The Land Before Time X: The Great Longneck Migration

The Land Before Time was one of my most beloved cartoons. It was a far cry from Disney, being dark, moody, and really sad and morose. But since Universal betrayed Don Bluth and started cranking out cheap direct-to-video sequels, I've been unhappy with the series. I liked II and III because I was still in kindergarten, but since then I haven't seen any until I got XII, XIII and IX. I intended to get 'em all, each time hoping for a revival of the old style. In Land Before Time X: The Great Longneck Migration, you will not find anything like the art direction of the first one, albeit there is a shadow of it in a gloomy swamp. The Great Valley must be bright and cheery, which I forgive, 'cause it's heaven on earth, isn't it? Well, the rest of the sequels acted like the last movie never happened; it's like a TV series with episodes like Dexter's Lab or Johnny Bravo, with no connection between the countless "adventures". However, the tenth installment ties in with the first, featuring a realistic plot. Migration instincts in dinosaurs probably arose not in dreams, but just some weird chemical reaction that said, "Time to haul ass!" But, the animators probably knew that, and kiddies wouldn't get it if you involved scientific mumbo-jumbo in a cartoon that calls tyrannosaurs "sharpteeth". As far as animation goes, the gist of the last paragraph repeats itself: this is the only REAL sequel. They actually seemed to want to do the classic justice this time around. The animation in the other video releases was no better than a TV show, despite some amateurish attempts at CG effects in the ninth. Now, the hand animation looks smooth and fluent, not quite like the first, but good enough to pass with some confidence, since the sequels Disney's churning out aren't exactly masterpieces. The CGI is the most noticeably improved: the trees, the rocks, the water, every non-character element is CG, except for when a character hits the wanter - then you see a hand-drawn splash. The voice acting is much better. The filmmakers didn't just walk up to a random guy on the street and ask him if he could read. Some celebrities tag along for this finale. I heard that someone heard that a good source had confirmed that XI was in the works: I don't think so, or hope so. The narrator certainly seemed to say that was it, since he just said that Littlefoot and his dad would have some more adventures, and everything turned out hunky-dory. So I doubt that they'd have the audacity to make another sequel. I think if you're a Don Bluth fan (this ISN'T a Bluth film), you'll like The Land Before Time. If you do, there isn't any real need to see any of the sequels but The Land Before Time X: The Great Longneck Migration. It's the only REAL sequel to Bluth's masterpiece.

I like most of the sequels of the Land Before Time series, though none of them are as good as the original. This is a decent sequel, without being one of the best. The songs are forgettable here and the dialogue is rather simplistic, plus the film does feel rushed in places. But the animation is decent with some nice backgrounds especially, and the plot is well thought out and rounded off. The voice acting is the best asset though, easily one of the better LBT sequels in terms of voice acting. The characters still have their likability also, and there is some very admirable messaging. Overall, not great but not awful either. 6/10 Bethany Cox

This is another entry in the neverending "Land Before Time" series and it isn't that terrible. I admit that it's been a long time since I've seen the series and it was at least nice to see all the characters again. I mean, they don't really do anything outrageously out of character in this. This movie features a great longneck migration but that only makes up less than half of the actual movie. This movie features Littlefoot having a dream about a migration which all the other dinosaurs have, which is kind of weird. All the longnecks go to this one place while Littlefoot's friends follow their tracks. They actually did do something kind of nice and that's introduce Littlefoot's father. Honestly, these scenes are pretty good because in such a long running series they actually are making some important new revelations about the main characters. Of course, this is far from saving the film. It's amazing how the original film from 1988 has animation that easily surpasses this. The songs are pretty annoying, but at least it's better than "George Of The Jungle 2". Then again, what wouldn't be? **

I just don't get why people pick these poor movies to pieces. Sure, they may be low-quality, but it's a CHILDREN'S MOVIE, for crying out loud. If you're overly critical and over the age of 25 and hate these movies, then stop nitpicking them and get a life. They're awesome movies and always have been. I'm 15, I've grown up with them, and I love every one. To me, number 10 wasn't the best. The story was awesome (hey, we finally get to meet Bron, Littlefoot's dad!). I just thought the parts involving Cera and the others were a little bit cheesy..if not downright boring. They should've been left out and make it a surprise for them to show up later and explain how they came to be there. The songwriters could do better. The songs are a bit cheesy, and the singing isn't too good. The voiceacting sucks, particularly where Littlefoot is involved. I loved Scott McAfee and I wish they'd bring him back because he actually knew how to make Littlefoot's laugh sound authentic and not forced. Same with the screaming. Half the time the guy doesn't even sound like he's screaming, it's more like a low moan. C'mon, people, you can do better than that! And he of all the voiceactors Littlefoot had could actually sound like the original, Gabriel Damon. Way to go, Scott. Rock on. Anyway I must say it's great to know that Littlefoot actually had a father. First time around I actually was kind of sad that Littlefoot almost chose to go with Bron instead of staying with his grandparents. I love Grandma and Grandpa so I was like 'yay!' when he decided to stay with them. This one rates a 6 because of the voiceacting and such. I love the first five movies, and the 6th-8th hold their own charm. Number nine I thought had no relevance or even a lesson to learn from the plot..it was all hunky-dory fun and exploring the whole dang movie! The people who wrote that one should be shot. This one is okay and it's actually kind of dramatic and has a cool plot. All around it's a pretty good movie.

The Great Longneck Migration is my favorite of the sequels so far. Bron and Shorty are interesting and fun new characters, the story was interesting, if not somewhat based on dream logic, and the animation was pretty good even though it's CGI. I think the best thing about this movie is the conflict Littlefoot goes through. In fact, he's now the most relatable character to me. As a person who's lost friends due to movie, I can say that this conflict is portrayed perfectly in the final song which does get me teary-eyed every now and then. I also really loved the climax of this movie. It's gorgeously animated and just amazing! Of course, the relationship between Littlefoot and his dad and the journey itself are fun and heartfelt! In fact, this movie might be almost as good as the original if not better than the original movie. I also love "Adventuring" and "Best of Friends."