Simply A Masterpiece

Don't listen to the negative reviews

Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

I wish I gave the film 1,000 out of 10. I first saw the movie on Netflix, and I loved it. I still love it today. It's the story of 5 dinosaurs traveling to the Great Valley, while at the same time, avoiding a Sharptooth. The animation is splendid. The plot is great. Now let's all talk about the main characters. Spike is cute when he acts lazy, with a big appetite. Petrie is so hilariously adorable. Cera is very cute when acting tough. Littlefoot is very adorable. But the cutest of them all is Ducky. She is adorable in every conceivable way. Yep, yep, yep. Buy it for your kids. 1,000/10

This movie is certainly one of Don Bluth's finest animations to be sure. The animation in this movie is gorgeous like all of Don Bluth's movies and while the story is very simple, it's also very heartfelt and action- packed. The real drive of this story is the characters. The connection between the characters is very strong and believable. The scene where they all cuddle together is adorable. I know a lot of people think of this movie for the mom's death and I'll admit that it is really sad (at least it's a step up from the death of Bambi's mom) but I don't think it's a huge tear tricker scene; The scene that follows is. I also really loved the amazing score for this movie from James Horner. It can get really intense during those action scenes. I'm not surprised that most of the sequels reused the score. Overall, it's a great movie and a great family movie.

The Land Before Time (1988): Dir: Don Bluth / Voices: Gabriel Damon, Candace Hutson, Will Ryan, Judith Barsi, Helen Shaver: To a child this animation may strike an adventurous cord, but to an adult it is just a bunch of voice actors whining for ninety minutes. The plot regards a few baby dinosaurs who must travel together to find that sacred land told to them by their parents. After a violent earthquake these kids became separated from their parents. Now they must band together and try to avoid the jaws of the lethal T-Rex. The plot concept has appeal but it wears thin once it becomes a walking road movie. We know where the story is heading but the biggest headache are the characters themselves. There is not one dinosaur here that rises above cardboard level. Littlefoot the brontosaurus seems to be the leader but his arguments with the stubborn Cera the triceratops get really annoying after a certain point. Ducky is a saurolophus, Petrie is the timid pteranodon, and spike is the stegosaurus who says nothing because every other character sounds enough like a moron for him to chime in. don The voice talents are no saving grace in this department either since everyone sounds like an idiot. Bluth directs and the animation is on par with most Disney animations but this is no Fantasia. It contains a strong friendship theme within a story that should be extinct from memory fast. Score: 5 / 10

This movie is a real tearjerker for me. The one scene that really gets to me and breaks my heart is when Littlefoot's mom dies. That's a major tearjerker because not only is the main character's mother, who was supposed to be the most important influence of his life, dead but she died while she was protecting him and she died when he was so young. It makes me sympathetic towards our main character and I cry every time that scene and a few scenes after it occur. The fact that the 5 dinosaurs that we follow are so young really makes you feel sympathetic when something sad or dangerous happens to them. The ending is by far the best part of this film because they make it to their destination despite hard times. If you're looking for a film that will make you cry tears of sadness or joy, then this prehistoric tale is for you.