In the time of the dinosaurs, there is a famine coming. Therefore, the dinosaurs must seek an oasis for survival.

At some point, baby dinosaurs are hatching from eggs. That includes a “longneck,” who is named Littlefoot. Littlefoot has a mother and grandparents.

Over time, Littlefoot grows up and explores what is around him. He even meets a young “three-horn” dinosaur around his age called Cera. Unfortunately, she won’t play with him – and her father forces Littlefoot to leave her alone. He claims that all dinosaurs should stick with their own kinds. Littlefoot’s mother calmly agrees.

Their goal is to reach the Great Valley. However, Littlefoot’s mom gets hurt. Not only that, but an earthquake also occurs, separating the young dinosaurs from their families.

Littlefoot goes to his mother, who is sadly dying. She tells him how to resume his journey to the Great Valley… then she meets her demise.

Poor Littlefoot is in tears as he follows his mother’s words. Yet he still remembers what landmarks to look for.

Along the way, Littlefoot meets a small “Bigmouth” named Ducky and a tiny flying one called Petrie. They all get to know each other and form a nice bond together.

Meanwhile, Cera is looking for her own species – only to come across a dangerous sharptooth dinosaur. It tries to attack her, but she flees from it. And she ends up running into Littlefoot and his new friends.

Yet she refuses to accept them because they’re not her type. Regardless of that, though, she ends up joining them on their expedition.

There are several ups and downs the kids experience throughout the days. But during their journey, a non-verbal “spiketail” hatches from an egg. Ducky decides to call him Spike and invite him to join them.

To everyone’s surprise, there is a herd of longnecks eating leaves from a tree. The kids are luckily able to find the same plants, but closer to their sizes.

However, stakes are rising, starting with Sharptooth (who is actually a T-rex) attacking the kids and eventually Littlefoot getting into a fight with the others. That prompts them to leave him, making him completely on his own.

But can they reconcile and resume their expedition to the Great Valley?

The overall tone of this movie was heartwarming and adventurous. The narrator even played a role in setting the mood of each scene.

Littlefoot was a very likable and relatable character dealing with grief, peer drama, and achieving a specific goal. I admired all the friends he made after losing his mother, who was gentle and warm.

Another big aspect of this film was how many parts of it reminded me of The Lion King, even though that did not come out for another 6 years. So, all those moments were coincidences, including Littlefoot being close to his mom until she died, meeting Cera before the other young dinosaurs, and his mother coming back as a ghost to help him through his journey.

Speak of his mother, I disagreed with both her and Cera’s father stating that dinosaurs should only be with their own types. I couldn’t help but be reminded of real life segregation and not accepting others for who they are. Yet that’s a minor flaw.

Overall, I enjoyed The Land Before Time. It was a beautiful tale that people of all ages can enjoy.

I give it 4 out of 5 stars.