List of ''The Land Before Time'' characters
This is a list of recurring characters in The Land Before Time, a series of animated children's films. The main characters include Littlefoot (Apatosaurus[1]), Cera (Triceratops), Ducky (Saurolophus), Petrie (Pteranodon), Spike (Stegosaurus), and in the spin-off television series and the fourteenth movie, Chomper (Tyrannosaurus) and Ruby (Oviraptor). Other characters include the families of the main characters, the residents of their home, the Great Valley, and outsiders to the Great Valley.
Creation and development
The idea for The Land Before Time came during production of An American Tail. Steven Spielberg's studio Amblin Entertainment was interested in doing a film about dinosaurs, which were popular at the time, leading Spielberg, director Don Bluth, and producer George Lucas to develop the prehistoric setting and its cast. Inspired by the dinosaur-themed "Rite of Spring" sequence from Disney's Fantasia, Spielberg had originally intended for the movie to have no speech, with music queues and body language telling the story, effectively rendering all the characters mute. However, it was decided that the film couldn't carry a story without dialogue, and each character was given language accordingly. Despite this, the film's artists would still use the Fantasia sequence and characters as guides when creating their the very first concept art.[2]
Bluth had to learn most of his information about specific dinosaur species before work began, stating "I had to do lots and lots of research because I never was a fanatic about dinosaurs as a kid. But in many ways it became a fictional fantasy because it's about these young children who are taught to hate each other; anyone who is different from him. When they are separated from their parents, these five little children have to learn to get along with each other for survival. So there is a bit of a moral in it, too."[2] The films creators wanted to have a Tyrannosaurus as the main villain, which became the "Sharptooth" that would define many similar antagonists throughout the series.[2]
While Bluth had originally wanted to portray a more "forceful, dramatic" representation of prehistoric times, the idea was sometimes at odds with studio executives who wanted a more child-friendly "get-along gang" approach, which called for the main characters becoming cuter, but still distinctly detailed, as a compromise.[2] After the release of the first film, neither Bluth, Spielberg, or Lucas had further creative input in the series, with character development and design tweaks now guided by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment and associated studios.
Main characters
Littlefoot
Littlefoot, voiced by Gabriel Damon (I), Scott McAfee (II-IV), Brandon LaCroix (V), Thomas Dekker (singing voice, V; singing and speaking, VI-IX), Alec Medlock (X), Aaron Spann (XI), Nick Price (XII), Cody Arens (XIII-TV series), Anthony Skillman (singing voice, XIII-TV series) and Felix Avitia (XIV), is a brown male Apatosaurus,[1] or "Longneck". He is the protagonist of The Land Before Time series whose birth marked the beginning of the very first film. When his mother dies protecting him from a Sharptooth, he is forced to travel through the harsh wilderness alone to find his surviving grandparents. After meeting several young dinosaurs along the way who would become his best friends, they arrive in the verdant Great Valley where the series primarily takes place. In Journey Through the Mists, Littlefoot is introduced to his female cousin Ali, a member of another Longneck herd.[3] He is eventually reunited with his father, Bron, in the film The Great Longneck Migration, who adopts an orphaned Brachiosaurus named Shorty who becomes his foster brother.[4]
Littlefoot has been referred to by several species names throughout the series. In the first film he is called a Brontosaurus on the home video packaging and by numerous media outlets.[5][6][7] He was also called a Brachiosaurus on the later-released VHS clamshell case and Rotten Tomatoes UK.[8] He is now listed as an Apatosaurus the official website[9] and in modern incarnations of the series.[1]
He was originally named "Thunderfoot" by the creators of the first film, until it was discovered that a Triceratops character from a children's book had the same name.[10] The original name was kept very late into production, up until just before the movie's release.[11] Littlefoot has been compared to characters such as Disney's Bambi,[12] and Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, on how he goes on a strange journey and meets many new friends along the way.[6]
Cera
Cera, voiced by Candace Hutson (I-IV), and Anndi McAfee (V-XIV) is a female orange Triceratops,[13] or "Threehorn". Like Littlefoot, she hatches in the first film, and is later separated from her parents and sisters during an earthquake. She accompanies Littlefoot to the Great Valley where she is eventually reunited with her father. She is stubborn, boastful, sometimes reckless, and occasionally belligerent, but is often made look foolish when she is proven wrong. The initial film, and a few sequels, attributed an ego to her species, especially to herself and her father, but this is diminished in later appearances. In the movie Invasion of the Tinysauruses, her dad begins a new relationship with a Threehorn named Tria, who Cera dislikes at first, but eventually comes to accept.[14] By the following film, Tria and Cera's father have become mates, and have a child named Tricia, Cera's half-sister.[15]
The character was originally conceived as a male Triceratops named "Bambo",[10] but was changed to a female named "Cera" at the suggestion of producer George Lucas midway through animation of the first movie.[2] Hal Hinson of The Washington Post called Cera "a fiercely cute and rambunctious little dynamo" in his review of the 1988 original,[16] with critic Mark R. Leeper likewise calling her "cute and pugnacious."[17] She was the main character of the 2001 children's book The Land Before Time: Cera's Big Day Out by Molly Goode, Judy Freudeberg, and Tony Geiss,[18] as well as the 2007 book Cera's Shiny Stone based on the TV series episode "The Canyon of Shiny Stones".[19]
Ducky
Ducky, voiced by Judith Barsi (I), Heather Hogan (II-IV) and Aria Noelle Curzon (V-XIV), is a female green Saurolophus,[20] known colloquially as a "Big Mouth", "Duck Bill", or "Swimmer". She was one of the young dinosaurs who accompanied Littlefoot to the Great Valley when she was separated from her family. After arriving in her new home, her mother adopted the orphaned Spike, who became her foster younger brother. She has numerous biological siblings, with many being born in the original film and Journey of the Brave. Characterized as having an energetic, cheerful, childlike personality, she speaks enthusiastically often replies to things in triplicate ("Yep, yep, yep!" or "Nope, nope, nope!").
Her species has been inconsistently labeled in various Land Before Time media. While the official website referred to her as a Parasaurolophus,[20] she has also been identified as the similar species Saurolophus, which she more closely resembles, in the 1997 The Land Before Time Sing-Along Songs video cassette. Many sources have also referred to her as an Anatosaurus, including Jerry Beck's The Animated Movie Guide[10] and David Mansour's From Abba to Zoom: A Pop-Culture Encyclopedia of the Late 20th Century.[21] In her review of the 1988 film, Wendy Miller of the Mohave Daily Miner referred to the character as "an adorably gregarious young anatosaurus who immediately wins the audiences heart."[6]
Petrie
Petrie, voiced by Will Ryan (I) and Jeff Bennett (II-XIV), is a male brown Pteranodon,[22] or "Flyer". The comic relief of the first film, he is characterized as panicky and anxious, and traveled with Littlefoot to find his mother and siblings in the Great Valley while learning the basics of flight along the way. He is talkative, but speaks in broken English, usually omitting linking verbs (is, are, am), using "me" in place of "I", and referring to himself in third person. He was originally meant to have a larger role in his debut, but much of his screen time was given to Ducky due to how impressed the producers were with Judith Barsi's performance.[2] He was a central character in the twelfth film The Great Day of the Flyers.[23]
The producers of the original film had difficulty deciding on a voice for the character until it was suggested by Steven Spielberg's son, Max, that he sound similar to Digit from the previous Don Bluth movie, An American Tail. Digit's voice actor Will Ryan was then asked to fill the role.[2] It was pointed out in the book Test Prep Your IQ with the Essentials of Film that Petrie is the only one of the original five principal characters that is not technically a dinosaur;[24] Pteranodons are pterosaurs.[25]
Spike
Spike, voiced by Rob Paulsen (II-V, VII-XIV) and Jeff Bennett (VI), is a male green Stegosaurus,[26] or "Spiketail". Despite being the largest, he is actually the youngest of the original main characters; his hatching being witnessed by Ducky whose parents later adopted him. He is characterized as gluttonous, laid-back, and rarely speaks, communicating mostly in grunts or scat singing. During the fourth film, Journey Through the Mists, he speaks for the first time, calling Ducky's name, and again in the eighth film The Big Freeze, where calls out to his mother. In the same movie, it is mentioned that his birth parents were probably lost in the earthquake of the first film, and becomes close friends with another Stegosaurus named Tippy.[27] The TV series episode "Through the Eyes of a Spiketail", is told largely from Spike's point of view, where he speaks, internally, with a low voice, and can "hear" the song of plants that guide him to them.
Spike's design was based on Bluth's pet Chow Chow, Cubby, with the director commenting that he had a personal fondness for the character, calling him "a pure soul, simple, accommodating, and eager to please."[10] He has been described by journalists as the "fat kid" of the group,[28] "quiet and shy,"[6] and a "tagalong."[29]
Chomper
Chomper, voiced by Rob Paulsen (II), Cannon Young (V), Max Burkholder (TV series), and Issac Ryan Brown (XIV) is a male purple Tyrannosaurus, or "Sharptooth".[30] He first appeared in the second film, The Great Valley Adventure, as a newborn hatchling whom Littlefoot and the others attempt to raise before returning him to his parents.[31] He re-appeared as a supporting character in the fifth movie The Mysterious Island, now able to speak the language of both Sharpteeth and leaf-eaters, where he must convince his parents and Cera that both groups can get along.[32] He became a main character in the TV series, having migrated to the Great Valley under the care of Ruby, and attempts to discover how its residents can live in harmony so he can pass this knowledge to his own kind. He is also known for having an amazing sense of smell, which comes in handy on occasion. Chomper also appears in the Fourteenth movie Journey of the Brave. When he attempts to greet Wild Arms, who passes out.
In his debut in The Great Valley Adventure, Steve Rhodes of Rotten Tomatoes UK commended the character's design, calling him "a real scene stealer."[31] Chomper is the star of the children's book The Lonely Dinosaur, based on the TV series episode "The Lonely Journey".[33]
Ruby
Ruby, voiced by Meghan Strange, is a female pink Oviraptor, or "Fast Runner", who first appeared in the television series, debuting in the inaugural episode "The Cave of Many Voices". Originally from the Mysterious Beyond, she meets Chomper and agrees to accompany him to the Great Valley, and becomes separated from her parents and two siblings after they are ambushed by a Sharptooth named Redclaw. Later, she re-unites with her family in the episode "Return to Hanging Rock", but returns to the Valley in order to keep looking after Chomper as promised. She made her film debut in the fourteenth movie Journey of the Brave.[34] Ruby is characterized as being the wisest of her friends, giving advice or encouragement,[35] and often makes repetitive or redundant statements ("Hello my friends, my friends hello." or "I think I need to go do some thinking at my thinking place.")
Secondary characters
Mr. Thicknose
Mr. Thicknose, voiced by Robert Guillaume (VIII) and Dorian Harewood (TV series), is an elderly Pachyrhinosaurus. In his first appearance, The Land Before Time VIII: The Big Freeze, he is a very respected resident of the Great Valley; having convinced the others that he has been everywhere and seen everything. When snow falls in the Valley for the first known time, and he is unable to explain it, the other adults lose faith in him. While stranded in the Mysterious Beyond, he reveals to the children, to whom he acted as a teacher, that most of his knowledge comes from secondary sources. Despite this, he is able to use the knowledge he learned to guide them back to the Great Valley.
The character's only appearance in the films, to date, was in The Land Before Time VIII: The Big Freeze, but he has become a regular in the TV series.
Mo
Mo, voiced by Rob Paulsen, is a colorful Ophthalmosaurus who first appeared in The Land Before Time IX: Journey to Big Water. The character is bilingual, speaking a broken form of the herbivore language, as well as his native dolphin-like language. He is very playful, and becomes popular with the main characters aside from Cera, who is at first annoyed by his playful antics.
Though the character's only prominent roles are in the ninth movie and in the TV episode "The Missing Fast-Water Adventure", he has made a few cameo appearances in the films. In The Land Before Time X: The Great Longneck Migration, he jumps out of the water during the "Adventuring" musical number, and he says "And fly!" during the song "Flip, Flap and Fly" in The Land Before Time XII: The Great Day of the Flyers.
Guido
Guido, voiced by Rob Paulsen, is a teal blue Microraptor gui, who first appears in The Land Before Time XII: The Great Day of the Flyers. He is convinced that he's the only one of his kind, having never seen another of his kind before. His origins are unknown, as he apparently has no idea what he is or where he came from. Though he tries to fly, he can only glide for a brief period of time. He reappears in the TV episode "The Hermit of Black Rock", in which he and Petrie meet an old blind purple Harpactognathus named Swooper (voiced by Jess Harnell), and learns to fly properly. He often appears neurotic or panicky at times, and easily confused.
Shorty
Shorty, voiced by Brandon Michael DePaul (X) and Elizabeth Daily (TV series) is a young dark green Brachiosaurus who first appears in The Land Before Time X: The Great Longneck Migration. When Bron found Shorty, he was defending a group of much younger Camarasaurus. Shorty bullies Littlefoot at first and antagonizes him, until Littlefoot decides that he can be his adopted older brother, and Shorty accepts. Later, at the end of the film, it is implied that Bron adopts him.
Tippy and his Mother
Tippy, voiced by Jeremy Suarez (VIII) and Cree Summer (TV series), is a pink and brown Stegosaurus who first appeared in The Land Before Time VIII: The Big Freeze, in which his herd migrates into the Great Valley temporarily, after which he quickly befriends Spike. Unlike Spike, Tippy, though with limited use of words, is very vocal.
Tippy's mother (voiced by Susan Krebs) is a kindly female Stegosaurus, who invites Spike to spend time with her herd upon learning that he has been adopted by another species and has not spent time around his species. She later invites him to travel with the herd when they leave the Valley in search of food during the freeze. She and her son, together with their herd, reappear in the episode "The Forbidden Friendship."
Hyp, Mutt, and Nod
Hyp, Mutt, and Nod are a trio of adolescent dinosaurs, who first appeared in The Land Before Time III: The Time of the Great Giving, in which they often quarrel with Littlefoot, Cera, and the others. It is also implied near the end of the film that Hyp the gray Hypsilophodon, behaves in this manner because of the aggressive treatment he receives from his father. His lackey, Mutt the green Muttaburrasaurus, is shown to be much softer-hearted, as well as dim-witted, whereas Hyp's other lackey, Nod the green Nodosaurus, frequently emphasizes Hyp's statements, as well as allowing him to ride on his back. They become friends with the protagonists after all eight cooperate against a pack of Fast-Bitters.
The trio appear again in the season one finale of the television series, "The Great Egg Adventure." In the film, they were voiced by Whit Hetford (Hyp), Jeff Bennett (Mutt), and Scott Menville (Nod). In the TV series, Bennett and Menville resume their roles, but Hyp is voiced by Mikey Kelley.
Ali
Ali, voiced by Juliana Hansen (IV) and Nika Futterman (TV series), is a young female purple Brontosaurus and a cousin of Littlefoot's, who first appeared in The Land Before Time IV: Journey Through the Mists. She quickly befriends Littlefoot, but is wary of the other main characters since they are not Longnecks. However, she befriends them after they all cooperate against common danger. She is their guide through the 'Land of Mists' through which her family formerly traveled. Ali appears again in the TV episode "The Brave Longneck Scheme."
Mrs. Twoped
Mrs. Twoped was an unseen friend of Tria around the time of Tricia's hatching. After Tricia ran for the very first time in The Land Before Time XII: The Great Day of the Flyers, Tria remarked that she could not wait to tell Mrs. Twoped about it. Due to her last name, Mrs. Twoped can be presumed to be a two-legged dinosaur. In the Swedish translation, her name is "Fru. Rörhuvud", which translates to "Mrs. Tubehead", so she could be a Parasaurolophus.
Doc
Doc, voiced by Kris Kristofferson (VI) and Jeff Bennett (TV series) is a nomadic elderly Diplodocus. In his first appearance, he saves Littlefoot shortly after arriving in the Great Valley, and Littlefoot idolizes him thereafter as the legendary 'Lone Dinosaur', who purportedly saved the Great Valley from a particularly powerful Sharptooth long before; Doc's own statements about having visited the Great Valley before, as well as a large scar on his face resembling one of the legend, support Littlefoot's ideas. At the end of the film, after Doc and Grandpa Longneck defeat a marauding Allosaurus and Tyrannosaurus Rex together, Doc leaves the Valley. He appears again in the TV episode "The Lone Dinosaur Returns," in which he now has a lady-friend. During the episode, he is initially appalled by Littlefoot's friendship with Chomper, but is gradually convinced to respect the latter.
Supporting characters
Grandpa and Grandma Longneck
Grandpa Longneck, voiced by Bill Erwin (I) and Kenneth Mars (II - XII, TV series) and Barry Bostwick (XIV), and Grandma Longneck, voiced by Linda Gary (II - IV) and Miriam Flynn (V - XIV, TV series), are two older bluish-grey Brontosauruses and are Littlefoot's maternal grandparents. They are his primary caregivers after his mother's (their daughter's) death; whereas Grandpa Longneck, together with Topsy, serves as a leader of the combined herds of the Great Valley. Littlefoot regards his grandfather as an idol. Although both elders seldom fight, each is fully capable of opposing a carnosaur.
Grandma and Grandpa Longneck appear in all of the Land Before Time films, and in many episodes of the TV series. Their names have never been given: all the characters address them by title, or by the species name of "Longneck," including by each other; modifying this, Bron appears as their son-in-law, wherefore he identifies them as "Papa and Mama Longneck."
Bron
Bron, voiced by Kiefer Sutherland (X) and Cam Clarke (TV series), and Scott Whyte (XIV) is a brown Brontosaurus, the father of Littlefoot, and adoptive father of Shorty. He first appears in The Land Before Time X: The Great Longneck Migration, wherein Bron reveals that he was separated from his wife and parents-in-law before Littlefoot hatched. Although Littlefoot and Bron are affectionate, they separate at the end of the film, promising to reunite. Bron eventually fulfills this in the TV episode "The Big Longneck Test," in which he administers a series of difficult tasks to Littlefoot. He reappears in the movie "Journey of The Brave" where he is trapped near a volcano and is hurt. He is shown to be proud of his son's will to save him.
Chomper's Parents
Chomper's Parents are a pair of Tyrannosaurus, featured in both of Chomper's film appearances. They are sexually dimorphic, with Chomper's father being dark green and his mother having an olive green color. They are very protective of their son, as when they invade the Great Valley to search for his egg in The Land Before Time II: The Great Valley Adventure, and fighting to protect him from a Giganotosaurus in The Land Before Time V: The Mysterious Island. Although the two initially treat the protagonists as prey, they promise to spare them, as a reward for rescuing Chomper from the Giganotosaurus. In The Land Before Time IV: Journey Through the Mists, a dark green Sharptooth resembling Chomper's father is chasing a herd of Dryosaurus.
Ducky and Spike's Mother
Ducky and Spike's Mother, voiced by Tress MacNeille (II-XII, TV series) and Meghan Strange (XIV), is a grayish green Saurolophus and has appeared in most of the movies. Ducky and Spike's father is rarely seen but has appeared in the initial film, and in the background of The Land Before Time VIII: The Big Freeze. The mother is a kindly, attentive figure, and is treated with respect by all children and adults in the Great Valley. She occasionally has doubts on whether to raise Spike in keeping with her own values or with those of his racial heritage; this was seen in The Land Before Time VIII: The Big Freeze when a stegosaur herd met and befriended Spike.
Ducky and Spike's Siblings
There are at least 14 young siblings, resembling Ducky herself but seldom seen. In the first film, Ducky's nest contained about half a dozen eggs, whereas in the second film, Ducky's parents have another nest, whence an equal number are hatched. As revealed in the latest film, more siblings are younger than Ducky and Spike.
Littlefoot's Mother
Appearing only in The Land Before Time, Littlefoot's Mother, voiced by Helen Shaver, lost her life in the first film to save Littlefoot and Cera from the Sharptooth pursuing them. Before her death, she is Littlefoot's teacher and caregiver, and introduces the story's principal themes; and after death, appears in spirit to reveal his destination. She is also shown in a flashback scene in The Land Before Time X: The Great Longneck Migration, wherein she is blue in color, whereas in the first film, she was brown.
Petrie's Mother
Petrie's Mother, voiced by Tress MacNeille (I-XIII, TV series) and Anndi McAfee (XIV), is a dark blue Pteranodon who appears in the entire series of The Land Before Time. She has major appearances in The Land Before Time V: The Mysterious Island, The Land Before Time VII: The Stone of Cold Fire, and The Land Before Time XII: The Great Day of the Flyers. In the seventh film, she flies to the Mysterious Beyond to find Petrie and Ducky, blaming her brother Pterano for endangering them.
Topps
Topps, voiced by Burke Byrnes (I), John Ingle (II - XIII, TV series) and George Ball (XIV), is a gray Triceratops, and the father of Cera. He was credited as "Daddy Topps" in the first film and is otherwise called "Mr. Threehorn". In The Land Before Time XI: Invasion of the Tinysauruses, the character Tria refers to him by the pet name "Topsy," much to the annoyance of Cera. He is portrayed as belligerent, domineering, sometimes hostile, and stubborn like his daughter, and as such, serves as opposition party to Grandpa Longneck, at any decisive meeting of the herds. Most interspecies racism is associated with him, but his principal anxiety in most appearances, is the protection of Cera.
Tria
Tria, voiced by Camryn Manheim (XI - XII) and Jessica Gee (XIII, TV series), is a pink "Three-Horn" (Triceratops), and Topps' second mate. Tria is introduced in The Land Before Time XI: Invasion of the Tinysauruses, wherein she is opposed by Cera until later in the story. Tria and Topps have a child in The Land Before Time XII: The Great Day of the Flyers.
Cera's Siblings
Topps and his first mate are shown to have had several children on at least two occasions. The first time can only be inferred, in that the existence of Dinah and Dana - Cera's niece and nephew and Topps' grandchildren - implies that Topps and his mate had at least one child before Cera's egg laying. Cera also had several sisters of an age with herself, though they are seldom seen. As of The Land Before Time XII: The Great Day of the Flyers, she has a half-sister named Tricia: the offspring of her father and stepmother, Tria.
Allies
The Tinysauruses
The Tinysauruses are an underground colony of Mussaurus, who appeared in The Land Before Time XI: Invasion of the Tinysauruses. Their leader is an old cranky Mussaurus with a huge voice named Big Daddy (voiced by Michael Clarke Duncan) along with his daughter Lizzie (voiced by Cree Summer). Other individuals include Skitter (voiced by Leigh Kelly), Dusty (voiced by Ashley Rose Orr), and Rocky (voiced by Nika Futterman).
The Tinysauruses make a cameo appearance in The Land Before Time XII: The Great Day of the Flyers, and later are mentioned in the TV episode "Stranger From the Mysterious Above."
Kosh
Kosh, voiced by Rob Paulsen (III, minus V), Jeff Bennett (XI - XII, TV series) and Pete Sepenuk (TV series), is a gluttonous, pink Ankylosaurus who appears reduces exile in some of The Land Before Time films and the TV series. He is almost always seen eating, and usually ends up having his meal disturbed or interrupted in some way. He is also rather quick to anger, though maybe not as much as Cera's father. He is apparently on good terms with him, usually being the first to agree with Mr. Threehorn, but often argues with him too. His first name was revealed in the end credits of the TV episode "The Star Day Celebration."
Rooter
Rooter, voice by Pat Hingle (who also narrated the first film), is an old Turquoise-colored Scolosaurus, who consoles Littlefoot after the latter's mother has died. His only appearance was in the first film.
Foobie
Foobie, voiced by Pete Sepenuk, is a mute Yellow Belly who is considered the Wise One of his herd. Foobie makes friends with Spike. He appears in The Land Before Time XIII: The Wisdom of Friends.
Hidden Runner
Hidden Runner, voiced by Rob Paulsen, is a green and blue Troodon whose only appearance, so far, has been in The Land Before Time TV series episode "The Spooky Nighttime Adventure." He (or she) has the ability to blend in with its habitat due to its multi-colored markings, giving the impression that it can turn invisible, similar to a chameleon or octopus.
Loofah and Doofah
Loofah and Doofah are two Beipiaosaurus Yellow-Bellies who only appeared in The Land Before Time XIII: The Wisdom of Friends. Loofah is voiced by Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Doofah is voiced by Sandra Oh. Loofah is the cheerful leader of a herd of Yellow-Bellies who, in the film, are looking for the Berry Valley. Doofah is a prominent female in her herd, and is equally friendly and optimistic. Both of them have short-term memory loss, and are motivated by impulsive needs.
Milo, Lydia, and Plower
Milo, Lydia, and Plower are three Ceratogaulus featured in the TV episode "Stranger From the Mysterious Above." They believe Spike to be "The Big Wise One". Milo was voiced by Rob Paulsen, Plower by Meghan Strange, and Lydia by Anndi McAfee.
Archie
Archie is an old Archelon, living in a cave-system just outside the Land of Mists. He has only appeared in The Land Before Time IV: Journey Through the Mists, wherein he guides Littlefoot and his friends through the caves.
Tickles
Tickles is an arboreal Megazostrodon who appeared in The Land Before Time IV: Journey Through the Mists, to assist the protagonists. He was voiced by Frank Welker.
Elsie
Elsie is a green Elasmosaurus who returns Littlefoot, Ducky, Cera, Petrie, and Spike to their families at the end of The Land Before Time V: The Mysterious Island. She is voiced by Christina Pickles.
Sue
Sue is a bright pink Supersaurus. She saved Littlefoot from a Belly Dragger (Sarcosuchus) by simply crushing its face in The Land Before Time X: The Great Longneck Migration. She wishes to meet somebody who is taller than her, and once in the crater, she meets a Sauroposeidon that is taller than herself. Sue is kind and gentle, but her real personality remains a mystery because of her short amount of screen-time. She was voiced by Bernadette Peters.
Pat
Pat is an old but not always wise Apatosaurus, who only appeared in The Land Before Time X: The Great Longneck Migration, and was voiced by James Garner.
Saro
Saro is an Alamosaurus. He is an old friend of Grandpa Longneck, who has been interested in the stories of the Longnecks all his life. He appears in the episode of the TV series, "The Legend of the Story Speaker." He is voiced by Pete Sepenuk.
Rainbow Faces
Rainbow Faces are two Gallimimus, who appeared in The Land Before Time VII: The Stone of Cold Fire. Throughout their appearance, they show scientific knowledge exceeding that attributed to other characters, and are finally implied to be extraterrestrial in origin. The male Rainbow Face appears again in The Invasion of the Tinysauruses.
Dara
Dara is a wandering female Diplodocus who first appeared in the TV episode "The Lone Dinosaur Returns." She is the lady-friend of Doc, the 'Lone Dinosaur'. She is voiced by Susan Blu.
Swooper
Swooper is a blind, elderly Harpactognathus who Petrie and Guido meet in Black Rock in the TV episode "The Hermit of Black Rock." He is voiced by Jess Harnell.
Etta
Etta is a Pteranodon who appears in The Land Before Time: Journey of the Brave. After Littlefoot meets her after looking for shelter during a "Sand cloud" a.k.a. Sand storm, she forces Littlefoot into a cave, and the mouth of the cave is blocked by sand, and later rocks. To cheer up the downtrodden Longneck, Etta tells Littlefoot to 'look for the light'; look for the positive in a negative situation. After a song number, she and Littlefoot hear sound from above the cave, coming from a skirmish between the rest of the Prehistoric Pals and a hostile Sharptooth. The dinosaurs (and pterosaurs) ride a river and use a waterfall to exit the cave opening, and make their way to the Fire Mountain; the location of Littlefoot's imperiled father, Bron. Etta has a burn mark on her arm when a small lava bomb hit her when she was near a volcano called Fire Mountain. She is voiced by Reba McEntire.
Wild Arms
Wild Arms is a Nothronychus who notifies Littlefoot and the rest of the valley that Bron has been imperiled in the Mysterious Beyond. In the evening, after the kids set off to find Littlefoot's father, he is enlisted by Grandpa Longneck and Daddy Topps to guide them to the Fire Mountain, the exact location where Bron was put in danger due to a volcanic eruption. It is later revealed by Etta that Wild Arms' life was nearly cut short during the eruption of the Fire Mountain, the therizinosaur narrowly escaping death due to the involvement of Bron; though this rescue was ultimately what put Bron's life on the line. After Bron is rescued, he, alongside Etta, Grandpa, Topps, and the Gang of Seven, head back to the Great Valley as the sun sets.
Though Wild Arms is intended to be seen as a protagonistic character, he has few redeeming traits. Though his eccentric behavior does occasionally lead to humor, he is selfish, cowardly, and somewhat mean spirited. He is rather narcissistic, and is very reluctant to help those who need help the most. At the end of the movie, Wild Arms arrogantly tries to take credit for helping with the rescue, saying he "volunteered" when boasting to Etta; who quickly laughs off his arrogance. He also has to be goaded into going into the Land of the Featherhead Sharpteeth, and, despite being told that Chomper is not a threat to him, passes out when Chomper attempts to greet him, forcing the others to have to carry him until they nearly encounter the Horned Sharptooth. He is voiced by Damon Wayans, Jr.
Villains
Sharptooth
Sharptooth is the main antagonist of The Land Before Time. He is an extremely strong, athletic, and powerful Tyrannosaurus, injured in pursuit of Littlefoot and Cera, but also the slayer of Littlefoot's mother. Having fallen into a crack in the earth during an earthquake, he remains comatose until awoken by Cera, and thereafter pursues the protagonists until the end of the film, wherein they drown him in a lake. He appears to have a grudge against them after Littlefoot inadvertently injured his right eye during his first encounter with him.
Ozzy and Strut
Ozzy and Strut are two Struthiomimus. They are the main antagonists of the second movie, The Land Before Time II: The Great Valley Adventure, where Ozzy is obsessed with eating eggs while Strut is clumsy and has more interest in plants. Having been prevented thrice from stealing eggs, and twice by Littlefoot and his friends, Ozzy and Strut attempt to drop him from a cliff, but are driven from the Valley by Chomper's parents, and presumably killed. Ozzy is voiced by Jeff Bennett (with a British accent) and Strut is voiced by Rob Paulsen; they are the only characters to identify themselves by species name, when Ozzy identifies himself as 'this Struthiomimus' in their song-sequence. Other characters in the series identify them as "egg stealers", "fast runners", or "claw-heads" in movies and books in the franchise.
Dil and Ichy
Dil and Ichy are the main antagonists of The Land Before Time IV: Journey Through the Mists. Dil is a female Deinosuchus (called a "big-mouthed bellydragger") and Ichy is a male Ichthyornis (called a "sharp beak"). They pursue Littlefoot and his friends throughout the film, but often quarrel among themselves, partly because of the lack of food and partly because Dil is very nearsighted. Ultimately, they separate completely; immediately afterwards, Dil was chased away by a plesiosaur. Dil is voiced by Tress MacNeille and Ichy is voiced by Jeff Bennett.
Red Claw
Red Claw, voiced by Pete Sepenuk, is a Tyrannosaurus who is the primary antagonist of the TV series. He has a distinctive scar extending from his left eye to his left hand, with the blood apparently coloring one of his claws bright red. He is sometimes identified with the initial film's antagonist, either to be one and the same as the original sharptooth or at least a blood-relative.
Screech and Thud
Screech and Thud, voiced by Pete Sepenuk and Rob Paulsen, respectively, are two Utahraptors, and companions of Red Claw. In the episode "Escape From the Mysterious Beyond" Thud is shown to have sociopathic tendencies and not to understand the concept of friendship. However, after Chomper frees Thud, whose tail had been caught in a rock, Thud leads Red Claw and Screech away from the gang.
Rhett
Rhett (voiced by Elizabeth Daily) is a new friend of Littlefoot's friend Ali, who is introduced in the TV series episode "The Brave Longneck Scheme." He has an arrogant personality and tries to pass off as a hero by telling exaggerated stories of his heroics to his friends, although his lies are discovered by Littlefoot and the others. He is an Antarctosaurus.
Pterano
Pterano, voiced by Michael York, is the antihero of The Land Before Time VII: The Stone of Cold Fire. He is the brother of Petrie's mother and the uncle of Petrie and his siblings, but exiled from the herd for abandoning his own followers to Deinonychus. Having rejoined the herd, he attempts to capture the titular Stone of Cold Fire, but ultimately fails when it turns out the Stone is just a regular asteroid, and is banished anew temporarily. In The Land Before Time X: The Great Longneck Migration, a lone Flyer resembling Pterano is seen when Littlefoot and his grandparents leave the Valley.
Rinkus and Sierra
Rinkus, a pink Rhamphorhynchus, and Sierra, a brown Cearadactylus, are the henchmen of Pterano in The Land Before Time VII: The Stone of Cold Fire. They assist in kidnapping Ducky and later turn on Pterano when the Stone of Cold Fire proves to be only a metallic meteorite. They are last seen being thrown into the sky by a violent explosion at the end of the film, alive but severely injured. Rinkus is voiced by Rob Paulsen with a Cockney accent and Sierra is voiced by Jim Cummings.
The Great Hideous Beast
The Great Hideous Beast (voiced by Dorian Harewood) is a Microceratus who appears in the TV episode "Stranger From the Mysterious Above". It terrorized a subterranean group of mammals until Spike accidentally buried it in a rockslide. The Great Hideous Beast then escaped to the surface.
Unnamed Sharpteeth
Many Sharpteeth were featured as antagonists in several Land Before Time films.
- A pack of Pachycephalosaurus are seen in The Land Before Time attacking Cera and frightened from her by a disguised assembly of her friends. In The Land Before Time IV: Journey Through the Mists, two battling Domeheads (which are likely the Domeheads from The Land Before Time the first film; the same ones who attacked Cera in that film and were frightened by a tar covered monster of her friends) scare a large herd of Egg-Stealers into leaping into a river in the Land of Mists. They later appear, peacefully and friendly as residents of the Great Valley in The Land Before Time XI: Invasion of the Tinysauruses.
- Four Velociraptors (voiced by Frank Welker) appear near the end of The Land Before Time III: The Time of the Great Giving. They try to kill the adults, but one is apparently knocked out cold by a rock falling on his head while the other three are separated from the herd due to a flood of water.
- A Giganotosaurus appears in The Land Before Time V: The Mysterious Island is shown to be living on the same island as Chomper and his parents. It tries to eat the gang, but they are saved by Chomper's parents. After a short fight where it incapacitates Chomper's parents, it eventually falls down a cliff into the sea.
- A Cretoxyrhina also appears in The Land Before Time V: The Mysterious Island. He tries to attack Littlefoot and the gang, but he was defeated when Littlefoot and the gang end up in the island again.
- An Allosaurus (voiced by Danny Mann) appears in The Land Before Time VI: The Secret of Saurus Rock, where it tries to eat the gang on two separate occasions while going to and from Saurus Rock. It halls down a chasm while trying to cross a log to get to the gang. Littlefoot later returns to retrieve a tooth from it, only to realize it is still alive. The Allosaurus is then joined by a Tyrannosaurus (voiced by Frank Welker) and they try to kill Grandpa when he tries to save Littlefoot, but Doc shows up and buries them in a pile of rocks.
- A Tyrannosaurus appears in The Land Before Time VIII: The Big Freeze. Wandering around the landscape during a blizzard, it tries to eat Ducky, but it is incapacitated after Littlefoot and Cera roll a large snowball into it. It returns and tries to eat the gang as they try to go up a hill. Mr. Thicknose rolls a log into its direction, causing it to slip on it, roll down the hill, and fall off a cliff.
- A Liopleurodon, dubbed a Sharptooth Swimmer, appears in The Land Before Time IX: Journey to Big Water. A resident of the Big Water, it is stranded in a body of water in the Great Valley after a large rainstorm. It then tries to eat Littlefoot and the gang, but becomes trapped in a cave after an earthquake. After getting free, it relentlessly pursues the gang into the Mysterious Beyond, where they encounter it again. The Liopleurodon is lured away by Mo, who is apparently eaten by it, much to Littlefoot's distress. However, after finding Mo safe and sound, he tells the gang he managed to hide from the Liopleurodon, after which it sensed the Big Water was nearby and swam away back to its home.
- A Sarcosuchus appears in The Land Before Time X: The Great Longneck Migration. Residing in a swamp in the Mysterious Beyond, it tries to eat Littlefoot after he mistakes it for a rock to jump on, but Littlefoot is saved by Sue, who stomps her foot down on its head. It survives and goes on to try and eat Cera, Ducky, Petrie, and Spike when they venture into its territory while going after Littlefoot. It nearly succeeds in eating Petrie, but he is saved after Cera unintentionally knocks a large tree onto the Sarcosuchus, causing it to release Petrie in the process. Again, the Sarcosuchus survives, but winds up being trapped underneath the log, allowing the gang to escape.
- Three Tyrannosauruses appear in The Land Before Time X: The Great Longneck Migration. One tries to eat Cera, Ducky, Petrie, and Spike when they mistake it for a rock to sleep against, but loses them. It later reappears alongside two others when they try to eat the gang, along with Bron, Shorty, Pat, and Littlefoot's grandparents. All three are defeated through the cooperation of the entire group, but they recover and try to attack the entire Longneck herd. However, they are scared off when the Night Circle blocks out the Great Circle.
- Two Utahraptors appear in The Land Before Time XI: Invasion of the Tinysauruses. After chasing the Tinysauruses through a cave, they manage to enter the Great Valley through a hole in the wall. They are eventually chased out of the Valley by the adults after a short fight.
- A Spinosaurus appears in The Land Before Time XII: The Great Day of the Flyers. Guido disturbs its sleep after sleep-flying into it, after which it tries to eat him. Guido is saved by Petrie, and the two are pursued by the Spinosaurus. It is later trapped underneath a rock after being lured there by the rest of the gang.
- Four Baryonyxes appear in The Land Before Time XIII: The Wisdom of Friends as the main antagonists. They are led by a dark-purple Baryonyx with a scar running over its jaw. The four try to eat Loofah, Doofah, and Foobie, but they chase them into a cave, where the rest of the gang bury them in rocks. They survive and chase after the gang, but fall down a cliff.
- A mother Utahraptor appears in the episode "The Great Egg Adventure".
- A pair of featherheaded Yutyrannus appear in Journey of the Brave.
- A Carnotaurus also appears in Journey of the Brave.
References
- 1 2 3 Universal Pictures Home Entertainment (December 17, 2015). "From Universal Pictures Home Entertainment: The Land Before Time: Journey of the Brave". PR Newswire. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Don Bluth Land Before Time". The Animated Films of Don Bluth. 1994. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
- ↑ Leyden, Joe (December 22, 1996). "The Land Before Time IV: Journey Through the Mists". Variety. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
- ↑ Miller, Gregory E. (August 13, 2014). "A rundown of the best and worst 'The Land Before Time' moves". The New York Post. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
- ↑ Ebert, Roger (November 18, 1988). "The Land Before Time Movie Review (1988)". Roger Ebert.com. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 Miller, Wendy (November 29, 1988). "Animated Film Lives Up to Promises". The Mohave Daily Miner. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
- ↑ Maslin, Janet (November 1988). "The Land Before Time (1988)". The New York Times. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
- ↑ "The Land Before Time Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on October 4, 2008. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
- ↑ "Land Before Time Characters: Littlefoot". Landbeforetime.com. Archived from the original on May 3, 2006. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 Beck, Jerry (2005). The Animated Movie Guide. Chicago Review Press. p. 138. ISBN 1556525915.
- ↑ Pudleiner, Mark (April 11, 2009). "Memory lane 2 > Don Bluth Studio 1986". Mark Pudleiner's Official Blog. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
- ↑ The Motion Picture Guide: 1989 Annual. Jenny Mueller (Editor), Jeffrey H. Wallenfeldt (Senior Editor), Jennifer Howe, Michaela Tuohy (Associate Editors), William Leahy (Editorial Director). Evanston, Illinois: Cinebooks, Inc. 1989. pp. 185–186. ISBN 0-933997-20-5.
- ↑ "Land Before Time Characters: Cera". Landbeforetime.com. Archived from the original on June 14, 2006. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
- ↑ Pope, Bryan (March 4, 2005). "DVD Verdict Review - The Land Before Time XI: Invasion of the Tinysauruses". DVD Verdict. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
- ↑ Horiuchi, Tami. "DVD: The Land Before Time XII: The Great Day of the Flyers (DVD)". Tower.com. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
- ↑ "'The Land Before Time'". The Washington Post. November 18, 1988. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
- ↑ Leeper, Mark R. (1988). "Review for the Land Before Time (1988)". IMdb.com (originally posted on rec.arts.movies.reviews). Retrieved February 7, 2016.
- ↑ "The Land before Time: Cera's Big Day out : Molly Goode, Judy Freudberg, Tony Geiss". Book Depository.com. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
- ↑ "The Land Before Time: Cera's Shiny Stone (I Can Read Book 2)". Amazon. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
- 1 2 "Land Before Time Characters: Ducky". Landbeforetime.com. Archived from the original on April 5, 2006. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
- ↑ Mansour, David (2005). From Abba to Zoom: A Pop Culture Encyclopedia of the Late 20th Century. Andrews McMeel Publishing. p. 272. ISBN 0740751182.
- ↑ "Dinosaurs Land Before Time / Petrie Dino". Thelandbeforetime.com. Archived from the original on April 5, 2006. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
- ↑ Kho, Nancy Davis (February 19, 2007). "The Land Before Time XII: The Great Day of the Flyers". Common Sense Media. Retrieved February 24, 2016.
- ↑ Herzog, Alan David (2003). Test-Prep Your IQ with the Essentials of Film. Peterson's. p. 111. ISBN 0768911907.
- ↑ ^ Benton, Michael J. (2004). "Origin and relationships of Dinosauria". In Weishampel, David B.; Dodson, Peter; and Osmólska, Halszka (eds.). The Dinosauria (2nd ed.). Berkeley: University of California Press. pp. 7–19. ISBN 0-520-24209-2.
- ↑ "Land Before Time Cartoon: Spike". Thelandbeforetime.com. Archived from the original on April 5, 2006. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
- ↑ "dOc treehouse: The Land Before Time: The Big Freeze (2001)". Digitally Obsessed. Archived from the original on February 18, 2009. Retrieved February 24, 2016.
- ↑ Simpson, MJ. "The Land Before Time II". MJ Simpson.co.uk. Archived from the original on August 27, 2007. Retrieved February 24, 2016.
- ↑ Scott, Vernon (November 24, 1988). "'Before Time' movie - the heroes are dinosaurs". The Desert News. p. 59. Retrieved February 24, 2016.
- ↑ "Land Before Time Other Friends". Thelandbeforetime.com. Archived from the original on April 5, 2006. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
- 1 2 Rhodes, Steven (July 25, 2002). "Rotten Tomatoes: A pleasant little story of no real consequence ... if you want a compelling story you should go for the original". Rotten Tomatoes UK. Archived from the original on May 2, 2008. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
- ↑ Scheib, Richard (April 6, 2010). "Land Before Time V: The Mysterious Island, The". Moria. Archived from the original on May 20, 2010. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
- ↑ "The Land Before Time: The Lonely Dinosaur (I Can Read - Level 2 (Quality))". Amazon. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
- ↑ "Well, this is happening (The Land Before Time 14: Journey of the Brave Trailer Review).". When Dinosaurs Ruled the Mind. September 13, 2015. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
- ↑ Ashby, Emily. "The Land Before Time TV review". Common Sense Media. Retrieved February 29, 2016.