I had very fond memories of watching "The Land Before Time" - well over 20 years ago. It was a very simple, easy to follow, and very subtly a teaching moment type of movie. Of course, being a child of around 6 years of age at its release, the teaching moment was simply "DINOSAURS! COOOOL!!"
Fast forward a couple of decades. Having scrolled through a vast online movie depository - come on, does it matter which one? - the title "The Land Before Time" triggers a memory. "D-D-D-D-DAAANGEE- E-E-RRRR!" Hmm. My kids are at school - I say let's board the bus and go hit up memory lane!
Two days later, after having watched it twice myself, once with my two kids - twice - I started deeply analyzing why this had struck such a chord. I could find absolutely nothing I disliked, nothing that my adult sensibilities would have outgrown. The characters were as innocent, innovative and wily as I had found them to be so long ago. The animation is lively, seamless and warm. The painted backgrounds are vivid, colorful and primal. The score serves to solidify the personalities, the predicaments and the victories of the characters that it is underpinning. The voice acting, especially the youngest of the cast, is heartfelt, brought to life by talented children who, by all accounts, loved their involvement in the production.
The combination of Bluth, Goldman, Pomeroy, Spielberg, Lucas and Horner at the helm produced a beloved, classic and timeless movie that nearly 30 years of age has done absolutely nothing to tarnish. No wonder, then, that it was the highest grossing animated film of the, well, time!
My children are fond this movie, sure...but I like to think that I found a conduit to my own happy childhood memories, amplified when my kids come in close and accompany me on that memory lane field trip. At this rate, they might tire of "The Land Before Time" sooner than their father. It's a chance I'm willing to take!
"The Land Before Time" gets 10 of 10 stars.
Fast forward a couple of decades. Having scrolled through a vast online movie depository - come on, does it matter which one? - the title "The Land Before Time" triggers a memory. "D-D-D-D-DAAANGEE- E-E-RRRR!" Hmm. My kids are at school - I say let's board the bus and go hit up memory lane!
Two days later, after having watched it twice myself, once with my two kids - twice - I started deeply analyzing why this had struck such a chord. I could find absolutely nothing I disliked, nothing that my adult sensibilities would have outgrown. The characters were as innocent, innovative and wily as I had found them to be so long ago. The animation is lively, seamless and warm. The painted backgrounds are vivid, colorful and primal. The score serves to solidify the personalities, the predicaments and the victories of the characters that it is underpinning. The voice acting, especially the youngest of the cast, is heartfelt, brought to life by talented children who, by all accounts, loved their involvement in the production.
The combination of Bluth, Goldman, Pomeroy, Spielberg, Lucas and Horner at the helm produced a beloved, classic and timeless movie that nearly 30 years of age has done absolutely nothing to tarnish. No wonder, then, that it was the highest grossing animated film of the, well, time!
My children are fond this movie, sure...but I like to think that I found a conduit to my own happy childhood memories, amplified when my kids come in close and accompany me on that memory lane field trip. At this rate, they might tire of "The Land Before Time" sooner than their father. It's a chance I'm willing to take!
"The Land Before Time" gets 10 of 10 stars.