Review of The Land Before Time (1988) by Andrew B — 09 Aug 2010

It's kinda hard to believe today that Universal's ongoing series of animated films about these five young dinosaurs began with this rather short but very worthwhile animated feature from '88. 22 years on (it was released years before I was even born), it still packs an emotional punch.

I know it seems kind of weird to analyze an animated family film, but I have to say that the producers did well with keeping with the time period in which it took place. Huge earthquakes, lava jets, tar pits, a large drought, and also all of the various and colorful families within the dinosaur species.

What's really interesting is that, except for the Diana Ross song at the end (which was good), there are no musical numbers to be found in this movie. The atmosphere is rather gloomy at times (don't worry, the cute antics of the dinosaurs lighten the tone), and far from sugary sweet. Compared to a lot of recent animated films (not including Pixar's), this is a big step in the other direction, but it works. I think everyone should see this movie at least once in their lifetime, because even if it looks a little too cutesy from the DVD cover, this one isn't afraid to be a little more mature while still keeping it's sweet side.

4/5 stars.