First Things First…
My dad took me to see this in the theater when I was about seven, so there’s a lot of nostalgia associated with it for me. I watched it plenty more times as a kid, but I know I saw it as an adult at least once and didn’t think it held up that well.
One of my main recollections is that this is surprisingly sad for a kids movie. There’s one moment, which I’m sure I’ll mention, that I still think is one of the saddest movie moments I’ve ever seen.
4 Things I Like
4. Rooter
Rooter is only in one scene, but it’s a good one.
He’s a wise old dinosaur who’s very crabby when Littlefoot accidentally disturbs him.
But he shows incredible kindness and sympathy once he understands that Littlefoot has lost his mother and is all alone.
When Littlefoot first blames his mother for leaving him… and then blames himself for wandering too far and leading her into peril… Rooter tells him…
“Oh, it’s not your fault. It’s not your mother’s fault. Now, you pay attention to old Rooter. It is nobody’s fault. The great circle of life has begun. But see, not all of us arrive together at the end.”
He also tells Littlefoot he’ll always miss his mother, but that she’ll always be with him as long as he remembers the lessons she taught him.
As sad as it is seeing a child so sad, it’s also a tender moment to see an older figure offer such comfort—especially in a world where danger lurks around every corner.
3. Questioning the Way of Things
Before his mother is killed, Littlefoot bombards her with questions. And his curiosity is primarily about why things are the way they are…
Why does each species stick to its own kinds?
Why can’t three-horns play with longnecks?
As a child, he doesn’t see the differences among the species. He just sees everyone as potential friends.
Depending on your perspective, you could say he’s naïve. But I’d rather believe he’s wise beyond his years.
2. Sadness
Despite its hopeful ending, when all the kids are reunited with their families in the Great Valley, this movie is so sad. I mean, the main character is just a child, and he loses his mom. That’s tough, especially for a young audience. But it also makes the movie memorable, despite its shortcomings.
And as sad as the scene is when Littlefoot’s mom dies and he can’t rouse her, the scene that always gets me is when he spots his own shadow, looking giant on a nearby mountainside, and believes it must be his mother, only to joyously sprint toward it and see it get smaller and smaller the closer he gets. That’s when his last hope that maybe, somehow, miraculously she survived is finally extinguished.
He needs this to happen so he can finally move on and get to the business of finding the Great Valley, but that doesn’t make it any less sad.
1. A Herd Unlike Any Other
“There had never been such a herd before. A long neck, a three-horn, a big mouth, a flyer, and a spike-tail all together, all knowing that if they lost their way, they would starve or find themselves in Sharptooth’s shadow.”
Narrator
I really like four of the five members of the herd. Littlefoot is a worthy and sympathetic protagonist… Petrie is eccentric and hilarious… Ducky is very cute… and Spike is my guy. He’s the only one who doesn’t talk. He just eats and sleeps, literally from birth. As a group, they’re fun to follow and root for.
0 Things I’m Mixed On
2 Things I Don’t Like
2. Cera
Man, she’s so annoying. I thought she was annoying when I was a kid. And now I still find her super-annoying.
But the bigger problem with her is she never seems to learn any lessons. I guess ultimately she’s with the rest of the herd at the end, when they find the Great Valley, and she’s getting along with them.
But every time she messes up or is mean to Littlefoot, she never realizes she’s wrong. Or she remains too proud to admit it.
1. Did We Learn Anything?
Cera takes the easy way, and Ducky, Spike, and Petrie follow her. But it’s the wrong way, of course, and she almost gets them all killed until Littlefoot saves them.
Petrie always had the ability to fly, but he doesn’t believe in himself, and he doesn’t succeed until he absolutely has to.
Even Littlefoot is wrong by not believing Cera when she tells him the Sharptooth is still alive.
What lessons are ever learned from any of these? It just feels like each issue is solved, and then they move on. Like, they never take the time to talk with Petrie about why he keeps failing to fly. Or to talk about why it’s the right decision to keep going the hard way and push through adversity.
It’s weird how this movie trusts kids to handle the emotional weight of the loss experienced by the characters—especially Littlefoot—but the great lessons that could be learned from their mistakes feel dumbed down.
Even in Rooter’s scene, he gives great advice, and he mentions the circle of life, but there’s no explanation or depth to it. They never say that the Sharptooth isn’t bad, he’s just following his nature.
Tim Matassa
