The Land Before Time

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1:35

The Land Before Time

G

Released Nov 18, 1988

1h 6m

Kids & Family

Adventure

Animation

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

65%

Tomatometer

66 Reviews

79%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

Littlefoot (Gabriel Damon), a young plant-eating dinosaur, is orphaned after his mother (Helen Shaver) perishes while protecting him from a vicious carnivore. With her last breath, she tells him how to get to the legendary Great Valley, where he will be reunited with others of his kind. With his friend Cera (Candace Hutson), Littlefoot sets out for the fabled land, meeting a variety of new friends along the way -- while also being tracked by the killer dinosaur that mortally wounded his mother.

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Critics Consensus

Beautifully animated and genuinely endearing, The Land Before Time is sure to please dino-obsessed tykes, even if it's a little too cutesy for older viewers.

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Anne Stephenson

Arizona Republic

Just when you think animated movies for children have become a triumph of marketing over imagination, along comes Don Bluth to make you think again.

Rated: 3/4

Aug 23, 2022

Full Review

Amy Greene

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The story does have a certain degree of charm, but the biggest flaw is that it covers several Major Life Themes without much subtlety or use of symbolism.

Aug 23, 2022

Full Review

Jay Carr

Boston Globe

The spirit of Land Before Time is right. And, thanks to Bluth and his staff, the film's style is right, too.

Aug 23, 2022

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Carla Monfort

Espinof

The Land Before Time is a charming adventure that, despite having a very dark moment, continues to excite and function as great family entertainment, thanks to its endearing characters and its universal message. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 3.5/5

May 13, 2024

Full Review

Mat Brunet

AniMat's Review (YouTube)

Before all the sequels and the dozens of episodes of the TV show, it was just a simple story of five young dinosaurs on a journey to a promised land, and that’s all you need for a heartfelt picture.

Rated: 9/10

Apr 7, 2023

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Eleanor O'Sullivan

Asbury Park Press (NJ)

Bluth and his enormous team of artists have done an exceptional job, drawing you into a world forbidding and, in the expected happy ending, enchanting.

Aug 23, 2022

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Peter C

the movie theater needs to fucking re-do everything. they have fucked up and need to fix their terrible problems!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/07/24

Full Review

Bobby

One of my all-time favorites! I’m thrilled to have seen it in theaters.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/04/24

Full Review

Ryan G

Still fresh after all these years. It is worth seeing on the big screen it you can. Still waiting for a worthy sequel though in the midst of all the direct to video attempts

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/31/23

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Grace

it was amazing to watch the movie I grew up watching on the big screen!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/03/23

Full Review

Mark S

Took my 9 year old grandson to it. He enjoyed it, which is all I can ask for. Besides, I thought it was cute as well.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/05/23

Full Review

Mitchell S

Still holds up as a classic. It's a great illustration of persistence and especially community. Revisiting it as an adult, there are a lot more in-depth themes than I remember!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/28/25

Full Review

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Don Bluth

Director

Gabriel Damon

Littlefoot

Candace Hutson

Cera

Judith Barsi

Ducky

Will Ryan

Petrie

Bill Erwin

Grandfather

The Land Before Time: Official Clip - Petrie Saves His Friends From Sharptooth

2:12

The Land Before Time: Official Clip - Finding Green Food

2:13

The Land Before Time: Official Clip - Littlefoot is Born

2:12

The Land Before Time: Official Clip - Littlefoot Meets Ducky

2:12

The Land Before Time: Official Clip - Flyers and Cherries

1:28

The Land Before Time: Official Clip - The Friends Find Spike

1:52

The Land Before Time: Official Clip - The Great Valley

1:57

The Land Before Time: Official Clip - Littlefoot and Ducky Meet Petrie

1:10

The Land Before Time: Official Clip - Littlefoot to the Rescue

2:59

The Land Before Time: Official Clip - Littlefoot's Mother Dies

3:04

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The Land Before Time: Trailer 1

1:35

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Synopsis

Littlefoot (Gabriel Damon), a young plant-eating dinosaur, is orphaned after his mother (Helen Shaver) perishes while protecting him from a vicious carnivore. With her last breath, she tells him how to get to the legendary Great Valley, where he will be reunited with others of his kind. With his friend Cera (Candace Hutson), Littlefoot sets out for the fabled land, meeting a variety of new friends along the way -- while also being tracked by the killer dinosaur that mortally wounded his mother.

Director: Don Bluth
Producer: Gary Goldman, Don Bluth, John Pomeroy
Screenwriter: Stu Krieger
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Lucasfilm Ltd., Amblin Entertainment, Universal Pictures
Rating: G
Genre: Kids & Family, Adventure, Animation
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 18, 1988, Original
Release Date (Streaming): May 25, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $45.8M
Runtime: 1h 6m
Sound Mix: Surround

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