The Land Before Time was one of my most beloved cartoons. It was a far cry from Disney, being dark, moody, and really sad and morose. But since Universal betrayed Don Bluth and started cranking out cheap direct-to-video sequels, I've been unhappy with the series. I liked II and III because I was still in kindergarten, but since then I haven't seen any until I got XII, XIII and IX. I intended to get 'em all, each time hoping for a revival of the old style.
In Land Before Time X: The Great Longneck Migration, you will not find anything like the art direction of the first one, albeit there is a shadow of it in a gloomy swamp. The Great Valley must be bright and cheery, which I forgive, 'cause it's heaven on earth, isn't it? Well, the rest of the sequels acted like the last movie never happened; it's like a TV series with episodes like Dexter's Lab or Johnny Bravo, with no connection between the countless "adventures". However, the tenth installment ties in with the first, featuring a realistic plot. Migration instincts in dinosaurs probably arose not in dreams, but just some weird chemical reaction that said, "Time to haul ass!" But, the animators probably knew that, and kiddies wouldn't get it if you involved scientific mumbo-jumbo in a cartoon that calls tyrannosaurs "sharpteeth".
As far as animation goes, the gist of the last paragraph repeats itself: this is the only REAL sequel. They actually seemed to want to do the classic justice this time around. The animation in the other video releases was no better than a TV show, despite some amateurish attempts at CG effects in the ninth. Now, the hand animation looks smooth and fluent, not quite like the first, but good enough to pass with some confidence, since the sequels Disney's churning out aren't exactly masterpieces. The CGI is the most noticeably improved: the trees, the rocks, the water, every non-character element is CG, except for when a character hits the wanter - then you see a hand-drawn splash.
The voice acting is much better. The filmmakers didn't just walk up to a random guy on the street and ask him if he could read. Some celebrities tag along for this finale. I heard that someone heard that a good source had confirmed that XI was in the works: I don't think so, or hope so. The narrator certainly seemed to say that was it, since he just said that Littlefoot and his dad would have some more adventures, and everything turned out hunky-dory. So I doubt that they'd have the audacity to make another sequel. I think if you're a Don Bluth fan (this ISN'T a Bluth film), you'll like The Land Before Time. If you do, there isn't any real need to see any of the sequels but The Land Before Time X: The Great Longneck Migration. It's the only REAL sequel to Bluth's masterpiece.
In Land Before Time X: The Great Longneck Migration, you will not find anything like the art direction of the first one, albeit there is a shadow of it in a gloomy swamp. The Great Valley must be bright and cheery, which I forgive, 'cause it's heaven on earth, isn't it? Well, the rest of the sequels acted like the last movie never happened; it's like a TV series with episodes like Dexter's Lab or Johnny Bravo, with no connection between the countless "adventures". However, the tenth installment ties in with the first, featuring a realistic plot. Migration instincts in dinosaurs probably arose not in dreams, but just some weird chemical reaction that said, "Time to haul ass!" But, the animators probably knew that, and kiddies wouldn't get it if you involved scientific mumbo-jumbo in a cartoon that calls tyrannosaurs "sharpteeth".
As far as animation goes, the gist of the last paragraph repeats itself: this is the only REAL sequel. They actually seemed to want to do the classic justice this time around. The animation in the other video releases was no better than a TV show, despite some amateurish attempts at CG effects in the ninth. Now, the hand animation looks smooth and fluent, not quite like the first, but good enough to pass with some confidence, since the sequels Disney's churning out aren't exactly masterpieces. The CGI is the most noticeably improved: the trees, the rocks, the water, every non-character element is CG, except for when a character hits the wanter - then you see a hand-drawn splash.
The voice acting is much better. The filmmakers didn't just walk up to a random guy on the street and ask him if he could read. Some celebrities tag along for this finale. I heard that someone heard that a good source had confirmed that XI was in the works: I don't think so, or hope so. The narrator certainly seemed to say that was it, since he just said that Littlefoot and his dad would have some more adventures, and everything turned out hunky-dory. So I doubt that they'd have the audacity to make another sequel. I think if you're a Don Bluth fan (this ISN'T a Bluth film), you'll like The Land Before Time. If you do, there isn't any real need to see any of the sequels but The Land Before Time X: The Great Longneck Migration. It's the only REAL sequel to Bluth's masterpiece.