The Land Before Time V: The Mysterious Island

Last updated
The Land Before Time V:
The Mysterious Island
LBT MI.JPG
DVD cover
Directed by Charles Grosvenor
Written byJohn Loy
Based onCharacters by
Judy Freudberg
Tony Geiss
Produced byCharles Grosvenor
StarringBrandon LaCroix
Anndi McAfee
Aria Curzon
Jeff Bennett
Rob Paulsen
Cannon Young
Kenneth Mars
Miriam Flynn
John Ingle
Tress MacNeille
Christina Pickles
Narrated by John Ingle
Edited byJay Bixsen
Music by Michael Tavera
James Horner (music from The Land Before Time )
London Symphony Orchestra (uncredited)
Production
company
Distributed by Universal Studios Home Video
Release date
  • December 9, 1997 (1997-12-09)
Running time
74 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Land Before Time V: The Mysterious Island is a 1997 direct-to-video animated adventure musical film produced and directed by Charles Grosvenor. This is the first film in the series to be directed by Grosvenor, as well as the first film in which Anndi McAfee voices Cera (replacing Candace Hutson, the final remaining cast member from the first instalment), Aria Noelle Curzon voices Ducky, and Miriam Flynn voices Grandma Longneck. It is also the only film in which Brandon LaCroix plays Littlefoot; it is the first in which Thomas Dekker provides the singing voice for Littlefoot. Three songs for the film were written by Michele Brourman and Amanda McBroom, with music composed by Michael Tavera and the London Symphony Orchestra.

Contents

Plot

One day, " leaf-gobblers " descend upon the Great Valley, devouring all plants and reducing it to a barren wasteland. The Great Valley's inhabitants must find another place where they can survive until the plants have grown back. However, the leaf-gobblers have left a path of devastation behind them, leaving no food for anyone to find. After searching for days, tension enters the group as Cera's father and Littlefoot's grandfather argue over changing their course, beginning a fight between Littlefoot and Cera. The fight breaks up when Cera's father announces that every herd should go its own way the next morning. Not wanting to be separated, Littlefoot leads his friends off in the night, in the hope they can find food before they are caught. They leave a trail for the grownups to follow, and reach the " Big Water ". Disheartened by the undrinkable water, the children spy a verdant island connected to the mainland by a land bridge. En route, an earthshake occurs, which creates a tsunami from which they escape. They tuck in to the plentiful bounty of the island, but are then horrified to discover the tsunami has destroyed the land bridge.

Isolated on the island, they try out Cera's idea to return by using a log as a boat. The plan works well, despite Cera suffering seasickness and Petrie being too terrified of the Big Water to act as lookout. However, a " swimming sharptooth " attacks, and in the confusion and fright which follows, they end up on the island again. That night, they remember their families, while the herd, having followed the trail, sleep on the shores of the beach on the mainland, worrying for them while Cera's father blames their leave on Littlefoot.

The next morning, the children wake up to the shadow of a Sharptooth, only to find that it is Chomper, the young Sharptooth who previously hatched in their care before returning to his parents. [lower-alpha 1] Since then, Chomper has learned how to speak. Chomper takes them to a safe refuge to hide from his parents. Unaware of Chomper and the others, a Giganotosaurus has been living on the island and begins hunting down the children. Afterwards, Ducky is captured by a Pterodactylus , but escapes before coming to any harm. Chomper hides the children in odorous plants, [lower-alpha 2] and provides them with leafy food upon their request. However, Cera displays distrust to Chomper, leaving him heartbroken as he departs in tears. Littlefoot follows him and apologizes, but is interrupted by Chomper's mother. She nuzzles him, then leaves. Littlefoot is intrigued by her display of love to Chomper.

As Littlefoot went back to the hideout, the Giganotosaurus finds and chases the children towards a cliff above the big water. Chomper tries to help, but is overcome by the Sharptooth. His parents come to the rescue on Chomper (and the same thing for the kids) and battle the Sharptooth near the edge of the island, during which he falls into the Big Water and takes Chomper with him, much to his parents' shock. Littlefoot plunges in to save Chomper while the Sharptooth is swept away by the current. Another swimming Sharptooth appears, but this time, they discovered Elsie, an Elasmosaurus who saves them both from drowning. She returns them to the island, where Chomper's grateful parents promise never to eat the children; Chomper's father promises the same while admitting that, after sniffing Spike (who had eaten some of the foul-smelling hideout), anything that smelt that bad would not taste good anyway. Chomper's mother also nuzzles Littlefoot, in gratitude for his actions to save Chomper from drowning. Cera realizes her mistake and accepts that not all Sharpteeth are so bad as she thought. Elsie offers to take them across the sea, so Chomper and his parents bid them farewell, promising that they will see each other again. When they get back on the mainland, they find that the herd found a lush, green, sanctuary on the shore where they can stay. When the Great Valley becomes fertile again, the herd returns home.

Voice cast

Songs

All tracks are written by Michele Brourman and Amanda McBroom.

No.TitlePerformer(s)Length
1."Big Water" Thomas Dekker, Anndi McAfee, Aria Curzon & Jeff Bennett  
2."Always There" Thomas Dekker, Anndi McAfee, Aria Curzon & Jeff Bennett  
3."Friends For Dinner" Thomas Dekker, Anndi McAfee, Aria Curzon, Jeff Bennett & Cannon Young 
4."If We Hold on Together"  

Release

Reception

Denise Lanctot of Entertainment Weekly gave the film an "A" and praised the "first-class orchestral score" and its "tail-thumping" songs. [2] Aria Curzon received an award for "Outstanding Young Voice-Over" at the 23rd Young Artist Awards in 2002 for her role as Ducky in this film, as well as VI , VII , and VIII . [3]

AwardDateNominationNomineeResult
Young Artist Award April 7, 2002Outstanding Young Voice-Over Aria Curzon (Ducky) (1997-2001)Won

Notes

  1. ↑ This happened in the second film.
  2. ↑ implied to be garlic.

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>The Land Before Time</i> (film) 1988 animated adventure film directed by Don Bluth

The Land Before Time is a 1988 animated adventure drama film directed and produced by Don Bluth from a screenplay by Stu Krieger and a story by Judy Freudberg and Tony Geiss; it is executive produced by Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Kathleen Kennedy, and Frank Marshall. The film stars the voices of Gabriel Damon, Candace Hutson, Judith Barsi, and Will Ryan with narration provided by Pat Hingle. It is the first film in The Land Before Time franchise.

<i>The Land Before Time II: The Great Valley Adventure</i> 1994 film

The Land Before Time II: The Great Valley Adventure is a 1994 American direct-to-video animated adventure musical film directed by Roy Allen Smith without any involvement, support and input from Don Bluth. It is the second installment and a sequel to the 1988 film The Land Before Time. It was released six years after the original and was the first in the series to be a direct-to-video production.

<i>The Land Before Time III: The Time of the Great Giving</i> 1995 American film

The Land Before Time III: The Time of the Great Giving is a 1995 direct-to-video animated adventure musical film directed by Roy Allen Smith. It is the second sequel to The Land Before Time and the third film in the film franchise.

<i>The Land Before Time IV: Journey Through the Mists</i> 1996 film

The Land Before Time IV: Journey Through the Mists is a 1996 American direct-to-video animated adventure musical film produced by Universal Animation Studios and directed by Roy Allen Smith. It is the fourth installment in the Land Before Time series as well as the final installment to feature any cast members from the original film. The film was nominated for two Annie Awards. This was also the final film to feature Linda Gary as the voice of Grandma Longneck, as she died on October 5, 1995.

<i>The Land Before Time IX: Journey to Big Water</i> 2002 American film

The Land Before Time IX: Journey to Big Water is a 2002 direct-to-video animated adventure musical film and the ninth film in The Land Before Time series. It was produced and directed by Charles Grosvenor. This is also the last film to use the soundtrack composed by James Horner. During the year this was released, Universal brought back on DVD, for the first time, two of the previous The Land Before Time films: The Great Valley Adventure and The Time of the Great Giving.

<i>The Land Before Time VII: The Stone of Cold Fire</i> 2000 American film

The Land Before Time VII: The Stone of Cold Fire is a 2000 American direct-to-video animated adventure musical drama and the seventh film in The Land Before Time series, produced and directed by Charles Grosvenor. It stars the voices of Thomas Dekker, Anndi McAfee, Aria Curzon, Jeff Bennett and Rob Paulsen, and introduces Charles Kimbrough, Patti Deutsch, Jim Cummings and British actor Michael York. This was the only Land Before Time film to be written by Len Uhley. This is the first installment to not have John Ingle's narration. Starting with The Stone of Cold Fire, Taiwanese-American studio Wang Film Productions takes over the overseas animation work on the entire Land Before Time series until the 2007–08 television series of the same name and The Land Before Time XIII: The Wisdom of Friends, after South Korean studio AKOM provided their animation for the last five direct-to-video sequels: The Great Valley Adventure, The Time of the Great Giving, Journey Through the Mists, The Mysterious Island, and The Secret of Saurus Rock.

<i>The Land Before Time VI: The Secret of Saurus Rock</i> 1998 American film

The Land Before Time VI: The Secret of Saurus Rock is a 1998 direct-to-video animated adventure musical film and the sixth film in The Land Before Time series about four dinosaurs and a pterosaur who live in the Great Valley. It is the first film in which Thomas Dekker is the voice of Littlefoot. This was the second The Land Before Time direct-to-video film to be produced and directed by Charles Grosvenor.

<i>The Land Before Time VIII: The Big Freeze</i> 2001 US animated film by Charles Grosvenor

The Land Before Time VIII: The Big Freeze is a 2001 direct-to-video animated adventure musical film and the eighth film in The Land Before Time series.

<i>The Land Before Time XI: Invasion of the Tinysauruses</i> 2005 American film

The Land Before Time XI: Invasion of the Tinysauruses is a 2005 direct-to-video animated film and the 11th film in The Land Before Time series. It was released on January 11, 2005, by Universal Studios Home Entertainment.

<i>The Land Before Time X: The Great Longneck Migration</i> 2003 American film

The Land Before Time X: The Great Longneck Migration is a 2003 direct-to-video animated adventure musical drama film and the tenth film in The Land Before Time series.

<i>The Land Before Time</i> (TV series) American TV series or program

The Land Before Time is an American animated television series, based on The Land Before Time film series created by Judy Freudberg and Tony Geiss. It was developed for television by Ford Riley for Cartoon Network and was produced by Universal Animation Studios and Amblin Entertainment, and animated by Wang Film Productions in Taiwan and Toon City in the Philippines. It premiered on YTV in Canada for a test on January 5, 2007 and premiered on Cartoon Network in the United States on March 5.

<i>The Land Before Time XII: The Great Day of the Flyers</i> 2006 American film

The Land Before Time XII: The Great Day of the Flyers is a 2006 animated musical direct-to-video film, and is the twelfth film in the Land Before Time series. It was released on TV on December 6, 2006, and then on DVD on February 27, 2007, by Universal Studios Home Entertainment. This was the final film role of Kenneth Mars before his retirement and death in 2008 and 2011 respectively.

The Land Before Time is an American animated feature film series and media franchise created by Judy Freudberg and Tony Geiss, distributed by Universal Pictures and about dinosaurs. The series began in 1988 with the eponymous The Land Before Time, directed and produced by Don Bluth as well as executive produced by George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. It was followed by 13 direct-to-video musical sequels, a TV series, video games, soundtracks, and related merchandising. The sequels and the series did not have the participation of Bluth, Lucas, or Spielberg. The 14 films were released as a Complete Collection DVD set on June 14, 2016.

<i>The Land Before Time XIII: The Wisdom of Friends</i> 2007 American film

The Land Before Time XIII: The Wisdom of Friends is a 2007 direct-to-video animated film and the thirteenth film in The Land Before Time series.

Scott Cody McAfee is an American actor best known as the voice of Littlefoot from The Land Before Time films II-IV. He is the younger brother of Anndi McAfee, who is the current voice for The Land Before Time character Cera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">If We Hold on Together</span> 1988 single by Diana Ross

"If We Hold on Together" is the theme song to the 1988 film The Land Before Time, and is performed by American singer Diana Ross. Played during the film's ending credits, it was released on the film's soundtrack as well on Ross' nineteenth studio album, The Force Behind the Power (1991). It was also released as the soundtrack's first and only single on November 5, 1988 by MCA. The song was written by James Horner and Will Jennings, and produced by Peter Asher. It reached the top 30 on the US adult contemporary chart, peaked at #23, as well as giving Ross her biggest hit ever in Japan and later reaching No. 11 in the UK. There was no music video promoted for the song.

<i>The Land Before Time XIV: Journey of the Brave</i> 2016 American film

The Land Before Time XIV: Journey of the Brave is a 2016 American direct-to-video animated feature film and the fourteenth and final installment in The Land Before Time series. Its 9-year gap from 2007's The Wisdom of Friends marked the longest between two films in the series. The film was directed by Davis Doi and written by Cliff Ruby and Elana Lesser. It was made available on DVD and Digital HD on February 2, 2016, with the DVD version exclusive to Walmart stores in North America until May 10, when it became available in other stores. The film features the voices of Damon Wayans Jr. and country singer Reba McEntire, who performs the song "Look for the Light". Like all other The Land Before Time films, it is traditionally-animated.

<i>The Land Before Time</i> (2001 video game) 2001 video game

The Land Before Time is a 2001 Game Boy Color platform game developed by Eclipse Entertainment Ltd and published by Swing Entertainment Media, based upon the 1988 film of the same name. A non-ported title of the same name for the Game Boy Advance was released by Full Fat in 2002.

References

  1. ↑ "The Land Before Time V: The Mysterious Island". Internet Movie Database. 9 December 1997. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  2. ↑ Lanctot, Denise (12 December 1997). "The Land Before Time V: The Mysterious Island". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved 4 December 2016.
  3. ↑ "23rd Annual Young Artists Awards". Young Artist Awards. Archived from the original on April 23, 2016. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.