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The Land Before Time (TV series)

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The Land Before Time
Title card
GenreAdventure
Fantasy
Created byCharles Grosvenor
Judy Freudberg
Tony Geiss
Based onCharacters by
Judy Freudberg
Tony Geiss
Developed byFord Riley
Directed byScott Heming
Dick Sebast
Voices ofCody Arens
Anndi McAfee
Aria Curzon
Jeff Bennett
Rob Paulsen
Max Burkholder
Meghan Strange
Kenneth Mars
Miriam Flynn
John Ingle
Tress MacNeille
Pete Sepenuk
Dorian Harewood
Jessica Gee
Theme music composerRoc Gagliese
Steve D'Angelo
Terry Tompkins
Opening theme"The Land Before Time Theme Song", performed by Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Ending theme"The Land Before Time Theme Song" (instrumental)
ComposersCory Lerios (score)
Michele Brourman (songs)
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes26
Production
ProducerDiane A. Crea
Running time23 minutes
Production companiesUniversal Animation Studios
Amblin Entertainment
Original release
NetworkCartoon Network
ReleaseMarch 5, 2007 (2007-03-05) –
January 21, 2008 (2008-01-21)
Related

The Land Before Time (also known as The Land Before Time: The Series) is an American animated musical television series, based on The Land Before Time film series created by Judy Freudberg and Tony Geiss. It was developed for television by Ford Riley for Cartoon Network and was produced by Universal Animation Studios and Amblin Entertainment (Amblin Entertainment produced the first film with Sullivan Bluth Studios), and animated by Wang Film Productions in Taiwan and Toon City in the Philippines. It premiered on YTV in Canada for a test on January 5, 2007 and premiered on Cartoon Network in the United States on March 5.

It was made as traditionally animated with CGI backgrounds, which the past sequels from The Land Before Time X: The Great Longneck Migration onwards have used, with occasional cel-shaded computer-animated characters in wide shots. The main antagonists in the series are Red Claw, an evil villainous Tyrannosaurus, and Screech and Thud, a pair of henchmen Deinonychus. The TV series takes place after the events of The Wisdom of Friends and before the events of Journey of the Brave, due to Chomper and Ruby being absent in the former.

Voice cast

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Main

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Recurring

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Guest appearances

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Episodes

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Season 1 (2007)

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No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byStoryboard byOriginal air date
11"The Cave of Many Voices"Scott HemingFord RileyPatricia Wong, Dave Williams
and Viki Anderson		March 5, 2007 (2007-03-05)
Chomper realizes his secret cave in the Great Valley becomes leaky and the gang goes exploring in the deep caves to search for another suitable cave for Chomper to live in. Meanwhile, the gang's new member, a Fast Runner named Ruby, teaches Ducky how to act and talk big.
22"The Mysterious Tooth Crisis"Richard SebastJack MonacoRobert Sledge, Dean Criswell
and Liz Holzman		March 6, 2007 (2007-03-06)
When Chomper loses his tooth, he, Littlefoot, Petrie and Ducky travel around the Great Valley to figure out what is wrong. Meanwhile, Cera, Spike and Ruby relax in Tria's secret mud spa.
33"The Star Day Celebration"Scott HemingKrista TuckerPatrick Archibald, Curtis Cim
and Larry Scholl		March 7, 2007 (2007-03-07)
Ruby misses her family on her "Star Day" (birthday) and the gang tries to help cheer her up by being true friends and bringing Ruby her favorite food.
44"The Canyon of Shiny Stones"Richard SebastJohn LoyKathy Carr, Patricia Wong
and Flammarion Ferreira		March 8, 2007 (2007-03-08)
When Cera accidentally loses Tria's special shiny stone, the group decides to find a new stone to return to Tria by traveling to the Canyon of Shiny Stones.
55"The Great Log Running Game"Scott HemingPhil HarnageKen Kessel, Bert Ring
and Clint Taylor		March 9, 2007 (2007-03-09)
While trying to get a tree sweet, Ducky makes up a game called the "Log Running Game", and competes against the group in a competition on how long they can run on a log in the water. But when Cera tries to prove Threehorns are the best, she gets swept away on a log to Roaring Falls, forcing the gang and Topps to try and save her.
66"The Brave Longneck Scheme"Richard SebastPhil WalshBoyd Kirkland, Dan Root
and Robert Sledge		March 12, 2007 (2007-03-12)
Ali's herd returns to the Great Valley, and Littlefoot and Cera find out that Ali has a new friend, Rhett, who boasts about himself and claims Sharpteeth fear him. The gang decides to bring a real Sharptooth (Chomper) to convince Ali that Rhett is making up the stories. However, when Rhett sees Chomper, he runs away to tell his herd, who in turn come to kill Chomper. They let Chomper live after the kids confess the truth, the gang for their prank and Rhett for making up the stories.
77"The Meadow of Jumping Waters"Scott HemingJack MonacoCurtis Cim, Larry Latham
and Larry Scholl		March 13, 2007 (2007-03-13)
The gang decides to travel beyond the Sheltering Grass to see the Meadow of Jumping Waters that Ruby and Chomper passed by when traveling to the Great Valley.
88"The Days of Rising Waters"Richard SebastCatherine LieuwenBoyd Kirkland, Ken Kessel
and Lenord Robinson		March 14, 2007 (2007-03-14)
When a heavy rainstorm wipes out Petrie's nest, he flips out at the prospect of having to move. Meanwhile, Cera insists that Ducky take on the seemingly impossible task of teaching Tricia how to swim.
99"Escape from the Mysterious Beyond"Scott HemingJack MonacoCraig Kemplin, Bert Ring
and Rick Hoberg		March 15, 2007 (2007-03-15)
When exploring inside the caves, the group accidentally goes into the Mysterious Beyond and get chased by Red Claw, Screech and Thud. An earthshake occurs, and Chomper and Ducky get trapped on a ridge with Thud.
1010"The Hidden Canyon"Richard SebastDon GilliesDan Fausett, Kelly James
and Robert Sledge		March 16, 2007 (2007-03-16)

When the kids discover a hidden canyon filled with fruit trees, they decide to keep the place a secret, but the secret becomes dangerous when Red Claw and his henchmen use the canyon to enter the Great Valley.

NOTE: This episode was previously released as a bonus feature on the standalone DVD release of The Land Before Time XIII: The Wisdom of Friends before also getting included in the Complete Series set.
1111"The Legend of the Story Speakers"Scott HemingKent RedekerLarry Latham, Eric McConnell
and Jeff Scott		March 19, 2007 (2007-03-19)
Grandpa Longneck tells Littlefoot and his friends stories about why Longnecks have long necks and about Starwatcher. And then Grandpa Longneck and Saro, his old friend, meet. Saro tells him that all the Longnecks are forgetting the great Longneck stories and he needs to come with him to tell them again, but Grandpa Longneck refuses as he has a home in the Great Valley. Angry, Saro runs out, and Littlefoot and Chomper follow him into the Mysterious Beyond. Saro tells Littlefoot and Chomper a story about Tall Stepper, a Longneck who saved his sister from the wind.
1212"The Bright Circle Celebration"Richard SebastCorey PowellBoyd Kirkland, Lenord Robinson
and Clint Taylor		March 20, 2007 (2007-03-20)
Petrie is very excited about the Bright Circle Celebration, but Cera thinks it is silly to thank the Bright Circle for shining. Cera and her dad steer clear of everyone preparing for the festivities, but they rush in to help when a fire threatens everything.
1313"The Lonely Journey"Scott HemingNoelle WrightRick Hoberg, Bert Ring
and Mike Sosnowski		March 21, 2007 (2007-03-21)
It is lonely being the only Sharptooth in the Great Valley. Chomper decides to go to the Mysterious Beyond to teach the Sharpteeth how to be friends.
1414"The Missing Fast-Water Adventure"Richard SebastDon GilliesKelly James, Boyd Kirkland,
Dan Root and Robert Sledge		March 22, 2007 (2007-03-22)
When an earthshake (earthquake) causes the fast-water (river) to dry up, the dinosaurs decide to try and fix the problem by removing the rocks. On the way, they meet an old friend, Mo.
1515"The Spooky Nighttime Adventure"Scott HemingJack MonacoSahin Ersoz, Larry Latham
and Eric McConnell		March 23, 2007 (2007-03-23)
One night, Ruby tells the group a scary story about an invisible dinosaur named "Hidden Runner" and gives everyone scary sleep stories. They see Mr. Thicknose to tell him that she made up the story and there is nothing to worry about, but the story of Hidden Runner was true, and they decide to venture into the Mysterious Beyond to search for him.

Season 2 (2008)

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No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byStoryboard byOriginal air date
161"The Lone Dinosaur Returns"Richard SebastPhil WalshDean Criswell, Boyd Kirkland,
Jeff Scott and Dave Williams		January 7, 2008 (2008-01-07)
One day, Doc, The Lone Dinosaur, comes back to the Great Valley in search of his lady friend, Dara. After Chomper hears the stories of him and how he despises Sharpteeth, the dinosaurs try to hide him.
172"Stranger from the Mysterious Above"Scott HemingHolly HuckinsKathy Carr, Celia Kendrick
and Bert Ring		January 8, 2008 (2008-01-08)
When Spike falls down a hole, he encounters a colony of horned gophers who think of him as the "Big Wise One" from the Mysterious Above who can save them from a Microceratus whom they name "Great Hideous Beast". Meanwhile, his friends try to save him but only find trouble when Mr. Thicknose and Topps cannot agree on what to do.
183"The Forbidden Friendship"Scott HemingJohn LowCelia Kendrick, Bert Ring
and Rafael Rosado		January 9, 2008 (2008-01-09)
When Tippy's herd comes back, the adults get into a fight and the kids cannot play with each other, but they sneak out and find green food.
194"The Amazing Threehorn Girl"Scott HemingJack MonacoLarry Latham, Eric McConnell
and Rafael Rosado		January 10, 2008 (2008-01-10)
When the gang gets chased by a pair of Belly Draggers, Cera gets separated from the others and ends up trapped, but she accidentally sets off a rock slide that frightens the Belly Draggers away. When she finds the gang and tells them about it, Petrie flies around telling everyone in the valley, and suddenly everyone thinks Cera is a hero, even when she insists she is not, but she soon lets the fame go to her head and begins to fabricate her story, which Littlefoot and Ruby become skeptical of. However, the Belly Draggers return, and they have brought friends.
205"The Big Longneck Test"Richard SebastFord RileyPatrick Archibald and Dean CriswellJanuary 11, 2008 (2008-01-11)

Littlefoot gets a visit from his father and adoptive older brother, getting the news that he will be the one taking "The Big Longneck Test", a test of three stages to see if a Longneck is capable of leading a herd. While Littlefoot takes the test, Shorty tries to lead his younger brother's friends on an adventure.

NOTE: This is the only episode not on any DVD releases besides the Complete Series set.
216"The Hermit of Black Rock"Richard SebastDon GilliesRick Hoberg, Boyd Kirkland
and Robert Sledge		January 14, 2008 (2008-01-14)
On a windy day, when Guido and Petrie practice gliding, they are blown into Black Rock and are trapped because Petrie hurts his wing, Guido hurts his foot, and there seems to be no way out, but a blind old hermit and flyer named Swooper decides to help.
227"Return to Hanging Rock"Richard SebastJack MonacoPatrick Archibald, Boyd Kirkland
and Clint Taylor		January 15, 2008 (2008-01-15)
On the day of the Flying Rocks of Many Nights (meteor shower), Ruby remembers a memory of her family meeting at Hanging Rock when she lived in the Mysterious Beyond. Ruby adventures alone to find her family, but Chomper, Ducky and Spike come along to help. Along the way, they meet Skip, a mammal who knows the Mysterious Beyond very well, and the gang learns an important lesson of being family.
238"March of the Sand Creepers"Richard SebastDon GilliesRick Hoberg, Boyd Kirkland,
Robert Sledge and Clint Taylor		January 16, 2008 (2008-01-16)
One morning, a herd of "Sand Creepers" (crabs) mysteriously come to the Great Valley. Curious, Littlefoot, Cera, Petrie, Chomper, and Ruby set off to an adventure to find out why the Sand Creepers have come to the Great Valley. They meet Scuttle, a Sand Creeper who can speak the language of leaf-eaters, and try to enlist his help, but Scuttle tries to take advantage of them to the chagrin of Cera.
249"Search for the Sky Color Stones"Scott HemingJack MonacoCurtis Cim, Larry Latham
and Eric McConnell		January 17, 2008 (2008-01-17)
When the gang sees the sky colors in the sky disappear (a rainbow), the gang splits up to find sky color stones (geodes).
2510"Through the Eyes of a Spiketail"Richard SebastFord RileyRick Hoberg, Boyd Kirkland
and Robert Sledge		January 18, 2008 (2008-01-18)
An episode involving hearing Spike's thoughts.
2611"The Great Egg Adventure"Scott HemingNoelle WrightCurtis Cim, Jeff McGrath
and Jeff Scott		January 21, 2008 (2008-01-21)
Littlefoot, Ducky, Petrie and Chomper (followed by Hyp, Nod and Mutt) find a nest of three Fast Biter eggs. They decide to carry the eggs away from the valley so the baby Sharpteeth can grow up without eating anyone, and set off on a journey into the Mysterious Beyond. When a mother Fast Biter sees that her eggs have been stolen, she becomes very angry and starts tracking them.

Broadcast

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The show premiered on Cartoon Network in the United States on March 5, 2007.[citation needed] Reruns of the series began airing on Sprout in January 2017.[2] Then the series was acquired and sold to Universal Kids upon the channel's launch on September 9, 2017.[3]

Reception

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Michael D. Schaffer of the Philadelphia Inquirer said that the animation in the series, although below that of the original 1988 film, was above-average for modern television. Although he praised the theme song, saying it had a "bouncy, almost calypso beat", he was less pleased with the songs "Adventuring" and "Talking Big". He finally described the series as "bland, inoffensive stuff", and appropriate viewing for very young audiences.[4]

Merchandise

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Universal Studios Consumer Products Group and Playmates Toys announced a domestic licensing agreement, whereby Playmates served as the master toy license for the then-upcoming animated television series, The Land Before Time. The 22-minute animated series aired on Cartoon Network beginning in spring 2007. The toy line launched in fall 2007 with the introduction of a full line of figures, vehicles, playsets and plush.[5]

Home media

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Twenty-four episodes of the series were released on DVD by Universal Studios Home Entertainment between 2007–2008 in North America (region 1) and 2010 in Australia (region 4) in the form of six four-episode volumes. A six-disc box set was later released in the UK (region 2) in 2012 containing the 24 episodes from the previous volumes. Two episodes were not included in those releases: "The Hidden Canyon" and "The Big Longneck Test". Only "The Hidden Canyon" was later released as a special feature on the stand-alone DVD release of The Land Before Time XIII: The Wisdom of Friends. In June 2022, a complete TV series DVD was released, not only marking the first time "The Big Longneck Test" has been released on home media but also the first time any episode has been released in widescreen format on a Region 1 DVD.[6]

Vol. DVD name Release dates Episodes
Region 1 Region 4 Region 2
1 Amazing Adventures! August 28, 2007[7] March 31, 2010[8] "The Cave of Many Voices" (1), "Canyon of the Shiny Stones" (4), "The Meadow of Jumping Waters" (7), "The Spooky Nighttime Adventure" (15)
2 Good Times & Good Friends November 27, 2007[9] March 31, 2010[10] "The Star Day Celebration" (3), "The Brave Longneck Scheme" (6), "The Great Log Running Game" (5), "The Bright Circle Celebration" (12)
3 Adventuring in the Mysterious Beyond February 19, 2008[11] June 30, 2010[12] "The Great Egg Adventure" (26), "Escape from the Mysterious Beyond" (9), "The Lonely Journey" (13), "The Hermit of Black Rock" (21)
4 Through the Eyes of a Spiketail May 13, 2008[13] June 30, 2010[14] "Through the Eyes of a Spiketail" (25), "Stranger from the Mysterious Above" (17), "March of the Sand Creepers" (23), "The Forbidden Friendship" (18)
5 Magical Discoveries August 26, 2008[15] September 1, 2010[16] "Search for the Sky Color Stones" (24), "The Amazing Threehorn Girl" (19), "Days of Rising Waters" (8), "Return to Hanging Rock" (22)
6 Friends Forever December 2, 2008[17] September 1, 2010[18] "The Mysterious Tooth Crisis" (2), "The Missing Fast-Water Adventure" (14), "The Lone Dinosaur Returns" (16), "Legend of the Story Speakers" (11)
1–6 Complete TV Series June 7, 2022[19][20][21] March 12, 2012[22] Region 2 DVD only contains the 24 episodes from previous volumes.
Region 1 DVD contains all 26 episodes.

Music

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The songs are written by Michele Brourman (music) and Ford Riley (lyrics).

The theme song is performed by the South African choir Ladysmith Black Mambazo. The theme is written by Roc Gagliese, Steve D'Angelo, and Terry Tompkins of the eggplant. The music score is by Cory Lerios.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Lenburg, Jeff (2009). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons Third Edition. Infobase Publishing. ISBN 978-0-8160-6599-8.
  2. ^ "Universal Kids".
  3. ^ NBCUniversal Is Launching A New Channel: Universal Kids
  4. ^ "Two wildly different cartoons make their TV debuts". March 9, 2007.
  5. ^ DeMott, Rick. "Playmates Toys With The Land Before Time". Animation World Network. Retrieved September 15, 2006.
  6. ^ "Amazon.com: The Land Before Time: The Complete TV Series [DVD]: Ford Riley, Jeff Bennett, Aria Curzon, Anndi McAfee, Rob Paulsen: Movies & TV". Amazon. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  7. ^ "The Land Before Time: Amazing Adventures". Amazon. August 28, 2007. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  8. ^ "The Land Before Time Amazing Adventures Volume 1 DVD Region 4". Kogan.com. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  9. ^ "The Land Before Time: Good Times & Good Friends". Amazon. February 15, 2011. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  10. ^ The Land Before Time Volume 2 - Good Times and Good Friends. Retrieved June 17, 2020 – via Booktopia.
  11. ^ "The Land Before Time: Adventuring in the Mysterious Beyond". Amazon. February 19, 2008. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  12. ^ The Land Before Time Volume 3 - Adventuring in the Mysterious Beyond. Retrieved June 17, 2020 – via Booktopia.
  13. ^ "The Land Before Time: Through the Eyes of a Spiketail". Amazon. May 13, 2008. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  14. ^ "The Land Before Time Through the Eyes of a Spiketail Volume 4 DVD Region 4". Kogan.com. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  15. ^ "Land Before Time, The: Magical Discoveries". DVD Empire. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  16. ^ The Land Before Time Volume 5 - Magical Discoveries. Retrieved June 17, 2020 – via Booktopia.
  17. ^ "Land Before Time, The: Friends Forever". DVD Empire. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  18. ^ The Land Before Time Volume 6 - Friends Forever. Retrieved June 17, 2020 – via Booktopia.
  19. ^ "The Land Before Time: The Complete TV Series". Gruv. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
  20. ^ "The Land Before Time: The Complete TV Series". Amazon. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  21. ^ "The Land Before Time: The Complete TV Series". Walmart. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  22. ^ "The Land Before Time: Complete TV Series [DVD] [Import Anglais]". Amazon (in French). Retrieved June 19, 2020.
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