The Land Before Time (TV series) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Land Before Time |
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Title card
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| Genre | Adventure Fantasy |
| Created by | Charles Grosvenor Judy Freudberg Tony Geiss |
| Developed by | Ford Riley |
| Directed by | Scott Heming Dick Sebast |
| Voices of | Cody Arens Anndi McAfee Aria Curzon Jeff Bennett Rob Paulsen Max Burkholder Meghan Strange Kenneth Mars Miriam Flynn John Ingle Tress MacNeille Pete Sepenuk Dorian Harewood Jessica Gee |
| Theme music composer | Roc Gagliese Steve D'Angelo Terry Tompkins |
| Opening theme | "The Land Before Time Theme Song", performed by Ladysmith Black Mambazo |
| Ending theme | "The Land Before Time Theme Song" (instrumental) |
| Composer(s) | Cory Lerios (score) Michele Brourman (songs) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 26 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Diane A. Crea Charles Grosvenor |
| Running time | 23 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Universal Animation Studios Amblin Entertainment |
| Distributor | NBCUniversal Television Distribution |
| Release | |
| Original network | Cartoon Network |
| First shown in | Canada |
| Original release | March 5, 2007 – January 21, 2008 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | The Land Before Time XIII: The Wisdom of Friends (2007) |
| Followed by | The Land Before Time XIV: Journey of the Brave (2016) |
The Land Before Time is an exciting animated TV show. It is based on the popular Land Before Time film series about dinosaurs. This show was made for television by Ford Riley for Cartoon Network.
The series was created by Judy Freudberg and Tony Geiss. It was produced by Universal Animation Studios and Amblin Television. The animation was done by Toon City in the Philippines. The show first aired in Canada on YTV on January 5, 2007. It then premiered in the United States on Cartoon Network on March 5, 2007.
The animation style mixes traditional drawings with CGI backgrounds. This is similar to the later Land Before Time movies. Sometimes, characters in wide shots also use cel-shaded computer animation. The main bad guys in the show are Red Claw, a mean Tyrannosaurus, and his two helpers, Screech and Thud, who are Deinonychus. The TV show happens after the events of the movie The Land Before Time XIII: The Wisdom of Friends.
Contents
Meet the Voices: Who Plays Your Favorite Dinosaurs?
Main Characters
- Cody Arens as Littlefoot (Anthony Skillman sings for Littlefoot)
- Anndi McAfee as Cera
- Aria Curzon as Ducky
- Jeff Bennett as Petrie
- Rob Paulsen as Spike
- Max Burkholder as Chomper
- Meghan Strange as Ruby
- Pete Sepenuk as Red Claw and Screech
- Rob Paulsen as Thud
Other Important Voices
- Kenneth Mars as Grandpa Longneck
- Miriam Flynn as Grandma Longneck
- John Ingle as Daddy Topps
- Tress MacNeille as Petrie's Mother and Ducky and Spike's Mother
- Dorian Harewood as Mr. Thicknose
- Jessica Gee as Tria
- Meghan Strange as Tricia
Guest Voices
Many other talented actors lent their voices to the show. These include Nika Futterman as Ruby's Mother and Ali. Elizabeth Daily voiced Rhett and Shorty. You might also hear Jessica Walter, Cree Summer, Cam Clarke, and Kevin Michael Richardson.
Episode Guide: Adventures in the Great Valley
Season 1 (2007)
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
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| 1 | "The Cave of Many Voices" | Scott Heming | Ford Riley | March 5, 2007 | |
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Chomper needs a new cave. Ruby teaches Ducky how to be brave and speak up.
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| 2 | "The Mysterious Tooth Crisis" | Richard Sebast | Jack Monaco | March 6, 2007 | |
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Chomper loses a tooth, and the gang tries to figure out why.
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| 3 | "The Star Day Celebration" | Scott Heming | Krista Tucker | March 7, 2007 | |
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Ruby misses her family on her birthday. Her friends try to cheer her up.
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| 4 | "The Canyon of Shiny Stones" | Richard Sebast | John Loy | March 8, 2007 | |
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Cera loses a special stone. The group searches for a new one in a shiny canyon.
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| 5 | "The Great Log-Running Game" | Scott Heming | Phil Harnage | March 9, 2007 | |
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Ducky invents a log-running game. Cera gets swept away and needs saving.
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| 6 | "The Brave Longneck Scheme" | Richard Sebast | Phil Walsh | March 12, 2007 | |
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Littlefoot and Cera meet Rhett, who brags about scaring Sharpteeth.
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| 7 | "The Meadow of Jumping Waters" | Scott Heming | Jack Monaco | March 13, 2007 | |
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The gang explores a new place with jumping waters that Ruby and Chomper saw.
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| 8 | "The Days of Rising Waters" | Richard Sebast | Catherine Lieuwen | March 14, 2007 | |
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A big rainstorm floods Petrie's nest. Ducky tries to teach Tricia to swim.
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| 9 | "Escape from the Mysterious Beyond" | Scott Heming | Jack Monaco | March 15, 2007 | |
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The group accidentally enters the Mysterious Beyond and faces Red Claw.
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| 10 | "The Hidden Canyon" | Richard Sebast | Don Gillies | March 16, 2007 | |
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The kids find a secret canyon with fruit. But Red Claw uses it to enter the Great Valley!
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| 11 | "The Legend of the Story Speaker" | Scott Heming | Kent Redeker | March 19, 2007 | |
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Grandpa Longneck tells stories. Littlefoot and Chomper follow an old friend into the Mysterious Beyond.
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| 12 | "The Bright Circle Celebration" | Richard Sebast | Corey Powell | March 20, 2007 | |
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Petrie is excited for a celebration. Cera thinks it's silly until a fire threatens everything.
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| 13 | "The Lonely Journey" | Scott Heming | Noelle Wright | March 21, 2007 | |
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Chomper feels lonely as the only Sharptooth. He tries to teach others to be friends.
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| 14 | "The Missing Fast-Water Adventure" | Richard Sebast | Don Gillies | March 22, 2007 | |
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The fast-water dries up after an earthshake. The dinosaurs meet an old friend, Mo.
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| 15 | "The Spooky Nighttime Adventure" | Scott Heming | Jack Monaco | March 23, 2007 | |
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Ruby tells a scary story about an invisible dinosaur. They search for him.
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Season 2 (2008)
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
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| 16 | "The Lone Dinosaur Returns" | Richard Sebast | Phil Walsh | January 7, 2008 | |
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Doc, the Lone Dinosaur, returns looking for Dara. The kids try to hide Chomper.
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| 17 | "Stranger from the Mysterious Above" | Scott Heming | Holly Huckins | January 8, 2008 | |
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Spike falls into a hole and meets small creatures who think he is a "Big Wise One."
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| 18 | "The Forbidden Friendship" | Richard Sebast | John Low | January 9, 2008 | |
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Tippy's herd returns, but the adults fight. The kids sneak out to find food.
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| 19 | "The Amazing Threehorn Girl" | Scott Heming | Jack Monaco | January 10, 2008 | |
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Cera accidentally scares away some "Belly Draggers" and becomes a hero.
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| 20 | "The Big Longneck Test" | Richard Sebast | Ford Riley | January 11, 2008 | |
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Littlefoot must take a test to see if he can lead a herd. Shorty leads his friends on an adventure.
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| 21 | "The Hermit of Black Rock" | Richard Sebast | Don Gillies | January 14, 2008 | |
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Guido and Petrie get trapped in Black Rock. A blind flyer helps them.
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| 22 | "Return to Hanging Rock" | Richard Sebast | Jack Monaco | January 15, 2008 | |
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Ruby remembers her family at Hanging Rock. She goes to find them with friends.
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| 23 | "March of the Sand Creepers" | Richard Sebast | Don Gillies | January 16, 2008 | |
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"Sand Creepers" (crabs) come to the Great Valley. The gang finds out why.
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| 24 | "Search for the Sky Color Stones" | Scott Heming | Jack Monaco | January 17, 2008 | |
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The sky colors disappear. The gang searches for "sky color stones" (geodes).
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| 25 | "Through the Eyes of a Spiketail" | Richard Sebast | Ford Riley | January 18, 2008 | |
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Mr. Thicknose tells the gang about "Hard Water Sweets." They go on an adventure to find them.
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| 26 | "The Great Egg Adventure" | Scott Heming | Noelle Wright | January 21, 2008 | |
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The kids find Fast Biter eggs. They try to move them away from the valley.
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Where and When the Show Aired
The show first aired on Cartoon Network in the United States on March 5, 2007. It also appeared on Boomerang in the United Kingdom starting April 16, 2007. In Japan, it premiered on Kids Station in May 2007.
The show stopped airing on Cartoon Network in the US and YTV in Canada in March 2008. However, reruns began on Sprout on January 14, 2017. Later, it also aired on Universal Kids when that channel launched on September 9, 2017.
The Music of the Show
The songs in The Land Before Time TV series were written by Michele Brourman (music) and Ford Riley (lyrics).
The main theme song is performed by the famous South African choir Ladysmith Black Mambazo. The theme music was created by Roc Gagliese, Steve D'Angelo, and Terry Tompkins. The background music for the show was composed by Cory Lerios.
Home Video Releases
Most episodes of the series were released on DVD. Twenty-four episodes were put out by Universal Studios in North America between 2007 and 2008. These were released in six sets, each with four episodes. A box set with these 24 episodes was also released in the UK in 2012.
Two episodes, "The Hidden Canyon" and "The Big Longneck Test," were not part of these main DVD sets. "The Hidden Canyon" was later included as a special feature on the DVD for The Land Before Time XIII: The Wisdom of Friends. However, "The Big Longneck Test" has never been released on DVD or Blu-ray. All episodes of the show are available for free streaming on the official The Land Before Time YouTube channel in the United States.
