The Land Before Time 30th Anniversary Retrospective Part 12

With 11 being a letdown after the 10th movie, do we think this movie will be any better? We have to find out for sure.

We start off again in the Great Valley with Littlefoot, now voiced once by Nick Price, Ducky, and Spike watching Petrie and his siblings flying together in a V formation. Petrie jacks up however, and everything goes in smoke.

Continuing on the story arc from the last movie, love between Topsy and Tria has bestowed upon Cera a stepsister. As expected, even as an egg, Tricia is taking a lot of attention away from her.

In the meantime, a stranger happens to come by to the Great Valley, A Microraptor named Guido voiced by Rob Paulsen.

“Great, just what we need. Another weirdo.” Grumbles Topsy.

Considering he doesn’t know just what he is or where he came from, his new friends try to help out. He can’t eat leaves, he can’t swim ("I don't like to swim where I drink"), he can’t use his tail as a defensive weapon. But he is welcome to stay with Petrie’s family. When he sees Petrie’s siblings chew him out, Guido says perhaps one of the most confusing lines a kid would ever hear.

“Give the guy a break. Of course he gets nervous when he flies with you. Your rear ends look like your faces so… How can you tell each other apart?”

With his continued presence, Petrie gets his confidence in flying with together with his siblings. But on the night before, Guido suddenly starts sleepwalking around the valley. While saving him from the dangers of the valley, the kids find that Guido can fly (or to say, glide).

Going into the Mysterious Beyond and saving him from a Spinosaurus has taken a lot out of Petrie. Feeling he doesn’t have the strength to, Guido suggests he’d just screw with the tradition a little, and now every flier becomes a free flier. Oh, and they also save Tricia.

The verdict? It certainly more entertaining and less confusing, not to mention irritating, as the last one, but it still feels pretty meh. The animation is pretty good (in fact, one of the animators from the first film provides a bit of work), and it’s nice to see the next chapter in Cera’s life continue on in this film. However, Guido’s story arc on just what he is doesn’t go anywhere; we understand just how he got into the valley, but we don’t see any more of his kind. However, I do like that Petrie showed some compassion about on Guido (“What’s a couple of misfits…?”).

Do I recommend it? Perhaps. It doesn’t add much of anything new though.