The Land Before Time (1988)

## Plot

During the age of the dinosaurs, a massive famine forces several herds of dinosaurs to seek an oasis known as the Great Valley. Among these, a mother in a diminished Apatosaurus herd gives birth to a single baby, named Littlefoot. Years later, Littlefoot encounters Cera, a Triceratops, until her father intervenes and tells her that three-horns never play with longnecks, whereupon Littlefoot's mother describes other kinds of dinosaurs, who only associate with their own species. That night, as Littlefoot follows a Triadobatrachus, he encounters Cera again, and they play together briefly until a large Tyrannosaurus attacks them. Littlefoot's mother comes to their rescue, but receives fatal injuries in the process. An earthquake swallows up the Sharptooth and divides Littlefoot and Cera and other dinosaurs from their herds while some die in the process, including Littlefoot's mother, who gives her son some words of advice about finding the Great Valley before she dies that night. Confused and in grief, Littlefoot meets an old Scolosaurus named Rooter, who consoles him. He is then guided by his mother's voice telling him to follow the sun to the Great Valley and pass several landmarks, such as a rock formation that resembles a Longneck and the volcanos.

Later, Littlefoot meets a Saurolophus named Ducky and a Pteranodon named Petrie, who accompany him on his journey. Cera, who is attempting to find her own kind, finds the unconscious Sharptooth inside a ravine and inadvertently wakes him up. She escapes and bumps into Littlefoot, Ducky, and Petrie; she tells them that the Sharptooth is alive and pursuing them, but Littlefoot does not believe her. As Cera describes her encounter, she accidentally flings Ducky to the direction of a lone hatching Stegosaurus, who she names Spike and inducts into the group. Seeking the Great Valley, they discover a cluster of trees, which is abruptly depleted by a herd of Diplodocus. Searching for remaining growth, they discover a single leaf-bearing tree, and obtain food by stacking up atop each other and pulling it down. Cera remains aloof, but at nightfall, everyone including herself gravitates to Littlefoot's side for warmth and companionship.

The next morning, they are attacked by the Sharptooth, but they manage to escape through a tunnel that is too small for the Sharptooth to go through. Beyond this, they discover the landmarks mentioned by Littlefoot's mother. Despite this, however, the trip begins to show very little to no signs of progress, so Cera stubbornly decides to go another way and even insults Littlefoot's mother, causing him to attack her in anger. The ensuing fight leads to the others following Cera, and Littlefoot is forced to continue alone. However, when Ducky and Spike become endangered by lava and Petrie gets stuck in a tar pit, Littlefoot returns to save his friends. Cera gets ambushed by a pack of Pachycephalosaurus, who are also living in the Mountains that Burn, but the rest of the group pose as a tar monster, scaring the domeheads away and frightening Cera. When she realizes who it really is, Cera angrily leaves the group. It is not long, however, until Cera gives in to her guilt, being that her stubbornness put others in danger for her own selfish desires. Later, while crossing a pond, Petrie overhears the Sharptooth nearby. The group devises a scheme to lure him to the pond and drown him in the deep side using a nearby boulder. During the ensuing struggle, a draft from the Sharptooth's nostrils enables Petrie to fly for the first time.

The plan nearly fails when the Sharptooth starts attacking the boulder while the group attempts to push it onto him. However, Cera, finally having a big change of heart, reunites with the group and headbutts the boulder, causing the Sharptooth to fall down into the water below with the boulder falling on him in the process. The Sharptooth momentarily takes Petrie down with him to his death, but Petrie later emerges unharmed. Littlefoot, alone, follows a cloud (resembling his mother), which guides Littlefoot to the Great Valley. Littlefoot is then joined by his friends. Upon arrival, the five are reunited with their families: Petrie impresses his family with his newfound flight, Ducky introduces Spike to her family, who adopt him, Cera reunites with her father, and Littlefoot rejoins with his grandparents. The group then rejoins at the top of a hill and embrace each other in a great big hug.

## Voice Cast

* Gabriel Damon as Littlefoot
* Candace Hutson as Cera
* Judith Barsi as Ducky
* Will Ryan as Petrie
* Helen Shaver as Littlefoot's mother
* Burke Byrnes as Cera's father
* Bill Erwin as Littlefoot's grandfather
* Pat Hingle as Narrator and Rooter