A couple movie-series-sequels continuity questions

[Highsoar]

1. Why is the Mysterious Beyond/land outside the valley so desolate in the original film and some sequels but greener in the series, as well as movies like LBT 4?

2. Is the "great rock that looks like a longneck" Saurus Rock?

[DarkHououmon]

1. If I recall correctly, there are areas outside of the valley, like in LBT6, that is still lush in vegetation.

2. No. "The great rock that looks like a longneck" is located far away from the valley. Saurus Rock is located close enough to the valley that Littlefoot and his pals could walk there and back in less than a day.

[Malte279]

Moreover The Rock that looks like a longneck looks very different from Saurus Rock.
As for the Mysterious Beyond, it was probably "mitigated" just the way the Sharpteeth were as somebody found the piles of dinosaur bones we see in the original and the movies 2 and 3 were "too scary" for kids <_<
Looking at the plots of the sequels it appears however that the disenchanting of the Great Valley (as not being the last green isle in a decaying world) was a step necessary to allow for more story lines which could not have been set in the Great Valley.
Perhaps there is still a possibility to try reconciling the situation of the first three movies with the image we get from the later movies. The land to the east of the Great Valley must definitely be a huge wasteland as this is the region they passed through in the original movie. The regions in the other directions may be less hostile. We know of a chain of mountains to the east of the Great Valley (the Burning Mountains). I'm no meteorologist, but if we assume predominant western winds for the Great Valley this might explain a higher degree of rainfall in the Great Valley region while the mountains may prevent frequent rainfalls east of them.
As for LBT 6, I don't think we ever saw the Mysterious Beyond during the movie. This is just a theory of mine, but I think that Saurus Rock is located at the outskirts of the Great Valley. A plateau which is difficult to reach for the inhabitants of the Great Valley any which is moreover avoided as it is accessible to sharpteeth. The Canyon through which Doc left (heading for a rather arid looking patch of land (though we didn't see much of it)) probably allows entrance to sharpteeth. But as the outskirts are completely unpopulated by any dinosaurs there is probably no reason for the carnivores to stay long. Of course they might figure out the way into the Great Valley, but it is questionable whether the sharpteeth of the sequels would want to enter a place as hostile to them as the Great Valley.

[novaflare]

Moreover The Rock that looks like a longneck looks very different from Saurus Rock.
As for the Mysterious Beyond, it was probably "mitigated" just the way the Sharpteeth were as somebody found the piles of dinosaur bones we see in the original and the movies 2 and 3 were "too scary" for kids <_<
Looking at the plots of the sequels it appears however that the disenchanting of the Great Valley (as not being the last green isle in a decaying world) was a step necessary to allow for more story lines which could not have been set in the Great Valley.
Perhaps there is still a possibility to try reconciling the situation of the first three movies with the image we get from the later movies. The land to the east of the Great Valley must definitely be a huge wasteland as this is the region they passed through in the original movie. The regions in the other directions may be less hostile. We know of a chain of mountains to the east of the Great Valley (the Burning Mountains). I'm no meteorologist, but if we assume predominant western winds for the Great Valley this might explain a higher degree of rainfall in the Great Valley region while the mountains may prevent frequent rainfalls east of them.
As for LBT 6, I don't think we ever saw the Mysterious Beyond during the movie. This is just a theory of mine, but I think that Saurus Rock is located at the outskirts of the Great Valley. A plateau which is difficult to reach for the inhabitants of the Great Valley any which is moreover avoided as it is accessible to sharpteeth. The Canyon through which Doc left (heading for a rather arid looking patch of land (though we didn't see much of it)) probably allows entrance to sharpteeth. But as the outskirts are completely unpopulated by any dinosaurs there is probably no reason for the carnivores to stay long. Of course they might figure out the way into the Great Valley, but it is questionable whether the sharpteeth of the sequels would want to enter a place as hostile to them as the Great Valley.

Well even todays top preditors lions wolves etc wont go after a helthy heard of prey animals to much risk for potentially no reward or even death. We see animals in a so called box canyon as a danger because they are baked in to a corner with no way out. But infact its not a bad idea for a pray species to go in to such places. It is very easy to defend sucha  place with only one entrance. If the entrance is choked off you get a kill zone where you just pick off individuals. Who ever is in such a area first has the advantage. In lbt dinos case the plant eaters got said advantage. A vally with very few entrances thatis fairly well explored by those living there. It is a easy to defend location and no preditor would dare try to gain entry.

[Akiko]

I think perhaps over time some of the lands in the mysterious beyond may start to regrow, but looking at the fact that the characters don't really look any older (in fact, my opinion is that they looked an acted (not the racial issues, just in how they talked, etc) more mature in the original movie...maybe this has something to do with the singing in the sequels and tv show too though, lol), makes me wonder just how much time it's really been since the gang's original journey to the great valley.

It just seems (from what I've seen of the tv show), that they got out of far worse situations in the original movie and sometimes they act like those events didn't even happen in the series. You'd think that after all they went through they'd certainly be a little more grown up now...maybe they keep them at this 'young stage' for the kids though. :

Agreed on the rock that looks like a longneck, it was pretty far from the valley as they still had a long ways to go after they found it.