• Directed by: Don Bluth
• Written by: Stu Krieger
• Release Date: November 18, 1988
• 69 Minutes

    In the 1970’s, Disney hit kind of a rough spot, releasing films that, while passable, were seen by others as not reaching up to the standards set by the studio’s golden age. One of those individuals was animator Don Bluth. Bluth had worked for a small time at Disney, most notably on a few scenes of The Fox and the Hound, but left the company early into that movie’s production, as he wished instead to work on films that brought back the animation style of the studio’s heyday. Once leaving, taking group of animators with him as he did, he founded his own studio.
    During the 1980’s, Bluth directed four films, two of which were with Steven Spielberg producing, that are now regarded as some of the best North American animated films to come from the decade. While the fourth film, All Dogs Go To Heaven, is very good in its own right, it doesn’t quite reach the highs of the previous three. But that isn’t a knock against the movie, as the three that preceded it are labeled as classics. Unfortunately, the 1990’s were not kind to the films that Bluth released, as they were far, far below the standards of what he and his studio accomplished the decade prior, but it doesn’t take away from those initial films.
    The Secret of NIMH is a masterpiece, a phenomenal debut from the new studio that came out so fully formed that you would’ve expected it from a company that has been around forever. I will be writing about NIMH in the future, but if you haven’t seen it yet, do so as soon as you can.
The follow-up was An American Tail, which, while not having the same all-around dramatic weight as Secret of NIMH did, still holds up as a beautifully animated work.

    While Secret of NIMH followed a single mother, which alone makes it stand out against all the other animated films of the time, An American Tail is more in-line with what I will be covering here. Don Bluth always had a fantastic way of portraying children. They came off as incredibly realistic, which made the stories they were entangled in more engaging and heartfelt. That leads us into what I wanted to talk about today.

    The Land Before Time has an incredible cast of child actors, along with their characterisations. Every one of them come off as absolute professionals; conveying real and believable feelings of joy, sadness, grief, fear, and many more emotions. These were real child characters having real reactions to real scenarios.

    Judith had the pleasure of being surrounded by two other wonderful child actors who filled in the roles of Littlefoot and Cera; Gabriel Damon and Candy Hutson, respectively. Their performances ensure that we connect so much with the story and journey we go on, and hope immensely that they make it to their destination. The film has many harrowing scenes and moments, filled with tension and heartbreak, but there is one in particular that I wanted to focus on, and one that showcases why the performances make the film as real as anything you would experience walking down the street.
Yes, almost everyone remembers the scene where Littlefoot’s mother passes away, and the real grief that Gabriel Damon’s acting made us feel. It’s devastating but understated. But there is one other moment that I consider the quintessential sequence that is gut-wrenching to sit through.

    The moment, to use adult-terms since it is completely reasonable here, is where Littlefoot and Cera beat the ever-unholy hell out of each other.

    I lead in with the performances, and how they are marvelous across the board, but the writing also makes the entirety of the film work as well. There is a fundamental understanding of how children actually are and act. Because of this, there is so much more emotional heft to this moment than a vast majority of other fights and arguments you see in other films.

    There is something predominantly raw and real about children fighting. Yes, they are known to bicker and yell at one another, but for the most part they are raised to know that fighting is bad, and it seems to transplant that into children only getting in to full on fights whenever it is ‘necessary’, so to speak. This is why Ralphie getting to the point of beating up the bully in A Christmas Story is so pertinent. It’s a moment that is supposed to be great, in the sense that he’s finally getting back at someone who has made his life miserable, but we feel sad, instead, and the movie presents it as so. This is because we know that the explosion of emotion we see comes from a broken place. There’s only so much that he could take, and finally reached the point where he couldn’t anymore.

    The fight between Littlefoot and Cera works tenfold because of these attributes. The two go through the very real lead-up that comes with, not just children but adults, fighting. They butt heads throughout the majority of the movie. Littlefoot tries to be level-headed, while also being a good leader of his ‘pack’. He is incredibly warm and compassionate. Cera is self-centered and aggressive, thinking she knows what’s best for everyone, jumping on the fact that her ideas are better or more susceptible for getting them the results they need. When things finally come to a head, it’s absolutely understandable why they would both finally reach their breaking point, while also going through what so many of us know come from conflicts such as these.

    They still haven’t arrived at the Green Valley, under Littlefoot’s direction. This prompts Cera to proclaim she’s leaving, taking her ‘easy’ way instead, even though Littlefoot argues that it’s the wrong way. When Cera asks him how he knows this, Littlefoot responds that it was his mother that told him, to which Cera replies with;

“Then she was a stupid long neck, too.”

    After refusing Littlefoot’s demands to take back the words about his mother, Littlefoot tackles Cera down the side of a massive, rocky crevice, where they proceed to fight as the other three look on in panic.

    Though the fight itself is short, its impact and presentation is heartbreaking. So many of us have been a part of arguments such as these, and though Cera’s words are hurtful, those are the kinds of things that are uttered in heated moments without thought. It is made the more painful when we know that, right now, they only have each other to rely on. It is a moment that we wish we could avoid, but we know that it is only a matter of time before the two wouldn’t be able to keep their emotions in check anymore.
    There is a moment afterwards that is an immensely wonderful touch of detail. Littlefoot watches Cera leave and sniffs back a tear in his eye, afterwards yelling;

“Go on, go the wrong way. We never wanted you anyway.”

    The words themselves are, like Cera’s, completely understandable. It’s heartfelt pain being lashed out the only way he knows how, before getting up and going his own way. What gives the sequence more impact and pushes it farther into relatability is the fact we are shown the other three friends reacting. They panic, they hide, they beg and plead, before being put in the unfortunate and unfair spot of having to choose which one to follow.

Everything about these few minutes come together exceptionally well, and perfectly showcases why the film, as a whole, works as phenomenally as it does. By this point, we are fully invested in the friendship these five have built in a very short amount of time. They are each their own believable characters, with wonderful personalities and the fact that they come off as actual children. We want to see them succeed on their journey, and are devastated when things don’t seem to be going their way.

    The real, raw emotions coupled with the way these five are written as believable individuals is what makes The Land Before Time stands as one of the most realistic portrayals of friendship and hardship between children.