The Land Before Time IX: Journey to Big Water
Encyclopedia
The Land Before Time IX: Journey to Big Water is a 2002 animated
film
and the ninth film in The Land Before Time
series. It was produced and directed by Charles Grosvenor
, with the last time they would use the soundtrack composed by James Horner
. During the year this was released, Universal brought back on DVD, for the first time, two of the previous Land Before Time
films; The Land Before Time II: The Great Valley Adventure
and The Land Before Time III: The Time of the Great Giving
.
When heavy rains create a mysterious "new water", Littlefoot sets off to explore the Great Valley. He quickly becomes friends with Mo the mischievous Ophthalmosaurus
who has been isolated from his pod by the weather. When Littlefoot and friends get separated from their parents because of the Earthshake, they help Mo get back home to the Big Water, while avoiding a hungry 'Sharptooth Swimmer(Liopleurodon
). On the way, Littlefoot and Mo discuss such interesting and see dangerous things like imaginary friends, the Sharptooth Swimmer, the concept of loneliness, and the true meaning of a brother.
" that had been caught in the floodwater.
Littlefoot quickly strikes up a friendship with Mo, and describes him as his "mud brother". His other friends are unsure of Mo initially, but also take to him. Mo explains that he is from the "Big Water
" and had flown into the valley during the flooding. He confirms that he is alone, but soon after a "sharptooh swimmer
" attacks the group. Littlefoot requests help from the adults to help Mo return home, but they refuse, not wanting to risk leaving the Great Valley to aid an strange outsider. A subsequent earthquake
separates the children and Mo from the rest of the Great Valley, though also imprisons the sharptooth swimmer in an underwater cavern. Unable to return, they decide to deliver Mo home on their own.
The children follow a river that they believe leads to the ocean. A Diplodocus
mother, after a brief misunderstanding, allows them to take refuge at her nest for the night, and the friends are present to witness the hatching of her offspring. The next day, Littlefoot and the others realize that they are nearing the ocean, as they have begun to taste salt in the water. However, the sharptooth swimmer, having escaped from the cave, attacks them that night. The land surrounding the river is steep and slick with mud, and the children are unable to escape. Mo distracts the carnivore, farewells his friends, and lures the sharptooth down the river. Mo has seemingly been killed, but he reappears the next day, unharmed; the sharptooth swimmer had smelled the ocean in the distance and abandoned the chase, choosing to return to the sea.
The children reach the ocean, but Mo is saddened by that his friends' must depart. He wishes to remain with them, but the others explain that he cannot, and Littlefoot reminds Mo that the two will always be brothers. Mo reunites with his family and asks them for directions to the "smoky mountains
", as the children know how to find the Great Valley from that location.
The gang reach the ocean and Mo reunites with his family. Before leaving, Mo offers to show Littlefoot his home. Littlefoot accepts the offer, and is amazed by the underwater world's beauty. Littlefoot and his friends exchange farewells with Mo and return home, where they are greeted warmly by the relieved adults.
and Amanda McBroom
. Big Water is borrowed from The Land Before Time V: The Mysterious Island
, in which the songwriters also collaborated. This was the first Land Before Time
film to contain more than three songs. This was the fourth time Spike sings; he can be heard humming during Big Water. Later, after Petrie yodels, so does Spike. The music that plays in the background when the gang cool off is the cheese factory scene music from An American Tail: The Treasure of Manhattan Island
. This is the second and last time the music is used in the series, after The Land Before Time VIII: The Big Freeze
.
; they can be seen when Littlefoot and his friends find Ducky in a female Diplodocus's nest. When the eggs hatch, hand-drawn elements are mapped onto each egg.
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and the ninth film in The Land Before Time
The Land Before Time (series)
The Land Before Time is a series of animated films centered on dinosaurs. The series began in 1988 with The Land Before Time, directed and produced by Don Bluth and executive produced by George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. It was followed by a total of 12 direct-to-video sequels, though none...
series. It was produced and directed by Charles Grosvenor
Charles Grosvenor
Charles Grosvenor is an American film director.-Early work:Originally from Hillsdale, New Jersey, he moved to Los Angeles in 1978 to work in the animation industry, at a time when most of the work was still being done in the US. His first job was for Hanna-Barbera, as a model designer on The...
, with the last time they would use the soundtrack composed by James Horner
James Horner
James Roy Horner is an American composer, orchestrator and conductor of orchestral and film music. He is noted for the integration of choral and electronic elements in many of his film scores, and for frequent use of Celtic musical elements...
. During the year this was released, Universal brought back on DVD, for the first time, two of the previous Land Before Time
The Land Before Time
The Land Before Time is a 1988 American animated adventure film directed and co-produced by Don Bluth , and executive-produced by Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Kathleen Kennedy, and Frank Marshall....
films; The Land Before Time II: The Great Valley Adventure
The Land Before Time II: The Great Valley Adventure
The Land Before Time II: The Great Valley Adventure, is a 1994 direct-to-video animated film directed by Roy Allen Smith, is the first of many animated sequels to the film The Land Before Time. It was released six years after the original.The tone, lighting and plot of the film was made much softer...
and The Land Before Time III: The Time of the Great Giving
The Land Before Time III: The Time of the Great Giving
The Land Before Time III: The Time of the Great Giving is a 1995 animated direct-to-video film directed by Roy Allen Smith. It is the second sequel to the The Land Before Time and the third film in the film franchise.- Plot :...
.
When heavy rains create a mysterious "new water", Littlefoot sets off to explore the Great Valley. He quickly becomes friends with Mo the mischievous Ophthalmosaurus
Ophthalmosaurus
Ophthalmosaurus is an ichthyosaur of the Middle to Late Jurassic period , named for its extremely large eyes. It had a graceful 6 metre long dolphin-shaped body, and its almost toothless jaw was well adapted for catching squid...
who has been isolated from his pod by the weather. When Littlefoot and friends get separated from their parents because of the Earthshake, they help Mo get back home to the Big Water, while avoiding a hungry 'Sharptooth Swimmer(Liopleurodon
Liopleurodon
Liopleurodon is a genus of large, carnivorous marine reptile belonging to the Pliosauroidea, a clade of short-necked plesiosaurs. Two species of Liopleurodon lived during the Callovian stage of the Middle Jurassic Period , while the third, L. rossicus, lived during the Late Jurassic...
). On the way, Littlefoot and Mo discuss such interesting and see dangerous things like imaginary friends, the Sharptooth Swimmer, the concept of loneliness, and the true meaning of a brother.
Plot
After a period of harsh rain, the Great Valley—a peaceful haven for friendly, herbivore dinosaurs—is partially flooded and covered in debris. Littlefoot rushes to find his friends after the storm ends, but they are preoccupied: Cera and her father are removing a large log from their nesting area, Ducky and Spike are relocating their nest with their family, and Petrie has gotten a cold. Littlefoot is bored and wishes intently for a brother, but eventually explores on his own and discovers a large area flooded by the rains. The adults advise their children to stay away, fearing creatures from the outside may have been washed into the Valley. However, Littlefoot returns and meets Mo, a playful young "swimmerOphthalmosaurus
Ophthalmosaurus is an ichthyosaur of the Middle to Late Jurassic period , named for its extremely large eyes. It had a graceful 6 metre long dolphin-shaped body, and its almost toothless jaw was well adapted for catching squid...
" that had been caught in the floodwater.
Littlefoot quickly strikes up a friendship with Mo, and describes him as his "mud brother". His other friends are unsure of Mo initially, but also take to him. Mo explains that he is from the "Big Water
Ocean
An ocean is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by ocean, a continuous body of water that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas.More than half of this area is over 3,000...
" and had flown into the valley during the flooding. He confirms that he is alone, but soon after a "sharptooh swimmer
Liopleurodon
Liopleurodon is a genus of large, carnivorous marine reptile belonging to the Pliosauroidea, a clade of short-necked plesiosaurs. Two species of Liopleurodon lived during the Callovian stage of the Middle Jurassic Period , while the third, L. rossicus, lived during the Late Jurassic...
" attacks the group. Littlefoot requests help from the adults to help Mo return home, but they refuse, not wanting to risk leaving the Great Valley to aid an strange outsider. A subsequent earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
separates the children and Mo from the rest of the Great Valley, though also imprisons the sharptooth swimmer in an underwater cavern. Unable to return, they decide to deliver Mo home on their own.
The children follow a river that they believe leads to the ocean. A Diplodocus
Diplodocus
Diplodocus , or )is a genus of diplodocid sauropod dinosaur whose fossils were first discovered in 1877 by S. W. Williston. The generic name, coined by Othniel Charles Marsh in 1878, is a Neo-Latin term derived from Greek "double" and "beam", in reference to its double-beamed chevron bones...
mother, after a brief misunderstanding, allows them to take refuge at her nest for the night, and the friends are present to witness the hatching of her offspring. The next day, Littlefoot and the others realize that they are nearing the ocean, as they have begun to taste salt in the water. However, the sharptooth swimmer, having escaped from the cave, attacks them that night. The land surrounding the river is steep and slick with mud, and the children are unable to escape. Mo distracts the carnivore, farewells his friends, and lures the sharptooth down the river. Mo has seemingly been killed, but he reappears the next day, unharmed; the sharptooth swimmer had smelled the ocean in the distance and abandoned the chase, choosing to return to the sea.
The children reach the ocean, but Mo is saddened by that his friends' must depart. He wishes to remain with them, but the others explain that he cannot, and Littlefoot reminds Mo that the two will always be brothers. Mo reunites with his family and asks them for directions to the "smoky mountains
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
", as the children know how to find the Great Valley from that location.
The gang reach the ocean and Mo reunites with his family. Before leaving, Mo offers to show Littlefoot his home. Littlefoot accepts the offer, and is amazed by the underwater world's beauty. Littlefoot and his friends exchange farewells with Mo and return home, where they are greeted warmly by the relieved adults.
Cast
- Thomas DekkerThomas Dekker (actor)Thomas Alexander Dekker is an American film and television actor and a musician. He is also a singer and has written and produced two albums. He is best known for his roles as John Connor in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Nick Szalinski on Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show, and Zach...
plays Littlefoot, the young "longneckApatosaurusApatosaurus , also known by the popular but scientifically deprecated synonym Brontosaurus, is a genus of sauropod dinosaur that lived from about 154 to 150 million years ago, during the Jurassic Period . It was one of the largest land animals that ever existed, with an average length of and a...
" - Aria Noelle CurzonAria CurzonAria Noelle Curzon is an American actress and singer. Her most famous voice roles are Ducky in The Land Before Time video series, Theresa in Recess, and Mandy Straussberg in the radio drama Adventures in Odyssey...
plays Ducky, Spike's adoptive "swimmerSaurolophusSaurolophus is a genus of large hadrosaurine duckbill that lived about 69.5-68.5 million years ago, in the Late Cretaceous of North America and Asia; it is one of the few genera of dinosaurs known from multiple continents. It is distinguished by a spike-like crest which projects up and back...
" sister, who remains constantly cheery and optimistic. - Anndi McAfeeAnndi McAfeeAnndi Lynn McAfee is an American actress, voice actress and the older sister of Scott McAfee.-Biography/Career:McAfee was born in Los Angeles, California. She started performing on stage when she was 7 years old and began working on film projects a year later...
plays Cera, a stubborn "three-hornTriceratopsTriceratops is a genus of herbivorous ceratopsid dinosaur which lived during the late Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous Period, around 68 to 65 million years ago in what is now North America. It was one of the last dinosaur genera to appear before the great Cretaceous–Paleogene...
" who initially is hesitant to help return Mo to the sea. - Jeff BennettJeff BennettJeffrey Glenn "Jeff" Bennett is an American voice actor and musician, listed "among the top names in the voice-over field", best known as the voice of Johnny Bravo in the series of the same name...
plays Petrie, a nervous "flyerPteranodonPteranodon , from the Late Cretaceous geological period of North America in present day Kansas, Alabama, Nebraska, Wyoming, and South Dakota, was one of the largest pterosaur genera and had a maximum wingspan of over...
" who speaks in broken EnglishBroken EnglishBroken English is a 1979 album by singer Marianne Faithfull. It is often cited as Faithfull's definitive recording; Faithfull herself describes it in her autobiography as "the masterpiece"...
. - Rob PaulsenRob PaulsenRobert Fredrick "Rob" Paulsen III , sometimes credited as Rob Paulson, is an American voice actor, best known as the voice behind Raphael from the 1987 cartoon of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Yakko Warner and Dr...
plays Spike, Littlefoot's constantly-hungry "spiketailStegosaurusStegosaurus is a genus of armored stegosaurid dinosaur. They lived during the Late Jurassic period , some 155 to 150 million years ago in what is now western North America. In 2006, a specimen of Stegosaurus was announced from Portugal, showing that they were present in Europe as well...
" friend, and Mo, Littlefoot's newly-dubbed "mud brother" who had been separated from his family and washed away from the ocean. - John IngleJohn IngleJohn Ingle is an American actor known for his role as scheming patriarch Edward Quartermaine on the ABC daytime drama, General Hospital.-Career:...
plays the film's narrator and Cera's abrasive and judgmental father. - Kenneth MarsKenneth MarsKenneth Mars was an American television, movie, and voice actor. He may be best-remembered for his roles in several Mel Brooks films: the insane Nazi playwright Franz Liebkind in 1968's The Producers, and the relentless Police Inspector Hans Wilhelm Fredrich Kemp in 1974's Young Frankenstein...
and Miriam FlynnMiriam FlynnMiriam Flynn is an American voice actress and character actress. She is best known as Cousin Catherine in the National Lampoon's Vacation franchise. As a voice artist, she has been featured in The Land Before Time series, Taz-Mania as the title character's mother, Jean, Poil in The Spooktacular...
play Grandpa Longneck and Grandma Longneck respectively. The two act as Littlefoot's guardians in lieu of his deceased mother. Additionally, Flynn voices the mother Diplodocus who Littlefoot and his friends encounter on their journey to the ocean. - Tress MacNeilleTress MacNeilleTress MacNeille is an American voice actress best known for providing various voices on the animated series The Simpsons, Futurama, Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, Disney's House of Mouse, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Rugrats, All Grown Up!, Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers, and Dave the...
plays Ducky's mother, who also acts as Spike's adoptive mother.
Songs
The songs are written by Michele BrourmanMichele Brourman
Michele Brourman is an American songwriter who is well known for writing the songs to most of the films in Land Before Time series , as well as the accompanying television series . She has also written the songs for sequels Balto II: Wolf Quest and Balto III: Wings of Change and one song for the...
and Amanda McBroom
Amanda McBroom
Amanda McBroom is an American singer, songwriter and cabaret performer. One of the songs she has written is "The Rose", which Bette Midler sang in the film of the same name...
. Big Water is borrowed from The Land Before Time V: The Mysterious Island
The Land Before Time V: The Mysterious Island
The Land Before Time V: The Mysterious Island is a 1997 animated film directed by Roy Allen Smith. This is the first film in the series in which Anndi McAfee is the voice of Cera, and Aria Noelle Curzon is the voice of Ducky...
, in which the songwriters also collaborated. This was the first Land Before Time
The Land Before Time
The Land Before Time is a 1988 American animated adventure film directed and co-produced by Don Bluth , and executive-produced by Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Kathleen Kennedy, and Frank Marshall....
film to contain more than three songs. This was the fourth time Spike sings; he can be heard humming during Big Water. Later, after Petrie yodels, so does Spike. The music that plays in the background when the gang cool off is the cheese factory scene music from An American Tail: The Treasure of Manhattan Island
An American Tail: The Treasure of Manhattan Island
An American Tail: The Treasure of Manhattan Island, titled in the film as An American Tail III: The Treasure of Manhattan Island was the first direct-to-video and third film in the An American Tail series. This film was first released in the UK in 1998. It was released by Universal Studios Home...
. This is the second and last time the music is used in the series, after The Land Before Time VIII: The Big Freeze
The Land Before Time VIII: The Big Freeze
The Land Before Time VIII: The Big Freeze is a 2001 film and the eighth film in The Land Before Time series.-Plot:When the dinosaur families get trapped in a valley by an ice storm, one family of "spiketail" dinosaurs volunteers to leave since they consume more food than the others. Meanwhile, the...
.
- Chanson D'Ennui ("Song of Boredom") - Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky and Petrie (Thomas DekkerThomas Dekker (actor)Thomas Alexander Dekker is an American film and television actor and a musician. He is also a singer and has written and produced two albums. He is best known for his roles as John Connor in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Nick Szalinski on Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show, and Zach...
, Anndi McAfeeAnndi McAfeeAnndi Lynn McAfee is an American actress, voice actress and the older sister of Scott McAfee.-Biography/Career:McAfee was born in Los Angeles, California. She started performing on stage when she was 7 years old and began working on film projects a year later...
, Aria Noelle CurzonAria CurzonAria Noelle Curzon is an American actress and singer. Her most famous voice roles are Ducky in The Land Before Time video series, Theresa in Recess, and Mandy Straussberg in the radio drama Adventures in Odyssey...
and Jeff BennettJeff BennettJeffrey Glenn "Jeff" Bennett is an American voice actor and musician, listed "among the top names in the voice-over field", best known as the voice of Johnny Bravo in the series of the same name...
) - Imaginary Friend - Petrie, Littlefoot, Ducky and Cera (Jeff BennettJeff BennettJeffrey Glenn "Jeff" Bennett is an American voice actor and musician, listed "among the top names in the voice-over field", best known as the voice of Johnny Bravo in the series of the same name...
, Thomas DekkerThomas Dekker (actor)Thomas Alexander Dekker is an American film and television actor and a musician. He is also a singer and has written and produced two albums. He is best known for his roles as John Connor in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Nick Szalinski on Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show, and Zach...
, Aria Noelle CurzonAria CurzonAria Noelle Curzon is an American actress and singer. Her most famous voice roles are Ducky in The Land Before Time video series, Theresa in Recess, and Mandy Straussberg in the radio drama Adventures in Odyssey...
and Anndi McAfeeAnndi McAfeeAnndi Lynn McAfee is an American actress, voice actress and the older sister of Scott McAfee.-Biography/Career:McAfee was born in Los Angeles, California. She started performing on stage when she was 7 years old and began working on film projects a year later...
) - Big Water (This reprise omits the verses of the original song but adds an extra line to the chorus) - Ducky, Spike, Littlefoot, Cera and Petrie (Aria Noelle CurzonAria CurzonAria Noelle Curzon is an American actress and singer. Her most famous voice roles are Ducky in The Land Before Time video series, Theresa in Recess, and Mandy Straussberg in the radio drama Adventures in Odyssey...
, Rob PaulsenRob PaulsenRobert Fredrick "Rob" Paulsen III , sometimes credited as Rob Paulson, is an American voice actor, best known as the voice behind Raphael from the 1987 cartoon of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Yakko Warner and Dr...
, Thomas DekkerThomas Dekker (actor)Thomas Alexander Dekker is an American film and television actor and a musician. He is also a singer and has written and produced two albums. He is best known for his roles as John Connor in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Nick Szalinski on Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show, and Zach...
, Anndi McAfeeAnndi McAfeeAnndi Lynn McAfee is an American actress, voice actress and the older sister of Scott McAfee.-Biography/Career:McAfee was born in Los Angeles, California. She started performing on stage when she was 7 years old and began working on film projects a year later...
and Jeff BennettJeff BennettJeffrey Glenn "Jeff" Bennett is an American voice actor and musician, listed "among the top names in the voice-over field", best known as the voice of Johnny Bravo in the series of the same name...
) - No One Has to Be Alone (the end credits version is sung by Donny OsmondDonny OsmondDonald Clark "Donny" Osmond is an American singer, musician, actor, dancer, radio personality, and former teen idol. Osmond has also been a talk and game show host, record producer and author. In the mid 1960s, he and four of his elder brothers gained fame as the Osmond Brothers on the long...
; known as "You Never Have to be Alone" in some countries) - Littlefoot, Ducky, Cera, Petrie and Mother (Thomas DekkerThomas Dekker (actor)Thomas Alexander Dekker is an American film and television actor and a musician. He is also a singer and has written and produced two albums. He is best known for his roles as John Connor in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Nick Szalinski on Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show, and Zach...
, Aria Noelle CurzonAria CurzonAria Noelle Curzon is an American actress and singer. Her most famous voice roles are Ducky in The Land Before Time video series, Theresa in Recess, and Mandy Straussberg in the radio drama Adventures in Odyssey...
, Anndi McAfeeAnndi McAfeeAnndi Lynn McAfee is an American actress, voice actress and the older sister of Scott McAfee.-Biography/Career:McAfee was born in Los Angeles, California. She started performing on stage when she was 7 years old and began working on film projects a year later...
, Jeff BennettJeff BennettJeffrey Glenn "Jeff" Bennett is an American voice actor and musician, listed "among the top names in the voice-over field", best known as the voice of Johnny Bravo in the series of the same name...
and Miriam FlynnMiriam FlynnMiriam Flynn is an American voice actress and character actress. She is best known as Cousin Catherine in the National Lampoon's Vacation franchise. As a voice artist, she has been featured in The Land Before Time series, Taz-Mania as the title character's mother, Jean, Poil in The Spooktacular...
)
Home video release history
- December 10, 2002 (VHSVHSThe Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
and DVDDVDA DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
) - December 2, 2003 (VHS and DVD - 9 Movie Dino Pack)
- February 7, 2006 (DVD - 2 Dino-Riffic Adventures)
- August 5, 2008 (Carrying Case DVD with Fun Activity Book - 2 Dino-Riffic Adventures - Universal Watch on the Go)
Production
This was the first Land Before Time film in which the eggs are computer-animatedComputer animation
Computer animation is the process used for generating animated images by using computer graphics. The more general term computer generated imagery encompasses both static scenes and dynamic images, while computer animation only refers to moving images....
; they can be seen when Littlefoot and his friends find Ducky in a female Diplodocus's nest. When the eggs hatch, hand-drawn elements are mapped onto each egg.