The Land Before Time

Last updated

The Land Before Time
The Land Before Time franchise logo.jpg
Official franchise logo, as originally released by Universal Pictures in 1988.
Created by
Original work The Land Before Time (1988)
Owner Universal Pictures
Years1988–present
Films and television
Film(s) See details
Animated series See details
Games
Video game(s) See details
Audio
Soundtrack(s) See details
Miscellaneous
Toy(s)Merchandise
Official website
landbeforetime.com

The Land Before Time is a franchise consisting of American animated adventure family films centered around dinosaurs, including a theatrical movie, various straight-to-home video sequels, and a spin-off TV series. Based on an original story by Judy Freudberg and Tony Geiss and distributed by Universal Pictures, the franchise began in 1988 with the eponymous film, directed and produced by Don Bluth and executive produced by George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. Its success spawned an additional thirteen direct-to-video musical sequels before expanding into other media including video games, soundtracks, and related merchandising. Notably, the additional movies and TV show did not include the collaborative participation of Bluth, Lucas, nor Spielberg.

Contents

The 14 films were released as a Complete Collection DVD set later on June 14, 2016. [1]

Plot

The films follow the friendship of a group of young ornithodirans (four dinosaurs and a pterosaur) named Littlefoot (a male Apatosaurus ), Cera (a female Triceratops ), Ducky (a female Saurolophus ), Petrie (a male Pteranodon ), and Spike (a male Stegosaurus ). After finding the Great Valley, they raise a carnivorous baby (a male Tyrannosaurus whom they name Chomper), survive a drought, a cold snap, and witness a solar eclipse. Throughout the films they embark on adventures, learning lessons about life, teamwork, and friendship along the way.

Films

FilmU.S.
release date
Director(s)Screenwriter(s)Story byProducer(s)
The Land Before Time November 18, 1988 Don Bluth Stu Krieger Judy Freudberg & Tony Geiss Don Bluth, Gary Goldman and John Pomeroy
The Land Before Time II: The Great Valley Adventure December 13, 1994 Roy Allen Smith John Loy, John Ludin
& Dev Ross
Roy Allen Smith
The Land Before Time III: The Time of the Great Giving December 12, 1995Dev RossRoy Allen Smith and Zahra Dowlatabadi
The Land Before Time IV: Journey Through the Mists December 10, 1996Roy Allen Smith
The Land Before Time V: The Mysterious Island December 9, 1997 Charles Grosvenor John LoyCharles Grosvenor
The Land Before Time VI: The Secret of Saurus Rock December 1, 1998Libby Hinson & John Loy
The Land Before Time VII: The Stone of Cold Fire December 5, 2000Len Uhley
The Land Before Time VIII: The Big Freeze December 4, 2001John Loy
The Land Before Time IX: Journey to Big Water December 10, 2002Dev Ross
The Land Before Time X: The Great Longneck Migration December 2, 2003John Loy
The Land Before Time XI: Invasion of the Tinysauruses January 11, 2005
The Land Before Time XII: The Great Day of the Flyers February 27, 2006
The Land Before Time XIII: The Wisdom of Friends November 27, 2007Jamie Mitchell
The Land Before Time XIV: Journey of the Brave February 27, 2016 Davis Doi Cliff Ruby & Elana LesserLisa Melbye and Deidre Brenner

Television

SeriesSeason(s)EpisodesOriginally releasedShowrunnerExecutive producersStatus
First releasedLast releasedNetwork
The Land Before Time 126March 5, 2007January 21, 2008 Cartoon Network Charles Grosvenor Charles Grosvenor, and Diane A. CreaEnded

A spin-off television series based on the films began airing on YTV in Canada on January 5, 2007. It consisted of one season of 26 episodes, and officially premiered on Cartoon Network in the United States on March 5, 2007, after the DVD release of The Land Before Time XII: The Great Day of the Flyers . [2] The TV series takes place after the events of The Land Before Time XIII: The Wisdom of Friends . It has since been collected and released on 6 DVDs, each containing 4 episodes, in the United States and the UK. The complete series was released on DVD in 2022.

Cast and characters

List indicator

This section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in more than two films in the series.

CharactersFilmsTelevision
The Land Before Time The Great Valley Adventure The Time of the Great Giving Journey Through the Mists The Mysterious Island The Secret of Saurus Rock The Stone of Cold Fire The Big Freeze Journey to Big Water The Great Longneck Migration Invasion of the Tinysauruses The Great Day of the Flyers The Wisdom of Friends Journey of the Brave The Land Before Time
(The Series)
198819941995199619971998200020012002200320052006200720162007–2008
Littlefoot Gabriel Damon Scott McAfee Brandon LaCroix
Thomas Dekker S
Thomas DekkerAlec MedlockAaron SpannNick Price Cody Arens
Logan Arens D
Anthony Skillman S
Felix AvitiaCody Arens
Anthony Skillman S
Cera Candace Hutson Anndi McAfee
Ducky Judith Barsi Heather Hogan Aria Noelle Curzon
Petrie Will Ryan Jeff Bennett
SpikeN/A Rob Paulsen Jeff BennettRob Paulsen
ChomperRob PaulsenCannon Young Issac Brown Max Burkholder
Ruby Meghan Strange
Grandpa Longneck Bill Erwin (deleted role) Kenneth Mars Does not speak Barry Bostwick Kenneth Mars
Grandma LongneckDoes not speak Linda Gary Miriam Flynn Does not speakMiriam Flynn
Daddy Topps Burke Byrnes John Ingle George BallJohn Ingle
Ducky's MotherDoes not speak Tress MacNeille Tress MacNeilleTress MacNeilleTress MacNeilleDoes not speakMeghan StrangeTress MacNeille
Petrie's MotherDoes not speakTress MacNeilleTress MacNeilleTress MacNeilleTress MacNeilleDoes not speakAnndi McAfeeTress MacNeille
KoshRob PaulsenJeff BennettRob PaulsenPete Sepenuk
Jeff Bennett
Littlefoot's Mother Helen Shaver FlashbackFlashback
Chomper's parentsN/AN/A
Hyp Whit Hertford Mikey Kelley
Nod Scott Menville Scott Menville
MuttJeff BennettJeff Bennett
AliJuliana Hansen Nika Futterman
Old One Carol Bruce Jessica Walter
Doc Kris Kristofferson Jeff Bennett
Mr. Thicknose Robert Guillaume Dorian Harewood
Tippy Jeremy Suarez Cree Summer
Tippy's MotherSusan KrebsSusan Krebs
Stegosaurus LeaderRob PaulsenRob Paulsen
MoRob PaulsenDoes not speak Rob PaulsenRob Paulsen
ShortyBrandon Michael DePaul Elizabeth Daily
Bron Kiefer Sutherland Scott Whyte Cam Clarke
Tria Camryn Manheim Jessica GeeJessica Gee
GuidoRob PaulsenRob Paulsen
Tricia Nika Futterman Meghan Strange

Additional crew and production details

FilmCrew
Composer(s)Editor(s)Production companiesDistributing companyRunning time
The Land Before Time James Horner John K. Carr & Dan Molina Amblin Entertainment,
Sullivan Bluth Studios
Universal Pictures 69 minutes
The Land Before Time II:
The Great Valley Adventure
Michael Tavera Jay Bixsen Universal Cartoon Studios MCA/Universal Home Video 75 minutes
The Land Before Time III:
The Time of the Great Giving
70 minutes
The Land Before Time IV:
The Journey Through the Mists
Warren Taylor74 minutes
The Land Before Time V:
The Mysterious Island
Jay Bixsen Universal Studios Home Video
The Land Before Time VI:
The Secret of Saurus Rock
76 minutes
The Land Before Time VII:
The Stone of Cold Fire
Jay Bixsen & Danik Thomas75 minutes
The Land Before Time VIII:
The Big Freeze
76 minutes
The Land Before Time IX:
Journey to Big Water
Jay Bixsen75 minutes
The Land Before Time X:
The Great Longneck Migration
85 minutes
The Land Before Time XI:
The Invasion of the Tinysauruses
81 minutes
The Land Before Time XII:
The Great Day of the Flyers
Universal Animation Studios
The Land Before Time XIII:
The Wisdom of Friends
Universal Pictures Home Entertainment 76 minutes
The Land Before Time: The Series Cory LeriosUniversal Animation Studios,
Amblin Entertainment,
Universal Studios Home Entertainment Family Productions
Cartoon Network
NBCUniversal Syndication Studios (TV airings)
23 minutes
The Land Before Time XIV:
The Journey of the Brave
Michael TaveraLuke GuidiciUniversal Animation Studios,
Universal 1440 Entertainment
Universal Pictures Home Entertainment82 minutes

In other media

Albums

Video games

The series has spawned 14 spin-off games, eight for PC, one for the Game Boy Color, two for the Game Boy Advance and three for the original PlayStation. The PC games are usually educational games aimed for preschool and kindergarten. Games for the Game Boy Color and Advance include The Land Before Time and The Land Before Time: Into the Mysterious Beyond, in which the original six characters must search for Chomper. Games for the PlayStation include The Land Before Time: Big Water Adventure, a spin-off of Journey to Big Water, The Land Before Time: Great Valley Racing Adventure and The Land Before Time: Return to the Great Valley. All characters in these games are voiced by Lani Minella.

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References

  1. Grosvenor, Charles; Bluth, Don; Smith, Roy Allen; Mitchell, Jamie; Doi, Davis (June 14, 2016), The Land Before Time: The Complete Collection, Universal Studios Home Entertainment, retrieved October 4, 2016
  2. The Land Before Time, March 5, 2007, retrieved July 26, 2016