The film The Land Before Time was released before 1989 .
Released by Universal Pictures on November 18 , 1988 , the film was a critical and financial success , and spawned a multimillion-dollar franchise with thirteen direct-to-video sequels and a television series -LRB- without involvement from Bluth , Spielberg , or Lucas -RRB- as well as merchandise -LRB- toys , video games , etc . -RRB- and a television series .
The Land Before Time