screw up a character. The only other LBT character I can think of that got screwed up as bad would be the Old One, but she wasn't on screen for very long.

Malte279 · **Reply #12 on:** November 03, 2011, 04:06:58 PM

Err... I'm not sure, but maybe my definition of Mary Sue is wrong?
I understand a Mary Sue to be an exaggeratedly perfect, flawless character (often with the habbit of finding splendid solutions to problems that nobody else seems to be capable to think of). I do not think that this can be said of either Ali character.
In a sense it is a bit of a surprise that there has hardly ever been any criticism of Ali in the fourth movie. Don't get me wrong, I like her as a character, but her actions are very far from being unimpeachable. She lied for personal gain, she did something close to blackmailing, she did exploit Littlefoot's unwillingness to quarrel with her, she acted egoistic when working to have Littlefoot all for herself...
Again, do not get me wrong. I like Ali and I also see her acts to make up for earlier mistakes. But I do not see any reason to "canonize" her and pretend that there were no flaws with her at all.

Tikikata · **Reply #13 on:** November 03, 2011, 08:28:37 PM

I think I personally have to go with movie Ali. To me, she's more likable as a character, and Ali is one of my favorites.

The Friendly Sharptooth · **Reply #14 on:** November 04, 2011, 01:34:26 AM

I often mix up words and phrases too. To clarify, yes, Malte279, it does mean a flawless character http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Sue. Belmont2500 may possibly be thinking of the term Hell Sue, which means:

"A Hell-Sue, unlike a Mary-Sue, has a horrible relationship with most every character and is generally an average person, or a strong being with weaknesses like a villain of sorts; unlike a Mary-Sue which is talented, beautiful, immortal, powerful, and has a PERFECT relationship/romantic involvement with the canon. A Hell-Sue may have one or two romantic interests but the story does not revolve around it. Some Hell-Sues are killed in their stories."

That is the opposite of a Mary Sue.

Going farther back though, I do see what you're saying. I felt that her not-the-best actions were sort of with reason, sort of justified, yet I can support your stance of her being flawed as well. I've seen movies where kids would meet a new race and be frightened by skin color in all innocence, and Ali really wanted to help but might not have had the nerve if she traveled with those who frightened her, hence the excuse. Excuses can't right all wrongs though. I guess she just kept ending up in odd situations, at least for her. So her being a flawed character is something I can see as well and not argue against. Thank you for your reply.

Malte279 · **Reply #15 on:** November 04, 2011, 05:03:07 AM

Thank you for your interesting and discussion provoking input

Bruton the Iguanodon · **Reply #16 on:** December 31, 2011, 05:42:05 PM

Yep, like I suspected, original movie 4 Ali all the way! Gosh, I really loved her, she was my favorite female LBT character---don't worry, Sue, you come in 2nd!

She was really sweet but still managed to go through changes during the film, was a really beautiful pink color that wasn't overdone, had a really cute, sweet voice, and she and Littlefoot made such a cute pair.

TV series Ali...comes from somewhere on the other edge of the Universe, she's so different. I don't like her since she's so different from the Ali I love, but at least she didn't make my list of top least favorite characters. She doesn't even look like the original Ali. Definitely not worth waiting from December 1996 to March 2007 to see again!

Dr. Curzon · **Reply #17 on:** January 01, 2012, 01:43:58 AM

Original Ali of course! She's my favorite character who's more than 4 feet tall! (she IS taller than that, right?) She kind, shy, sweet, and is quite friendly. I like her a lot, even more than Littlefoot.

LBTLover1 · **Reply #18 on:** January 03, 2012, 08:56:40 PM

100% chose original. I believe it too. She acted like she didn't know Littlefoot througout some of the episode. She seemed to shy at the most and didn't know much.

Petrie85 · **Reply #19 on:** January 05, 2012, 04:43:23 AM

I think Ali in the movie was a bit better. Her design was better and the color she was good.

Ali of the movie or the TV series?

Bruton the Iguanodon

Bruton the Iguanodon