The Land Before Time

Rating:
Summary: A Quality Film for Generations to Enjoy
Review: This is possibly the landmark achievement in filmmaking of all time. Now, before you disregard the rest of this because of the opening statement, think about what I said. The Land Before Time is a movie which can cross the age barrier without effort: Young children are left heartwarmed by the story; adults are left misty-eyed. A young man like myself who grew up with this movie can watch it repeatedly and recollect a childhood; others can experience a brand-new one with such a film as this. To simply put this story off as a children's flick is to do it the least justice possible; watch the movie, regardless of your age, and you are guaranteed to be left with one of the most memorable movie experiences of your life. The major reason for its quality? JAMES HORNER'S BRILLIANCE IN COMPOSING THE SOUNDTRACK. The greatest injustice to the brilliance of Don Bluth, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, James Horner, and the others who worked to create this masterpiece? The abominations which attempt to pass as sequels to this work of art! Ignore them! Shun them! Do not go anywhere near these videos, if you value and cherish the purity of the original Land Before Time.

Rating:
Summary: Warning: Children will get hooked---and that's good!
Review: My 5-year-old daughter loves dinosaurs. She has learned their names, and it's not uncommon to hear her talk about what the diplodocus or dinonychus in her collection is doing, usually using those names (and those like them) in her play.

Part of that is thanks to this film and its sequels. This Spielberg-produced animated film introduces us to the characters, a mixed bag of young vegetarian dinos and their search for "The Great Valley," a place where "sharptooth" dinosaurs won't hunt them; a place where vegetation for their kind is plentiful.

The whole series is certainly recommended, due to its quality and its execution. Children can certainly identify with the varied personalities of the friends; the curious Littlefoot, the headstrong Cera, the timid Ducky, the less eloquent Petrie, and the mellow but large Spike. The films teach the value of friendship, accepting each other's differences, working together, and respecting your elders while still testing what they have to say.

All of that is a difficult tightrope to walk, and those in charge do it consistently well throughout the series. A new edition is apparently issued near the beginning of each Christmas season (imagine that) so if your little one is approaching preschool age you should let them view this one to see if it's a series they'll enjoy.....and if it's one you'll approve of as much as we do at our house. There are some fairly intense scenes in each film, but only the most fearful little ones will have a problem with them.

Rating:
Summary: A Childhood Classic Come To DVD
Review: This movie was one I remember watching before I could even go to school... I loved the charming story of a little long-neck and his journey to find his mother with his unforgettable friends. WHY DID THEY HAVE TO MAKE LIKE 6 SEQUELS??? THEY'RE ALL AWFUL! They're throwing my childhood to a pack of hungry dogs and I'm really getting sick of it. *coughcough*Disneysequels*coughcough*

Rating:
Summary: Great Movie, Bad DVD
Review: First of all, the previous reviewer is mistaken, this is NOT a Disney movie but a Don Bluth movie (the one who also made An American Tail). This is a great movie, like An American Tail, and has a great score composed by James Horner and played by the London Symphony Orchestra (with the King's College Choir). The animation is pretty decent, some of the scenes (like the one near the end where Spike and Ducky slide across a shallow pool of water) are very nice. The story is pretty basic, but enjoyable for kids and adults (I saw this as a teen in the theaters). The characters are mostly very cute and charming, especially Ducky and Petri.

And YET, this DVD sucks really bad and no one should buy it. This DVD is NOT widescreen or anamorphic at all. It's pretty shameful when EVEN Disney is making their DVDs widescreen. Furthermore, there are absolutely NO extras on this DVD. I would have especially appreciated to have trailers, tv spots, audio commentary by Bluth (or others), making of feature, etc. At the very least, widescreen and a trailer. Yes, this is a children's movie, but that doesn't mean it has to be fullscreen! It doesn't take much to put in both full and widescreen versions either. The same goes for "The Secret Of NIMH," another Bluth film given the fullscreen treatment.

BOYCOTT THIS ANNOYING DVD AND DEMAND THAT THEY RELEASE A WIDESCREEN COLLECTOR'S EDITION OF THIS REALLY GREAT MOVIE!!

You'll be happy you did!

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful
Review: I can remember my dad tqaking me to this when I was 4 of 5. I loved it! My brother had to buy me the video the day it came out. Since then I have watched the video so much that the tape is worn (thank God for the DVD). It's a touching story about friendship and teamwork. I feel like I'm going to cry when I watch it now. It's not because it's sad, it's just that it gets to me. One small thing that I don't like is not the movie itself, but the DVD release. No special features (unless extra languages are considered to be features). The picture is slightly grainy but that's OK. It's not TOO bad. Also, it isn't widescreen, which is a shame.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful movie, bad DVD
Review: This movie was just copied onto a dvd. It's not even in widescreen format, which would show the entire screen instead of cutting off some of the screen. The extras ("how to use the remote control", etc!!!) totally stink. The movie, on the other hand, is excellent.

The scene of the mother dinosaur's death STILL brings tears to my eyes, and I am eighteen years old! It's about Little Foot, a long neck who is born into a dangerous land in which sharp tooths (sharp teeth?) run wild, earth quakes occur, and food is running out. They must reach the Great Valley in order to reach safety. Little Foot meets Duckie, the big mouth, Petrie, the flyer, and Spike. Sara, a three horn, hates Little Foot at first because Little Foot is not the same type of dinosaur that she is; however, over time, they become great friends. It is a story of endurence, friendship, and sticking together. Truly beautiful. As I said, some scenes still make me cry. My three year old nephew loves it!!!! All the sequals are musicals, but this movie doesn't have any songs! Strange!

Rating:
Summary: What can I say, it's a classic. NOW STOP MAKING SEQUALS!!!!
Review: This is the original film that many of us grew up with. With such beauty and detail, how can anyone not like this film? James Horner performs his legendary compelling score and all of our favorite characters come to life in this classic. BUT, the DVD unfortunatley isn't up to par with those of us who are old enough to cross the street. Universal I guess has decided that this DVD will sell better if it's promoted directly toward kids and not fans. It's really a shame. It's like Disc 2 of Finding Nemo except you have to pay full price. It should have been done more like Finding Nemo and feature 1:85:1 Animorphic Widescreen, 5.1 Dolby Surround and 2 Channel Surround, audio commentary by director Don Bluth, and producers Steven Speilburg and George Lucas, and a documentary on Disc one. Disc two should be the DVD that they're trying to sell you now. It's deffinetly worth getting anyway, but still, it's a shame.

Rating:
Summary: Touching story with good animation
Review: This is the best film I've seen from Don Bluth (and my 4-year-old daughter loves it). The story is really moving -- all about love, death, faith, and courage. The humor works (unlike in other Bluth movies), the landscape (inspired by the dinosaur sequence in "Fantasia") is striking, and the symphonic score is good, with themes for each character. Speaking of characters, the dinosaurs really have personalities. A good experience for kids and parents!

Rating:
Summary: Perfect.
Review: This movie is by far the best movie I've ever seen. I was raised on it, and today, still, I find that it's cozy animation and breathtaking musical score are the only links I have to my childhood. I could not have learned life's lessons from a better movie.

I strongly reccomend this movie to anybody and everybody. It still stands as the only movie able to jerk a tear and provoke one final thought of truth.

Rating:
Summary: Special features appropriate for toddlers!
Review: I can live with this dvd being only fullscreen (that is supposedly its OAR) but to call this an Anniversary Edition & provide the worst special features ever on dvd is outrageous. Bluth/Spielberg/Lucas should sue Universal to have there names removed from this atrocity & replaced with Alan Smithee. You know when the first "special feature" is "how to use your remote control" that this disc was produced for children 1-5 years old. My 7 year old nephews turn their noses up at it. What a great movie. What a HORRID dvd presentation. Do what you like with the 101 sequels but give us a quality dvd of this classic original movie. PLEASE!