Land Before Time convinced my kids to ask me for more "green food"

At the time of writing this opinion, there are currently 7 Land Before Time movies, as well as several Sing Along videos. The Land Before Time is the first in the series of 7 movies, produced by Don Bluth, that follows the journeys of 5 young dinosaurs.

Our family was first introduced to the Land Before Time series when my children received The Land Before Time VI: The Secret of Saurus Rock for Christmas. My children absolutely loved it. Luckily for us, Cartoon Network had a Land Before Time marathon and played parts 1 through 5 for us and I was able to record them.

THE PLOT
In The Land Before Time, we are shown the hatching of our 5 main dinosaur characters. Due to the shortage of food, the different groups of dinosaurs are all forced to search for the Great Valley, where there is supposedly enough green food and tree stars to feed everybody. We see that different types of dinosaurs only associate with other dinosaurs within their own species.

In their trek to the Great Valley, dinosaurs within the same family are torn apart by the theorized great earthquakes that tore apart the land and created the different continents. We see the main stars Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky, Petrie, and Spike separated from their families and forced to join together in an effort to reach the Great Valley. Along the way, the young dinosaurs encounter the dreaded Sharp Tooth and have disagreements on what path to take to the Great Valley.

Out of all the Land Before Time series, The Land Before Time is the saddest. Even I was choked with tears at times. There is some violence, mainly when a sharp tooth is encountered. We are also treated to several songs sung by the dinosaurs themselves. This movie is rated G. The running time is 69 minutes.

MY THOUGHTS ABOUT THIS MOVIE
There are a few things about the Land Before Time series that I do have concerns about. These are about the names given to the different dinosaur species, the different terminology used, and the use of some incorrect grammar.

My children were 1 and 2 ½-years-old when they were introduced to the terms green food, tree stars, long neck, 3 horn, big mouth, spike tail, sharp tooth, and flyer. I understand that the names and terminology used were chosen with the innocence of the children in mind, but I wish they had used some correct terms. Granted, the children will eventually learn the correct names for the dinosaurs when they are older and many already know that a tree star is a leaf. I have tried to convince my 4-year-old son that a long neck is really called a bracheosaurus or a sharp tooth is really called a tyrannosaurus rex. My child still insists that I’m wrong.

In the movie, the dinosaurs refer to the earthquakes as earth shakes. If they were able to refer to it as earth, couldn’t they have also used the word quake? Some of the dinosaurs, mainly Petrie, use awful grammar. I’m not an expert at grammar myself, but there are some bad examples in this Land Before Time series. A direct quote from Petrie is Me no like it neither. I do correct my children when they try to use this form of grammar, but I wish they had not been exposed to incorrect grammar in the first place.

OVERALL
Despite my concerns, I really do like this movie as well as the rest of the series. My children absolutely love the entire series. The thing I love about this movie is that my children now love to eat green food, as the dinosaurs call it. My children always ask for more spinach, lettuce, and other green vegetables.

This movie addresses the problem of prejudice against others that are not the same as you. Land Before Time will appeal to both boys and girls. At some point in many children’s lives, dinosaurs will be a fascination for them. This is a great-animated dinosaur movie filled with entertainment, excitement, and humor. My children especially love the antics of Petrie. Although we don't have the sing-along videos, my children like to sing along with the movie. Land Before Time is an endearing movie that many children will like.