Land Before Time Retrospective #8
Released: 2001
As with #7, this one was completely new to me.
Much like how the previous film focused on Petrie, here I liked that Ducky and Spike’s relationship was explored, and Ducky’s mother also had a nice supporting role. This is probably the most development any of them have had up to this point. Tippy’s mother was a solid supporting character as well. Although I did find it just a bit too predictable that Spike’s absence was going to be temporary, and that in the end he’d realize who his true family was and would go back to them. In particular, the scene where Spike falls under the ice and Ducky’s mother dives in to save him felt unnecessary to me. It seemed like it was only there to establish a point that had already been established.
Quote from Malte279: They did some really weird things about the colors. For example we had green skies, and changing color paterns of the main characters, which, though they may have served the purpose of showing that they were cold, seemed exaggerated.
I loved the look of the green skies. It may not have been realistic, per say, but it added a beautiful yet surreal aesthetic to the winter atmosphere of the film. I do agree though that the changing colour palette of the characters was exaggerated.
Quote from Malte279: Another point I have to criticize about LBT 8 was the very poor sharptooth. Roll a snowball at it, and it won’t dodge like Mr. Thicknose did, who was actually closer to that snowball. In fact they even have to thank the sharptooth for giving Mr. Thicknose the fright that chases him up that mountain. Gee, nothing like the really scary sharptooth we knew from the original movie.
Agreed. They could’ve done a better job with the Sharptooth in this film. Even some of the other Sharpteeth in the sequels were more threatening.
I likewise agree with some of the above comments about how everything seemed to happen too fast. Although for me it was weird, because this one felt both slow and rushed at the same time. There was a slow build-up to certain parts, like with winter actually arriving, and then the driving conflict of Spike leaving the Great Valley with the Spiketail herd. Yet, those same parts also felt like they could’ve lasted longer and been more fleshed out. The LBT films are all quite short, and for some of them it works fine, but this one I wish had been longer. The central conflict seemed to end too quickly.
Ironically, despite the even slower pace, I thought LBT 3 was pretty good, and in fact one of the better sequels. It had solid character development and touched on some poignant themes. Which leads me to this…
Quote from Malte279: Actually I didn’t find LBT 3 that bad at all. The plotline is alright with me, there are some spectacular scenes (I love the one where they step out on that ledge overlooking the Mysterious Beyond and discovering the water trapped there), some real dilemas for the characters (especially for Cera), and the kind of bullies most of us probably made their own experiences with.
The end was a bit like a “moral clup” (the bullies changed very extreme and very suddenly and the last part about sharing would have appeared less like a preach if if hadn’t been squeezed into the last few minutes), but still I liked LBT 3.
It is funny how different people like the movies. There are hardly any LBT fans to be found who favor or disfavor exactly the same LBT movies. And that’s good the way it is!
Quote from Bruton the Iguanodon: Glad you like it! I do too. I consider it really underated, and I think it’s tied with 4 as my faovrite.
Once again, I agree. And yeah, regarding Malte’s last point (which I highlighted), I’ve noticed that already with my time on the forum. The closest thing to a unanimous opinion is that most people seem to enjoy the first film the best. Aside from that, everyone has their own ranking of which sequels they do and don’t enjoy. It’s hard to single out which sequel is the most popular.
Some issues aside, I thought this was an enjoyable film all in all. The winter atmosphere was a great concept, and the overall plot was pretty good. As Gentle Sharptooth pointed out, it felt like a holiday film, one to watch in December. I’m pleased that, even with this many films, they are still finding ways to make them feel fresh and distinct. #6 was a western, #7 had aliens, and now #8 is winter themed.
I give this one 5 & 2/3 out of 8 tree stars. (Update: Or maybe that rating is a bit too low. Overall I really liked this one.)
