Top 10 Favourite Movies: Number #7 - The Land Before Time
While I am only listing the first movie here, the entire franchise of The Land Before Time defined my childhood. I really cared about these 5 little dinosaurs.
While I loved all of the movies, I personally think that the first movie was it's strongest entry. The more serious atmosphere contrasts greatly with the light-hearted singing that is presented in the later films.
I really love how the movie opens with Littlefoot hatching from his egg. It feels like we grow with him as he ages, and I think this makes his mother's death that much more emotional. The death of a mother is very powerful in children's movies, for the target audience is generally still greatly attatched to their mothers. I think this movie handled it very well.
I also love the dynamic between Littlefoot and Cera. It truly feels like a brother and sister dynamic, and although I disliked Cera as a kid bevause she was unfair to Littlefoot, I still felt sorry for her after she was seperated from her parents.
The entire group dynamic of the five dinosaurs is what really makes this movie though. Each dinosaur feels distinct, has their own fears and character arcs, and they bounce off eachother in a natural manner.
I think this movie really presents the message of hope. The beginning of the film is bleak. The land is barren, Littlefoots mother dies, and the children are seperated from their parents. But these kids still have hope, and none more than Littlefoot. He never once gave up, and it's because of this that the five dinosaurs made it to The Great Valley.
I would watch these movies over and over as a kid, and they are all very special to me. Part of me feels like I grew up with these dinosaurs, and in a sense, that's true. Anyhow, that's why I believe this movie deserves a spot on my list.