So I was on Youtube today and chanced across one of those Land Before Time TV show clip videos from the official channel that capitalize on trends: in this case, Valentine's Day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pH7Yxu_ec0(and no, I actually checked... yeah that title was kinda clickbait-y.
)
Well, the video was uploaded just today, although the TV series aired 12-13 years ago and that got me thinking. Surely given the recent propensity to spread these clip videos (hahaha COPPA is that you?
) there must be a population of kids who grew up exposed to the TV series (you can find the entire season on Youtube) as their fix? Are these kids who have been exposed to these videos probable future fans and next generation of LBT fans to-be? It's worth thinking about...
Land Before Time is a niche franchise to some extent, moreso now than ever before. Went strong in the 90s and 2000s when the sequels were produced, but even in the early 2010s, fans could ride off the coattails of the TV series, albeit with the knowledge that the studios have closed. Times have since changed, however, and the valley is nt what it once was. Jurassic World has brought forth a resurgence of sorts, but it seems to be short-lived given the lack of merchandising or relevancy to the young'uns of today.
It's no secret that the series has underwent a decline of sorts. No sugarcoating or embellishing of it, it's a fact that when no official new content is being produced for a franchise, how relevant a fandom is in the public eye and the drive of general non-diehard fans will diminish over time. For instance, I was curious and looked up those videos on Youtube, and it's mostly recycled content from the same 26 episodes. Even to staunch fans, Journey of the Brave was the last huzzah for the franchise officially from Universal thus far. It is the last thing to officially sate our desire for more of these characters,
and more adventures and songs.
What I'm curious to discuss today is how relevant you think the Land Before Time franchise as a whole in this new decade, and the apparent ramifications of time horizon and relevancy as the original batch of fans grow older. Now, I won't lie. I'm not the generation who grew up on Land Before Time. Not at all. There's no denying that the original Bluth film will live on, as a testament to its timelessness. But the sequels as a whole, something which has been mocked and vilified quite widely causing even people who'd never seen them to judge the films unfairly... what about them?
Without any new content (officially, that is) in the foreseeable future and a shrinking presence overall in the media, is the franchise on the cusp of a decline, or a renaissance? I state the latter because we might be in a new era of probable fans (sometimes I glimpse at the LBT wiki and see signs that young kids still like this franchise). But is that just an optimistic outlook from fans who, in a sense, just hopes for the best, akin to the Gang of Seven living a timeless existence without change and never growing up? Well, unlike the unaging gang, we are growing up and might outgrow these young dinosaurs (hopefully not
). But if so, will there be an influx of younger fans joining us this decade? Or will it all fall apart as different generations drift away from this 1988 film and the franchise it spawned.
So what do you think? Sorry if I rambled, but it'll be interesting to see if we can garner a consensus on our future and relevancy.