Land Before Time Retrospective #25
[This section about the bullies was done for the November character showcase and was added in later.]
Hyp, Mutt, & Nod Showcase:
Quote from rhombus: 1. What do you think about the characterization of Hyp, Nod, and Mutt in the third film?
I’ve seen complaints about these guys being relatively harmless antagonists, but that never bothered me. I still found them entertaining. They filled their role as bully characters. Even if their portrayal as bullies was somewhat cartoonish (no pun intended), in this case it added to their appeal. In fact, I liked that they were portrayed as not being too mean, as it made them still strangely likeable in a way.
I also liked that the main antagonists in this movie (the bullies, Topps, Hyp’s father) were all redeemable instead of being completely heartless monsters. Especially Hyp’s father, who only appears briefly and could very well have been little more than just a one-dimensional abusive father, but we see that even he reforms by the end.
More generally, though, bully characters are hard to write, so I do understand the criticisms.
Quote from rhombus: 2. What is your opinion of their main antagonist song, “When You’re Big”?
I was pretty meh about it the first time I saw the film, although LBT songs in general hadn’t grown on me yet. Nowadays I think it’s pretty catchy.
General film review:
Quote from Gentle Sharptooth: The Time of the Great Giving is my least favorite of the first ten films. I applaud it tackled”bullying,” but it felt like a Thanksgiving film.
I didn’t think of that before, but that’s a good observation. Although for me, having the feel of a holiday/Thanksgiving film is a plus; helps the film stand out more. Much like how LBT 8 feels like a holiday film for December… which is also an insight that you originally shared. 🙂
Anyway, I thought a rewatch of this one would be interesting. Last year, when I saw it for the first time (as an adult), I remember I liked it a bit better than LBT 2, but I was largely only comparing LBT 3 to the first two films, having not yet seen the later sequels. But this time around, I was watching it in the context of having seen all the rest of the films as well. I was concerned that it might not hold up as good as it did before, but I was pleasantly surprised to find how much I still enjoyed it.
The opening is fantastic. But then again, maybe that’s because it reminds me of LBT 1’s opening. Regardless, that music is top-notch. This is one thing I enjoy about the early and middle sequels; James Horner’s music was still used a lot.
Also, Candace Hutson. Still my favourite Cera voice actress. <3
One of my points of praise last time was Topsy’s character development. This is something that still holds up after having seen the whole series. In fact, after eleven more sequels, this is still the most depth and character development he’s ever been given, as many of the other films just fall back on his “stern, grumpy dad” persona. I do appreciate that the later sequels show glimmers of his softer side beneath all the grouchiness, showing that the events of this film did change him for the better. Still, it is a shame that he never again gets the same character focus and growth that he has here. LBT 11 is probably the only other film that comes the closest. But even there, #11 also seemed to regress back to making him overly belligerent, just to have him learn his lesson by the end of it, making it sort of redundant with his character arc here.
There’s a part of me that still wishes LBT 2 & 3 had retained the darker tone of the original film. But on the other hand, I like the slightly more day-to-day feel they have in showing how the dinosaurs are adjusting to their new home within the valley, and how it contrasts so much from what their world was like before the Great Valley.
From my original review:
Grandma Longneck: “We must come up with a plan to free the water.”
Topps: “I have a plan.”
Mr. Clubtail: “I hope it’s better than your fire escape plan.”
And of course this exchange, which made me laugh upon seeing the film again. XD
Ducky has another great line too: “My sniffer is very, very sniffed out.”
Something I never noticed the first time around. Topsy mentions his father during “Standing Tough”. I thought that was interesting; I believe that’s the only time Topsy’s dad is ever mentioned? Also interesting is that, from the way Topsy talks about him, it sounds as though his father is no longer alive. I wonder… did his father pass away from old age, or did something more abrupt and tragic happen? We’ll probably never have an official answer, but it’s still fun to speculate.
From my original review: As with the first and second films, this too I can remember from my childhood, if only barely. There was already much I’d already forgotten about the first film when I rewatched it as an adult, and even more I’d forgotten about the second film. Whereas there was even more still that I forgot with this one, to the point that I really don’t remember any specific scenes at all. There was just something about the bully characters that was familiar to me, and I could ever-so-vaguely recall the forest fire, but that was it.
Adding onto that, when I watched it again, I found there was one other little moment I could recall from when I was a wee lad. The part when the bee comes out of the flower and chases the bullies away. I’m not sure why it was that specific moment I remembered and barely anything else about the film, but there you have it. 😛
As for the ending, I did find it kinda cheesy and heavy-handed with the moral. But all in all, I’d say LBT 3 still holds up. 🙂
