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jcmariano
Reviews
The Land Before Time IX: Journey to Big Water (2002)
LBT's first ichtyosaurus appears!
Mo is such a colorful(figuratively and literally) character. He portrays real dolphin mischief and brains. (SPOILER) The major event is a rainstorm creates a large lake leading into the big water of part 5. Littlefoot is angry when his friends can't play, so he embarks into the new water. He meets Mo and he soon makes friends with the rest of the gang. They see a swimming sharptooth(Liopleurodon or Kronosaurus). Then, an earthquake splits the land and separates the gang from their parents. They go with Mo to the big water but are constantly tailed by their aquatic antagonist. Mo baits the monster away from them but ends up stuck in a log, which he shakes free from. He and the dinos meet again and Mo shows Littlefoot around the sea. Mo's water kin helps them find a way home(SPOILERS END). The two great songs are Part 5's Big Water and Donny Osmond's No One Has To Be Alone. The most fearsome villain yet!
The Land Before Time VI: The Secret of Saurus Rock (1998)
Tied with 7 for 2nd best LBT
The first one I watched with dad and my younger relatives. Secret of Saurus Rock is great! As I said, the 2nd best LBT(of course,the first is the best)! The young 'uns loved reenacting the fights with their little toys. (SPOILER) It's the time of the changing treestars (autumn). Littlefoot and co. are told an old dinosaur myth about the lone dinosaur and the Saurus Rock made in his honor by grandpa. All's well and dandy, but we see two baby threehorns Dina and Dana, Cera's "neices"(I don't think she's old enough to be an aunt, probably younger cousins). Then, when playing "lone dinosaur", Lil'foot falls of a small cliff but is rescued by a diploDOCus named Doc. It turns out that, after a talk with Lil'foot, Doc could be the lone dinosaur. The twins sneak off to Saurus Rock and followed by the gang. A tooth of the teeth circle around S.R.'s neck falls off. Legend claims that if SR is damaged, bad luck will come(it did). An encounter with an Allosaurus follows. Grownups accuse Doc for the luck. Lil'foot goes off to "fix" the luck. Find out the rest by your self(SPOILERS END) Overall, a great sequel for the continuing series.
The Land Before Time V: The Mysterious Island (1997)
Charles Grosvenor's first LBT film is a ROARING success!!
The fifth installment in the grand series of LBT. What a great way to follow up Journey Through The Mists, putting in another adventure outside the great valley! (SPOILER) When swarming leaf-gobblers(locusts)devastate the great valley, the dinos set off to find a different paradise. Day after day, they found nothing. Arguments arise, threatening to separate the herds. Littlefoot and co. venture off on their own. They stumble onto a sea and find a land path to an island. The island is perfect, but they see that the land path has been pulled underwater by the shifting tides. Cera uses a log to sail to the grown ups, but a shark attacks them, sending them back to the island. They find Chomper, but I won't spoil the rest for you. (END OF SPOILERS) Always There is so touching...
The Land Before Time VIII: The Big Freeze (2001)
Great film, a bit light on action
The title says it. The action is not exactly long, but I think "Family" makes up for it. (SPOILER) Snow falls on the great valley and there are a few days of snow fun. Spike and Ducky get a bit mad at each other and Spike goes off with a migrating herd of Stegos. The kids enlist the help of know-it-all fraud Mr. Thicknose to guide them through the Mysterious beyond. They are reunited with ducky and face a rex. Their joint efforts pull through. They find a hot spring and green food. Thicknose admits his fibbing. Later, they go to the great valley to show the others the spring. They are soon joined by the spiketails.(SPOILERS END) I still can't help praising "Family" for its significance to the plot.
The Land Before Time VII: The Stone of Cold Fire (2000)
Extraterrestrials invade LBT!
Tied for 2nd best with the the 6th episode. Part 7 is really cool! (SPOILER) Littlefoot sees a comet and the next day, two strange Rainbowfaces claim it's a "Stone of Cold Fire". Cera's dad tells them to shut up, but instead they sing a song about what's "Beyond the Mysterious Beyond". One day, Littlefoot and friends meet Petrie's uncle Pterano, who is accompanied by flyers Rincus(Rhamphorincus) and Sierra(Cierradactylus). Pterano is said to have been sent away by the grown ups. Littlefoot's grandparents are alerted about uncle P. Then, one night, Ducky is kidnapped by the flyers. The next day, the kids are told that Pterano led some of the grownups(after the great earthquake of part 1) into danger and just flew away. The grownups keep arguing, so the gang goes after Ducky and finds her in a cave. Then, they meet the rainbowfaces, who show them a kind of primitive elevator to the top of the mountain where the Stone of CF landed. They get the stone, but the flyers get there too. Suddenly, the mountain erupts and Ducky tumbles to the peak's edge. Pterano remembers a duckbill who fell off a cliff was part of his squad. He redeems himself by catching Ducky. Petries mom and a Quetzalcoatlus help them out. The rainbowfaces have a cool ending revealing that they are aliens.
The Land Before Time IV: Journey Through the Mists (1996)
The next in the series of the eternally grand LBT
My third favorite film in the series, JTTM is simply a masterpiece, fit to culminate R.A Smith's tenure in LBT. The film has just the right balance of sunshine,laughter,sadness and triumph blended into an hour and about a quarter of delight.(Possible Spoiler) The value this movie teaches is that diversity of friends and loved ones is a great thing to have, especially for vulnerable young 'uns. From the CUTTTTTE mouselike creature Tickles to the elderly archelon Archie, this movie sports a character cast of variety, fit for its powerful theme. The highlight was the extremely amusing song "Who Needs You" in which the birdlike Ichy and the deinosuchus Dil continually insult each other with some fine choice sentences. True to the Land Before Time legacy, this film has not in one bit disappointed me!
The Land Before Time III: The Time of the Great Giving (1995)
Yet another sky-high-quality sequel for our favorite dinos!
I could not find any really bad spots in this movie. Roy Allen Smith does it again! This movie was a bit disappointing when I thought there wouldn't be a fight, but a species from my favorite sharp-tooth class is here! (If you don't want me to ruin the surprise for you, skip to the end of the spoilers) Velociraptor is THE predator! This is a touching tale! Hyp reminds me of an old a**hole back at school! He was really ungrateful to the ones that saved him from suffering death at the tarpit. I hate braggarts who have nothing to be arrogant about! Still, Littlefoot's kindness pushed through in the song "Kids like us". It was a runner up for most touching song in my opinion.(End of spoilers here) Overall a film worthy of its legacy.
The Land Before Time II: The Great Valley Adventure (1994)
The perfect sequel to an already perfect movie
I am very loyal to ALL l.b.t films. It would be an insult to the director who probably just admired the first film and was probably eager to put his efforts into this sequel to tell him that his film is no good. Don's work cannot be matched by Roy's or Charles', but they gave their best work into the chain of sequels. The Great Valley Adventure is a charming treasure to both young and old(UNDERSTANDING old guys, okay?). The songs may be a bit irritating, but that he story is captivating and the it has a dose of laughter for young 'uns. At the very least, it will give you more than an hour of contentment with (SPOILERS AHEAD)the baby Rex Chomper and the fresh new villains Ozzy and Strut, plus the sharp-tooth duo. I do think that the song "Eggs" is at least amusing and that the sharp-tooth battle was worth seeing. Bye for now... I hope I didn't give too much away, I didn't know if that would be counted as a spoiler, but just in case...