The Land Before Time IV: Journey Through the Mists facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Land Before Time IV: Journey Through the Mists
Directed by	Roy Allen Smith
Produced by	Roy Allen Smith
Written by	Dev Ross
Narrated by	John Ingle
Starring	Scott McAfee Candace Hutson Heather Hogan Rob Paulsen Jeff Bennett Kenneth Mars Linda Gary Carol Bruce Juliana Hansen Tress MacNeille Charles Durning Frank Welker
Music by	Michael Tavera James Horner (themes)
Editing by	Warren Taylor
Studio	Universal Cartoon Studios
Distributed by	MCA/Universal Home Video
Release date(s)	December 10, 1996 (1996-12-10)
Running time	74 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

The Land Before Time IV: Journey Through the Mists is an animated adventure movie from 1996. It was made by Universal Animation Studios and directed by Roy Allen Smith. This film is the fourth part of The Land Before Time series. It was also the last movie in the series to feature some of the original voice actors. The film was nominated for two Annie Awards.

Story of the Journey

Littlefoot, a young Longneck, sees a group of other Longnecks coming into the Great Valley. He tells his grandparents, who explain that these new dinosaurs are their cousins. They all go to welcome the new group. The leader of the new herd, the Old One, tells everyone that her group has been moving around a lot. Their old home became a swampy place called "The Land of Mists" after heavy rains. This new swamp is now full of dangerous creatures.

Later, Littlefoot meets a female Longneck named Ali. He asks her to play. He tries to introduce her to his friends, Cera, Ducky, Petrie, and Spike. But Ali is scared of them because she's not used to being around different kinds of dinosaurs.

Grandpa's Illness

Soon after, Littlefoot's Grandpa gets very sick. The Old One knows this illness. She says it's deadly for any dinosaur unless they eat special flowers. These flowers are called "golden night flowers." They only grow in the dangerous Land of Mists. When Grandma asks other Longnecks to help get the flowers, they are too afraid to go.

Even though the Old One warned him about the dangers, Littlefoot is determined to save his Grandpa. He asks Ali to go with him to the Land of Mists. Ali agrees, but only if Littlefoot's other friends don't come. She thinks they will slow them down.

Into the Mists

As Littlefoot and Ali travel, they go through a cave. Suddenly, an earthshake makes rocks fall, separating them. Back in the Valley, Grandma tells Cera, Ducky, Petrie, and Spike about Grandpa's illness. Ali returns to the Valley and convinces Littlefoot's friends to help her free him.

Meanwhile, Littlefoot tries to find a way out of the cave. He meets an old male Archelon (a giant turtle) named Archie. Archie helps Littlefoot dig through the rocks. While they are working, two dangerous creatures appear: Dil, a mostly blind Deinosuchus (a giant crocodile), and Ichy, an Ichthyornis (a bird-like dinosaur). They want to eat Littlefoot and Archie.

Dil and Ichy chase them. But Ali and Littlefoot's friends dig a hole in the rock wall. Rocks tumble down, knocking out Dil and Ichy. Archie then shows Littlefoot and his friends a path to the Land of Mists. He tells them to stay close together before he leaves.

New Friends and Dangers in the Swamp

In the Land of Mists, Cera gets separated from the group. The others meet a furry creature called a Megazostrodon. Ducky names him Tickles because his fur tickles her when she hugs him. Tickles helps them find Cera.

However, Cera falls into a river. Dil and Ichy, who have now recovered, chase her again. Ali saves Cera and distracts the predators. After this, Cera finally starts to like Ali. Ali explains that she had never spent time with different kinds of dinosaurs before. She says her feelings about Littlefoot's friends have now changed.

The Golden Night Flowers

When the seven friends stop for the night, they realize they are in a field of golden night flowers. The flowers bloom, and they quickly gather as many as they can.

As they head home, Ichy and Dil return for one last attack. During a chase, Ichy grabs Petrie. But Tickles helps rescue Petrie by tricking Ichy into biting Dil's tail instead of Petrie. This gives Petrie time to get back to his friends. Dil gets angry at Ichy.

Spike's First Words

The chase continues, and Ducky falls into a river. She becomes unconscious. Then, Spike speaks for the very first time! He calls out Ducky's name, which wakes her up just as Dil is about to grab her. Ducky escapes when Spike uses his tail to hit Ichy. Ichy flies into Dil's open mouth by mistake. Dil accidentally bites Ichy. They get into another big fight. Finally, they decide they've had enough of each other and go their separate ways forever.

After Dil sends Ichy flying, a Hydrotherosaurus (a large sea reptile) starts chasing Dil. This unknowingly saves Littlefoot and his friends. Dil cries out for Ichy as she is chased away. We don't know what happened to Dil after that.

Return Home

With the predators gone for good, Littlefoot and his friends say goodbye to Tickles. They head home. They give Grandpa the golden night flowers to eat. A few hours later, he is completely well again.

Ali then leaves with her herd. She tries to get Spike to say goodbye, but he is too busy eating leaves. The narrator says that Littlefoot and his friends would indeed meet Ali again someday.

Voice Actors

• Scott McAfee as Littlefoot
• Candace Hutson as Cera
• Heather Hogan as Ducky
• Rob Paulsen as Spike
• Jeff Bennett as Petrie/Ichy
• Juliana Hansen as Ali
• Tress MacNeille as Ali's Mother/Dil
• Frank Welker as Tickles
• Linda Gary as Grandma Longneck
• Kenneth Mars as Grandpa Longneck
• Charles Durning as Archie
• Carol Bruce as Old One/Narrator
• John Ingle as Narrator

Songs from the Movie

All songs written and composed by Leslie Bricusse. 

See also

In Spanish: The Land Before Time IV: Journey Through the Mists para niños