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The Land Before Time
The Land Before Time logo.png
Franchise logo
Creator Don Bluth
Judy Freudberg
Tony Geiss
Original work The Land Before Time (1988)
Owner Universal Pictures
Films and television
Films The Land Before Time (1988)
Animated series The Land Before Time (2007–2008)
Direct-to-video
Games
Video games See list of The Land Before Time video games
Audio
Soundtracks
Miscellaneous
Toys Merchandise
Official website
[uphe.com/movies/the-land-before-time ]

The Land Before Time is a popular animated movie series and media franchise about dinosaurs. It was created by Judy Freudberg and Tony Geiss. Universal Pictures distributes the series.

The first movie, The Land Before Time, came out in 1988. It was directed by Don Bluth and had famous executive producers like George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. After the first film, there were 13 more movies released directly to video. There was also a TV show, video games, music albums, and toys. The later movies and TV show did not involve Bluth, Lucas, or Spielberg. All 14 films were released together in a DVD set in 2016.

Story of the Dinosaurs

The movies follow a group of young dinosaur friends. They are Littlefoot, a long-necked Apatosaurus; Cera, a three-horned Triceratops; Ducky, a Saurolophus; Petrie, a flying Pteranodon; and Spike, a Stegosaurus.

Their adventures begin when they find a safe place called the Great Valley. Along the way, they meet a baby Tyrannosaurus named Chomper, who is a meat-eater. They also face challenges like a big drought (when there's no water) and a cold snap (a sudden period of very cold weather). They even see a solar eclipse! Through all their journeys, they learn important lessons about life, working together, and being good friends.

Movies in the Series

There are 14 movies in The Land Before Time series. Here is a list of them:

# Title Release Date Director(s) Narrator(s) Composer(s) Production Company(ies)/Distributor(s)
1 The Land Before Time November 18, 1988 Don Bluth Pat Hingle James Horner Amblin Entertainment
Sullivan-Bluth Studios
Lucasfilm
Universal Pictures
2 The Great Valley Adventure December 13, 1994 Roy Allen Smith John Ingle Michael Tavera Universal Cartoon Studios
MCA Universal Home Video
3 The Time of the Great Giving December 12, 1995
4 Journey Through the Mists December 10, 1996
5 The Mysterious Island December 9, 1997 Charles Grosvenor Universal Cartoon Studios
Universal Studios Home Video
6 The Secret of Saurus Rock December 1, 1998 Kenneth Mars
7 The Stone of Cold Fire December 5, 2000 N/A
8 The Big Freeze December 4, 2001 John Ingle
9 Journey to Big Water December 10, 2002
10 The Great Longneck Migration December 2, 2003
11 Invasion of the Tinysauruses January 11, 2005
12 The Great Day of the Flyers December 6, 2006 Michael Tavera
Kyle Kenneth Batter
Universal Animation Studios
Universal Studios Home Entertainment
13 The Wisdom of Friends November 27, 2007 Jamie Mitchell
Supervising director:
Charles Grosvenor
Michael Tavera
14 Journey of the Brave February 2, 2016 Davis Doi Tony Amendola Universal Animation Studios
Universal 1440 Entertainment
Universal Pictures Home Entertainment

Music Albums

  • The Land Before Time (1988) Original Motion Picture Soundtrack: This album has the music from the first movie.
  • The Land Before Time: Sing-Along Songs (1997): This album features songs from the first four movies. It was also released on VHS with fun facts about dinosaurs.
  • The Songs from The Land Before Time (1997): More songs from the first four movies.
  • The Land Before Time: More Sing-Along Songs (1999): This album includes songs from movies V and VI, and also from the An American Tail movies III and IV.
  • The Best Songs from The Land Before Time (2016): A collection of favorite songs from movies I, VI, VIII, IX, X, XI, and XIV.

Television Series

A TV show based on the movies started in Canada on January 5, 2007. It had one season with 26 episodes. In the United States, it first aired on Cartoon Network on March 5, 2007. The TV series takes place after the events of the movie The Land Before Time XIII: The Wisdom of Friends. You can find the complete series on DVD, which was released in 2022.

Video Games

The series has also created 14 spin-off video games. Eight of these are for PC, one for the Game Boy Color, two for the Game Boy Advance, and three for the original PlayStation. The PC games are usually educational and made for younger kids.

Games for the Game Boy Color and Advance include The Land Before Time and The Land Before Time: Into the Mysterious Beyond. In these games, the main characters search for Chomper. PlayStation games include The Land Before Time: Big Water Adventure, The Land Before Time: Great Valley Racing Adventure, and The Land Before Time: Return to the Great Valley. All the characters in these games are voiced by Lani Minella.

Characters and Voice Actors

List indicator(s)

This section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in more than two films in the series.

  • An empty, dark grey cell indicates the character was not in the film, or that the character's official presence has not yet been confirmed.
  •  D indicates an appearance as a character's disguised voice.
  •  S indicates an appearance as a character's singing voice.
Characters Films Television series
The Land Before Time 2
The Great Valley Adventure
3
The Time of the Great Giving
4
Journey Through the Mists
5
The Mysterious Island
6
The Secret of Saurus Rock
7
The Stone of Cold Fire
8
The Big Freeze
9
Journey to Big Water
10
The Great Longneck Migration
11
Invasion of the Tinysauruses
12
The Great Day of the Flyers
13
The Wisdom of Friends
14
Journey of the Brave
The Land Before Time
1988 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 2000 2001 2002 2003 2005 2006 2007 2016 2007–2008
Littlefoot Gabriel Damon Scott McAfee Brandon LaCroix
Thomas Dekker
Thomas Dekker Alec Medlock Aaron Spann Nick Price Cody Arens
Logan Arens
Anthony Skillman
Felix Avitia Cody Arens
Anthony Skillman
Cera Candace Hutson Anndi McAfee
Ducky Judith Barsi Heather Hogan Aria Noelle Curzon
Petrie Will Ryan Jeff Bennett
Spike N/A Rob Paulsen Jeff Bennett Rob Paulsen
Chomper Rob Paulsen Cannon Young Issac Brown Max Burkholder
Ruby Meghan Strange
Grandpa Longneck Bill Erwin (deleted role) Kenneth Mars Does not speak Barry Bostwick Kenneth Mars
Grandma Longneck Does not speak Linda Gary Miriam Flynn Does not speak Miriam Flynn
Daddy Topps Burke Byrnes John Ingle George Ball John Ingle
Ducky's Mother Does not speak Tress MacNeille Tress MacNeille Tress MacNeille Tress MacNeille Does not speak Anndi McAfee Tress MacNeille
Littlefoot's Mother Helen Shaver Flashback Flashback |
Petrie's Mother Does not speak Tress MacNeille Tress MacNeille Tress MacNeille Tress MacNeille Meghan Strange Tress MacNeille
Sharptooth N/A
Chomper's parents N/A
Hyp Whit Hertford Mikey Kelley
Nod Scott Menville Scott Menville
Mutt Jeff Bennett Jeff Bennett
Ali Juliana Hansen Nika Futterman
Old One Carol Bruce Jessica Walter
Elsie Christina Pickles
Doc Kris Kristofferson Jeff Bennett
Mr. Thicknose Robert Guillaume Dorian Harewood
Tippy Jeremy Suarez Cree Summer
Stegosaurus Mother Susan Krebs Susan Krebs
Stegosaurus Leader Rob Paulsen Rob Paulsen
Mo Rob Paulsen Does not speak Rob Paulsen Rob Paulsen
Shorty Brandon Michael DePaul Elizabeth Daily
Bron Kiefer Sutherland Scott Whyte Cam Clarke
Tria Camryn Manheim Jessica Gee Jessica Gee
Guido Rob Paulsen Rob Paulsen
Tricia Nika Futterman Meghan Strange
Kosh Rob Paulsen Jeff Bennett Rob Paulsen Pete Sepenuk
Jeff Bennett

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: The Land Before Time (franquicia) para niños

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