Is a childhood really a childhood without animated films? For an entire generation of kids in the 90s and early 2000s,The Land Before Timemovie franchise left a lasting impression on families in unprecedented ways. Of course, there have been manyiconic movies involving dinosaursfrom theJurassic ParkandJurassic Worldfranchises toKing Kong. However, what other movie can provoke as much childhood innocence, core memories, and a sense of nostalgia asThe Land Before Time? The timeless franchise nurtured stories following our main protagonist Littlefoot, his friends Ducky, Petrie, Cera, and Spike, and their adventures together and new friends along the way.
The firstLand Before Timemovie was released in 1988 and since then, they have only added another 13 movies to the series, the most recent having been released in 2016 entitledThe Land Before Time XIV: Journey to the Brave.The Land Before Timehas cemented itself infamily movie historyby successfully balancing all the fun of youthful and charismatic characters with heartfelt familial relationships as well as the occasional heartbreak. Here are the 5 best movies fromThe Land Before Time.
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5The Land Before Time X: The Great Longneck Migration
The Land Before Timefranchise was able to keep the story of the beloved main characters alive, even when it reached its 10th project. InThe Land Before Time X: The Great Longneck Migrationwas a film that was released in 2003 and follows Littlefoot, his family, and other Longnecks beginning a migration for better pastures. Of course, our lovely clan of dino best friends Ducky, Petrie, Cera, and Spike decide to follow Littlefoot and his family, which just is a recipe for disaster. The early 2000s was an incredible time for animated movies and, for it not being a Disney project,The Land Before Timefranchise had it in the bag. This movie, being the 10th in the series, does an impressive job keeping the family fun light and entertaining.
4The Land Before Time V: The Mysterious Island
The Land Before Time V: The Mysterious Islandis a 1997 animated family adventure movie that has our main characters stranded on an island. As the dinosaurs are forced to migrate away from The Great Valley due to locusts, Littlefoot, Cera, Petrie, Ducky, and Spike split up from the rest of their kind and, of course, become stuck on a deserted island when a tsunami cuts off their route. As they try to find a way back to the main group, theymeet up again with Chomper, a “sharptooth” who was introduced in the second film of the franchise. This movie perfectly incorporates the callback to a previous character and keeps the movies feeling connected with one another. And come on, who wouldn’t want little Chomper to catch up with our main group?
3The Land Before Time III: The Time of the Great Giving
The Land Before Time III: The Time of the Great Givingwas released in 1995, and it definitely did not disappoint, offering a very interesting dynamic between our main characters and another group of dinosaurs. In this movie, Littlefoot and his crew encounter a group of older dinosaurs that are there to pick a fight. However, after tragedy strikes the Valley and resources become scarce, it is up to these to rivaling groups to either come together to find a solution or risk the well-being of themselves and others that might be counting on them. This film is a great portrayal of overcoming differences and finding common ground for the greater good.
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2The Land Before Time VI: The Secret of Saurus Rock
Getting into some shenanigans is something our main dinosaur crew is used to at this point. Even in the 6th installment of theLand Before Timefranchise, Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky, Petrie, and Spike are still getting in trouble, this time it involves the legendary story of the protector of the Great Valley.The Secret of Saurus Rockintroduces the mysterious and intimidating Doc. The band of dinosaurs is convinced that the legendary longneck that once protected the valley is in fact Doc, who suffers a scar on his right eye, a detail consistent with the legend. This story provides the best of the best in terms of a mentor figure for our main characters, especially Littlefoot.
1The Land Before Time
The firstLand Before Timemovie was an instant classic for families and children that were brought up in the early 90s and 2000s. In the 1988Don Bluth movie, a strong earthquake separates our main protagonist, a young Littlefoot, from his only living family, his grandparents. He is now forced to make the journey to the Great Valley on his own. However, he was not the only one that got separated from family and soon enough, he and a group of other young dinosaurs make the journey together. Not only that, the firstLand Before Timemovie contained one of themost heartbreaking scenesin animated cinema history. Maybe on the same level as Mufasa’s death inTheLion King, the death of Littlefoot’s mother is so engraved in our heads that we can still see her — we can always see her.
