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.

The Land Before Time (1988) is an American animated adventure film directed and co-produced by Don Bluth and executive-produced by Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Kathleen Kennedy, and Frank Marshall. Littlefoot, a brontosaurus child, must fend for himself when his mother is killed. With several other orphaned dinosaurs, Littlefoot seeks out the fabled Great Valley, where food and shelter is plentiful. Along the way, the kiddie dinos learn several vital (and politically correct) life lessons, all the while keeping themselves scarce whenever the fierce tyrannosauri gallumph into view. The cuteness of the characters (emphasized by the voice work) takes some of the harsh edges off the story, which makes the film eminently suitable for younger children; and the smeary color design is ideal for the time-frame of the film, which is set in the turbulent, nature-run-rampant period just before the dinosaurs died out.