The defence The Sentimental Softie
“Sincerity is not manipulation.”
The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.
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The Land Before Time
Family · Animation · Adventure · 1988
An orphaned brontosaurus named Littlefoot sets off in search of the legendary Great Valley. A land of lush vegetation where the dinosaurs can thrive and live in peace. Along the way he meets four other young dinosaurs, each one a different species, and they encounter several obstacles as they learn to work together in order to survive.
Movie details
The Land Before Time
“It is the dawn of time, the land of the dinosaur. Lost and alone, Littlefoot and his friends are about to embark on the journey of a lifetime.”
1988 Family · Animation · Adventure 1h 9m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
7.2 / 10
Community rating
An orphaned brontosaurus named Littlefoot sets off in search of the legendary Great Valley. A land of lush vegetation where the dinosaurs can thrive and live in peace. Along the way he meets four other young dinosaurs, each one a different species, and they encounter several obstacles as they learn to work together in order to survive.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over The Land Before Time?
For the defence
The Sentimental Softie
“You came to feel something, and you will.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Cool Ironist
“Feeling things is a little embarrassing.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
Storm Boy
Drama · 2019
Storm Boy lives a lonely life with his reclusive father on a desolate coastline, but when he forms a close bond with a pelican, Mr. Percival, his life takes a new and unexpected turn.
Dinosaur
Adventure · 2000
An orphaned dinosaur raised by lemurs joins an arduous trek to a sancturary after a meteorite shower destroys his family home.
Bambi
Animation · 1942
Bambi's tale unfolds from season to season as the young prince of the forest learns about life, love, and friends.
Bambi II
Animation · 2006
Return to the forest and join Bambi as he reunites with his father, The Great Prince, who must now raise the young fawn on his own. But in the adventure of a lifetime, the proud parent discovers there is much he can learn from his spirited young son.
The Land Before Time VII: The Stone of Cold Fire
Adventure · 2000
Littlefoot and his pals set off in search of a "stone of cold fire" that fell from the night sky. Since he's the only one who has seen it though, nobody really believes him. Petrie's uncle Pterano offers support only because he thinks the stone has secret powers and wants it for himself but conceals this from the rest. The young dinos must figure out the truth, before Pterano gets the power.
Charlotte's Web 2: Wilbur's Great Adventure
Adventure · 2003
Wilbur the pig knows how important friendship is - he learned that from a spider named Charlotte. So when Wilbur meets Cardigan, a lonely lamb, Wilbur immediately makes him his friend.
Dragon Rider
Animation · 2020
An unlikely trio of heroes – a dragon, a boy and a forest brownie – embark on an epic adventure to find the “Rim of Heaven” - the mythological safe haven for all dragons.
The Land Before Time XIV: Journey of the Brave
Animation · 2016
On a day known to the dinosaurs as "Treasure Day", Bron becomes stuck in the Mysterious Beyond. This event urges the young Longneck Littlefoot to take his friends on a quest to the Fire Mountain to save his father. Along the way, they befriend a Flyer.
The Good Dinosaur
Adventure · 2015
An epic journey into the world of dinosaurs where an Apatosaurus named Arlo makes an unlikely human friend.
How to Train Your Dragon 2
Fantasy · 2014
Five years after uniting the dragons and Vikings of Berk, Hiccup and Toothless soar beyond their homeland, charting the vast unknown. During one of their adventures, the pair discover a secret cave that houses hundreds of wild dragons -- and a mysterious dragon rider with a startling connection to Hiccup. And as the ruthless dragon conqueror Drago Bludvist rises to seize control of both dragons and people alike, Hiccup must step into his role as a true leader and, alongside his friends and Toothless, protect Berk from a devastating war.
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Don Bluth
Written by
Stu Krieger · Judy Freudberg · Tony Geiss
Gabriel Damon
Littlefoot (voice)
Candace Hutson
Cera (voice)
Will Ryan
Petrie (voice)
Judith Barsi
Ducky (voice)
Helen Shaver
Littlefoot's Mother (voice)
Pat Hingle
Narrator / Rooter (voice)
Bill Erwin
Grandfather (voice)
Court is in session
Put The Land Before Time on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Cool Ironist
“The strings are showing.”
Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.