Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

The Land Before Time Blu-ray Movie Review

This old land looks brand new.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman October 15, 2015

Few films capture the essence of life as capably, succinctly, beautifully, and honestly as The Land Before Time, Director Don Bluth's (Thumbelina) classic 1988 animated dinosaur film that follows a recently hatched and orphaned dinosaur searching for, literally, greener pastures. The film thrives on its ability to take complex, challenging, even dark themes such as death, despair, doubt, and fear and present them contrasted against a backdrop of hope, friendship, kindness, and belief. Of course, there's mildly perilous adventure, but the movie's hopeful, soaring spirit, even considering its brutally honest yet accessibly simplistic depiction of how life works, all make the movie an unheralded masterpiece that kids will love for the dinosaurs and adults will cherish, adults who can better understand the grace with which the film serves as a mirror for the way things work in the world, even today as they did 65,000,000 years ago.

Turning over a new leaf.

In the time of dinosaurs, a great migration is taking place. The flat-toothed vegetarian dinosaurs are in search of a new home filled with delicious leafy green foods and free of the dangers posed by the sharp-toothed meat eaters, who feed on the vegetarian dinosaurs. A young dinosaur named Littlefoot (voiced by Gabriel Damon) is born to a loving family. He doesn't understand the journey he finds himself on, but the love and warmth that surround him make the hardships all the easier. Unfortunately, tragedy strikes. A major earthquake separates him from his family and tragically kills his mother (voiced by Helen Shaver). Now, he must continue on alone, learning about the world as he goes and finding help and friendship anywhere he can, including from a young Triceratops named Cera (Candace Hutson). As he, Cera, and a band of likeminded friends journey towards the promised land, they must evade a particularly dangerous dinosaur named Sharptooth, out to get them at all costs.

The movie's focus is on the cycle of life, or "the great circle of life" as one character calls it. The movie takes a simple and honest look at the entire process encapsulated in one little dinosaur's early life, a dinosaur whose mother dies practically no sooner than he is born, leaving only himself, his mother's parting words of wisdom, newly formed and carefully considered friendships, and instincts to get him to where he needs to be. Along the way, he puzzles out his own definitions of life, taking his mother's words to heart but also making use of his better judgment and personal experience to make important decisions. For example, he learns that there are indeed scary things in the world which need be avoided at all costs, but one's appearance alone doesn't make one friend or foe. As with its commentary on life, The Land Before Time also opens up to ideas of equality and friendship and approaches them, as with everything else, with a tangible warmth that's about as close as the movies can get to a real, loving, physical hug.

What makes the movie even more special is its accessibility to all audiences. For the kids who aren't quite old enough to grasp the film's finer points, it plays with a can't-miss enthusiasm. There are charms galore, including simple joys in the characters' personalities, big smiles, and thrilling adventures. While its core finds the perfect blend of accessibility and depth, the film's surface is one of playful fun that, even in its darkest moments, doesn't get too scary. Even its commentary is never at all preachy, instead expertly woven into the film's essential fabric. The animation is likewise simple but effective, lacking the vibrant colors of most other animated films in favor of a necessarily bleak, earthy appearance, but the screen absolutely lights up nevertheless thanks to the film's unending enthusiasm and charm that's evident across all areas of concern, not just in its superficial laughs and stylings.

The Land Before Time Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Land Before Time's packaging doesn't promise "perfect" picture like many Universal catalogue titles of the past but instead merely "improved" quality from a remastering. It's a better choice of words considering some of the iffy, and downright poor, releases of the past, but "improved" actually sells this release short. The Land Before Time certainly suffers through some rougher looking moments, but the picture generally impresses a great deal. The bulk of the movie looks great, covered by a mildly sharp and moderately thick but evenly dispersed grain field that gives the film a natural cinematic quality. Details are pleasant and robust, with the finer touches to be seen throughout -- largely on natural surfaces but also on dinosaur bodies -- appearing splendidly sharp and well defined, enjoying a substantial boost with the 1080p horsepower behind it. Colors are delightful, a little reserved and earthy to be sure considering the film's general palette. Brighter shades -- leafy greens, orangey sunsets, Sharptooth's devilish red eyes -- are nicely vibrant. Black levels never stray too far from purely deep. There are a few speckles here and there, the opening title sequence is murky, a handful of softer shots can be found scattered throughout, and there are a couple that look severely processed and tightly zoomed, but for the most part this is a cinema quality picture that should delight longtime fans. It's really like seeing the movie for the first time after decades of VHS, DVD, and maybe even LaserDisc releases that don't come anywhere close to this transfer's inherent beauty. It's important to remember that this isn't a Pixar movie made in the computer age. People expecting a shiny and clean image will be disappointed, but film fans should be pleased.

The Land Before Time Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Land Before Time's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack isn't a total disappointment, but it's a fairly pedestrian listen. Music stays largely around the front, enjoying some mild surround envelopment in places -- the opening titles in particular -- but failing to stretch very far into the back as the film progresses. Heavier sound effects are rather puny and lack oomph. Booming thunder falls relatively flat. Heavy dinosaur footfalls, crashes, and earthquakes lack even modest heft or room-filling spacing. A few screams are piercing and mild ambient envelopment is evident when rain falls. Dialogue is clear and centered with a nice bit of room-filling reverberation at the thirty-minute mark. This doesn't sound like Jurassic Park, and for an older animated movie the lack of thunderous power isn't surprising, but a bit more potency would have been welcome.

The Land Before Time Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of The Land Before Time contains no supplemental content. A voucher for a UV/iTunes digital copy is included with purchase.

The Land Before Time Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Land Before Time is a charming and unforgettable movie that seamlessly blends mild social commentary, deep life insight, and plenty of fun. It's a film fit for all ages, and it will speak to all audiences, in one way or another. The film plays as well today as it did about a quarter-century ago and is one of the few that's all but guaranteed to remain a classic for many decades to come. Universal's Blu-ray release of The Land Before Time features solid video, decent audio, and no supplements. It's a shame the studio couldn't include any extras, but the release comes highly recommended for both the film and its mostly impressive video transfer.