The Land Before Time V: The Mysterious Island

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The Land Before Time V: The Mysterious Island
Directed by Charles Grosvenor
Produced by Charles Grosvenor
Rocky Solotoff
Written by John Loy
Starring Jeff Bennett
Aria Curzon
Thomas Dekker
Miriam Flynn
John Ingle
Brandon LaCroix
Tress MacNeille
Kenneth Mars
Anndi McAfee
Rob Paulsen
Christina Pickles
Cannon Young
Music by Michael Tavera
James Horner (music from The Land Before Time)
Distributed by Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Release date(s) December 9, 1997
Running time 73 min.
Language English
Preceded by The Land Before Time IV: Journey Through the Mists (1996)
Followed by The Land Before Time VI: The Secret of Saurus Rock (1998)
IMDb profile
Ratings
United States:  G

The Land Before Time V: The Mysterious Island (1997) is an animated film directed by Charles Grosvenor.

Contents

[edit] Plot summary

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

After a cloud of “Swarming Leaf Gobblers” (locusts) descends upon the Great Valley, devouring all plants and leaving it a barren wasteland, the inhabitants have no choice but to leave and seek for another place where they can survive until the plants in the Great Valley have grown back. But the “Swarming Leaf Gobblers” have left a path of devastation behind with no food for the dinosaurs to be found. After erring days and days through this desolation quarrels between the members of the herd cause them to make a fatal decision, to split up so every kind has to move on for itself.

Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky, Petrie and Spike, not willing to let this grownup decision separate them, set out by themselves in order to keep the grownups (who Littlefoot and friends reason would follow their children) together and find enough food so they all can stay together.

When after a long walk, during which they try to leave a distinct trail for the grownups, they are already at the edge of giving up the endeavor when they finally reach something they have never seen before, Big Water (ocean). Nearby they discover a green island connected to the mainland by a very thin natural rock bridge. While they are crossing the bridge they are surprised by an earthquake that nearly drowns them with a large wave, and also destroys most of the bridge, trapping the group on the island.

Unable to call the attention of their folks, who have indeed followed the trail of their kids to the island, they attempt to escape from the island on a floating log. They push the log off the cliff and into the water. Then they climb down what's left of the bridge. This attempt fails, however, because a hungry Swimming Sharptooth (Megaladon) attacks. The kids barely make it back to the island. Littlefoot and the gang find a spot to sleep for the night.

The next morning, Littlefoot wakes up and sees the shadow of a Sharptooth. He wakes up the others and they run off with the Sharptooth chasing them. Soon they're cornered, but the actual Sharptooth turns out to be Chomper, the Sharptooth they hatched in The Land Before Time II: The Great Valley Adventure. Since then Chomper has grown, however, so the friends and especially Cera, who hasn't forgoten that he bit her, are very skeptical about Chomper’s ability to differentiate between friends and food. Chomper’s parents live with him on the island and are a danger to the group. Chomper assists in helping them hide.

Despite all efforts of Chomper to hide his friends, make them feel comfortable, and provide them with green food (plants), Cera keeps a great distrust for Chomper and shows it in a most hurting way. Only Littlefoot’s loyalty to Chomper is unbroken.

Unaware of Chomper, his parents, or anybody else, another big Sharptooth has come to the island and surprises the herbivores in their hiding place. The wild chase ends at the edge of a cliff above the ocean, where the Sharptooth traps Littlefoot and his friends. At this moment Chomper, and soon after his parents, show up and begin a fierce fight with the foreign Sharptooth. The fight ends when the foreign Sharptooth is knocked over the edge of the cliff by Chomper’s dad. But while falling, the Sharptooth sweeps Chomper off the cliff and into Big Water. Firmly determined not to forsake his friend, Littlefoot jumps after him to save Chomper from drowning. But just when Littlefoot has Chomper safely the Swimming Sharptooth appears.

The situation seems to be hopeless when suddenly Elsie, a plesiosaur, emerges and sets Littlefoot and Chomper ashore. Thankful for the rescue of their son, Chomper’s parents promise that no harm will be done to Littlefoot and his friends by them. Still, even under the Sharpteeth's protection, Littlefoot and the others are doubtful of the prospect to live on the island and never see their families again. Overhearing their trouble, Elsie offers to carry Littlefoot and the others over Big Water back to their families, an offer they gladly accept despite Chomper’s sadness about this decision.

Meanwhile, their parents have found a lush green place at the shore to spend the time until the Great Valley is regrown, at which time they return.

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Voice cast

[edit] Songs

The songs are written by Michelle Bourman and Amanda McBroom. This is their second collaboration in the series.

  • Big Water
  • Always There
  • Friends for Dinner

[edit] Home video release history

[edit] Trivia

  • The first film in the series directed by Charles Grosvenor.
  • The first in the series to include blood explicitly (the original Land Before Time did include a scene of Sharptooth shredding Littlefoot's mother's skin off in shadow form, with no explicit gore, and scenes of blood in injury may have been cut).
  • The second appearance of Chomper and his parents. So far, Chomper is the only guest character to reappear in a full role until Tria (Mo reappeared in The Land Before Time X: The Great Longneck Migration, but he was a cameo).
  • In this film, Chomper has long, three-fingered hands which he uses to grab with. But in The Land Before Time II: The Great Valley Adventure, he has the usual short, two-clawed hand.
  • This was the second time Spike spoke. When Ducky said Chomper might decide that they're food when he grows up, she says "Right Spike?" and Spike said "Uh-huh".
  • Some European releases of the film did not include subtitles in which Chomper has conversations with his parents (apart from closed captioning).
  • At the beginning of the film, a Sharptooth with the same coloring scheme is seen, apparently making a meal out of some plant eaters. A Sharptooth with Chomper's father's coloring pattern can be seen at the start of the Great Valley Adventure, where Chomper also appears. Whether or not this Sharptooth and Chomper's mother are the same is not known.
  • This was the first film in the series in which Anndi McAfee (Scott McAfee's sister) and Aria Curzon voiced Cera and Ducky.
  • This was the only time Brandon LaCroix voiced Littlefoot. Thomas Dekker portrayed Littlefoot's singing voice for the first time in this film. Thomas Dekker never portrayed Littlefoot's speaking voice until The Land Before Time VI: The Secret of Saurus Rock.
  • A shorter version of Friends for Dinner was heard in an episode of The Land Before Time TV series. It features Ruby singing as well.

[edit] External links


 v • d • e 
The Land Before Time
Film series

The Land Before Time (1988) • The Great Valley Adventure (1994) • The Time of the Great Giving (1995) • Journey Through the Mists (1996) • The Mysterious Island (1997) • The Secret of Saurus Rock (1998) • The Stone of Cold Fire (2000) • The Big Freeze (2001) • Journey to Big Water (2002) • The Great Longneck Migration (2003) • Invasion of the Tinysauruses (2004) • The Great Day of the Flyers (2007)
Characters

Littlefoot • Cera • Ducky • Petrie • Spike • Chomper • Ruby • Sharptooth • Characters
TV series

The Land Before Time (2007-)
Others

Voice Actors
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