The Land Before Time III: The Time of the Great Giving
Encyclopedia
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
.
dinosaurs: Hyp, a Hypsilophodon
; Nod, a Nodosaurus
; and Mutt, a Muttaburrasaurus
. However, when a shower of flying rocks impacts near the Great Valley and causes a rock slide in the Mysterious Beyond, which blocks the water
supply of the Great Valley, Hyp, Nod, and Mutt are no longer the biggest worry of Littlefoot and his friends. The increasing lack of water causes conflicts between the inhabitants of the Great Valley, who have lived in relative peace
and harmony
until this event.
When the interspecies situation becomes worse and worse, Littlefoot and the others set out to find water, whereby to keep the peace in the Great Valley. They are pursued by Hyp and his cohorts. When Littlefoot and the others find a small lake
, the teenagers emerge and claim the waterhole for themselves, demanding that Littlefoot and the others keep silent about their discovery. Unwilling to comply, Littlefoot and the others flee from the bullies and during the following pursuit, the bullies are then chased away by a wasp, and the kids discover the reason for the blockage of the Great Valley’s water source.
Before they can return and tell the other Valley inhabitants the truth, the storm
approaches, a lightning
strike on a tree, ignites a wildfire
that spreads rapidly through the dried Valley. The dinosaurs barely make it to safety
at the edge of the Mysterious Beyond while the fire ravages their home. When the protagonists tell the other dinosaurs of their discovery of the water's being blocked in the Mysterious Beyond by the rock slide, disunity about what to do prevents the adult dinosaurs from doing anything to utilize this knowledge. Hyp, Mutt, and Nod set out into the Mysterious Beyond on their own to get to the water first.
Anticipating the danger to which Hyp and his cohorts have exposed themselves, and recognizing commonality with them, Littlefoot and the others follow them, in order to help if necessary. It becomes necessary when a pool of water Hyp enters turns out to be a dangerous tar pit
. Littlefoot and the others pull him out of the tar by combined effort. Soon afterwards, the adult dinosaurs appear in search of their offspring and are united by the understanding that it was the unity of their children that helped them to find water. It is implied during the discussion thereof that Hyp's own experience
of harsh treatment by his father is the cause of his harshness toward others after he bullies Littlefoot and the others and leads the argument of Cera's father and Littlefoot's grandfather with Cera's dad calling Littlefoot a bad influence enraging Grandpa which he causes, and implied later that being treated kindly improves the temperaments of Hyp and his sidekick
s.
Before they are able to take further steps, the herd is attacked by a pack of four Sharpteeth. These carnivores are portrayed as small, vicious antagonist
s who have a reddish skin with black stripes and act with a bandit-like unity. The following pursuit leads to the bed of the now dry river
that flows through the Great Valley and exactly to the spot where a dam of boulders created by the rockslide has blocked the river. During the following encounter between the sharpteeth and the herbivorous dinosaurs, the unity of the children — a group which now includes Hyp and his cronies — proves elemental. Cera's father, Littlefoot's grandfather, and later Hyp's father keep the sharpteeth occupied while Cera and the now placid teenagers succeed in breaking the dam. They all watch as the freed water washes away the sharpteeth (though they manage to survive and land on the opposite bank).
The herbivores return to the Valley, which now has enough water for them, although the fire has destroyed most of the plants on which they feed. Working together, the dinosaurs survive the time until the plants start to grow again by feeding on the last remains of the plants, moving from one verdant area to another and sharing everything they find; a behavior which gives this time its name “The Time of the Great Giving”.
and Amanda McBroom
("The Rose").
review, Michael Sauter criticized some modernisms in the dialogue but said that, "Littlefoot and his friends still retain their youthful charm."
Direct-to-video
Direct-to-video is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats without being released in film theaters or broadcast on television...
film directed by Roy Allen Smith. It is the second sequel to the The 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....
and the third film in the film franchise
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...
.
Plot
Littlefoot and his friends are constantly being bullied and browbeaten by three teenageAdolescence
Adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and mental human development generally occurring between puberty and legal adulthood , but largely characterized as beginning and ending with the teenage stage...
dinosaurs: Hyp, a Hypsilophodon
Hypsilophodon
Hypsilophodon is an ornithopod dinosaur genus from the Early Cretaceous period of Europe. It was a small bipedal animal with an herbivorous or possibly omnivorous diet...
; Nod, a Nodosaurus
Nodosaurus
Nodosaurus was a genus of herbivorous ankylosaurian dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous, the fossils of which are found in North America. Two incomplete specimens have been discovered in Wyoming and Kansas, and no skulls...
; and Mutt, a Muttaburrasaurus
Muttaburrasaurus
Muttaburrasaurus is a genus of herbivorous ornithopod dinosaur, living in what is now northeastern Australia between 100 and 98 million years ago during the early Cretaceous Period. It has been recovered in some analyses as a member of the iguanodontian family Rhabdodontidae...
. However, when a shower of flying rocks impacts near the Great Valley and causes a rock slide in the Mysterious Beyond, which blocks the water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
supply of the Great Valley, Hyp, Nod, and Mutt are no longer the biggest worry of Littlefoot and his friends. The increasing lack of water causes conflicts between the inhabitants of the Great Valley, who have lived in relative peace
Peace
Peace is a state of harmony characterized by the lack of violent conflict. Commonly understood as the absence of hostility, peace also suggests the existence of healthy or newly healed interpersonal or international relationships, prosperity in matters of social or economic welfare, the...
and harmony
Harmony
In music, harmony is the use of simultaneous pitches , or chords. The study of harmony involves chords and their construction and chord progressions and the principles of connection that govern them. Harmony is often said to refer to the "vertical" aspect of music, as distinguished from melodic...
until this event.
When the interspecies situation becomes worse and worse, Littlefoot and the others set out to find water, whereby to keep the peace in the Great Valley. They are pursued by Hyp and his cohorts. When Littlefoot and the others find a small lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
, the teenagers emerge and claim the waterhole for themselves, demanding that Littlefoot and the others keep silent about their discovery. Unwilling to comply, Littlefoot and the others flee from the bullies and during the following pursuit, the bullies are then chased away by a wasp, and the kids discover the reason for the blockage of the Great Valley’s water source.
Before they can return and tell the other Valley inhabitants the truth, the storm
Storm
A storm is any disturbed state of an astronomical body's atmosphere, especially affecting its surface, and strongly implying severe weather...
approaches, a lightning
Lightning
Lightning is an atmospheric electrostatic discharge accompanied by thunder, which typically occurs during thunderstorms, and sometimes during volcanic eruptions or dust storms...
strike on a tree, ignites a wildfire
Wildfire
A wildfire is any uncontrolled fire in combustible vegetation that occurs in the countryside or a wilderness area. Other names such as brush fire, bushfire, forest fire, desert fire, grass fire, hill fire, squirrel fire, vegetation fire, veldfire, and wilkjjofire may be used to describe the same...
that spreads rapidly through the dried Valley. The dinosaurs barely make it to safety
Safety
Safety is the state of being "safe" , the condition of being protected against physical, social, spiritual, financial, political, emotional, occupational, psychological, educational or other types or consequences of failure, damage, error, accidents, harm or any other event which could be...
at the edge of the Mysterious Beyond while the fire ravages their home. When the protagonists tell the other dinosaurs of their discovery of the water's being blocked in the Mysterious Beyond by the rock slide, disunity about what to do prevents the adult dinosaurs from doing anything to utilize this knowledge. Hyp, Mutt, and Nod set out into the Mysterious Beyond on their own to get to the water first.
Anticipating the danger to which Hyp and his cohorts have exposed themselves, and recognizing commonality with them, Littlefoot and the others follow them, in order to help if necessary. It becomes necessary when a pool of water Hyp enters turns out to be a dangerous tar pit
Tar pit
A tar pit, or more accurately known as an asphalt pit or asphalt lake, is a geological occurrence where subterranean bitumen leaks to the surface, creating a large area of natural asphalt.-Known tar pits:...
. Littlefoot and the others pull him out of the tar by combined effort. Soon afterwards, the adult dinosaurs appear in search of their offspring and are united by the understanding that it was the unity of their children that helped them to find water. It is implied during the discussion thereof that Hyp's own experience
Experience
Experience as a general concept comprises knowledge of or skill in or observation of some thing or some event gained through involvement in or exposure to that thing or event....
of harsh treatment by his father is the cause of his harshness toward others after he bullies Littlefoot and the others and leads the argument of Cera's father and Littlefoot's grandfather with Cera's dad calling Littlefoot a bad influence enraging Grandpa which he causes, and implied later that being treated kindly improves the temperaments of Hyp and his sidekick
Sidekick
A sidekick is a close companion who is generally regarded as subordinate to the one he accompanies. Some well-known fictional sidekicks are Don Quixote's Sancho Panza, Sherlock Holmes' Doctor Watson, The Lone Ranger's Tonto, The Green Hornet's Kato and Batman's Robin.-Origins:The origin of the...
s.
Before they are able to take further steps, the herd is attacked by a pack of four Sharpteeth. These carnivores are portrayed as small, vicious antagonist
Antagonist
An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
s who have a reddish skin with black stripes and act with a bandit-like unity. The following pursuit leads to the bed of the now dry river
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
that flows through the Great Valley and exactly to the spot where a dam of boulders created by the rockslide has blocked the river. During the following encounter between the sharpteeth and the herbivorous dinosaurs, the unity of the children — a group which now includes Hyp and his cronies — proves elemental. Cera's father, Littlefoot's grandfather, and later Hyp's father keep the sharpteeth occupied while Cera and the now placid teenagers succeed in breaking the dam. They all watch as the freed water washes away the sharpteeth (though they manage to survive and land on the opposite bank).
The herbivores return to the Valley, which now has enough water for them, although the fire has destroyed most of the plants on which they feed. Working together, the dinosaurs survive the time until the plants start to grow again by feeding on the last remains of the plants, moving from one verdant area to another and sharing everything they find; a behavior which gives this time its name “The Time of the Great Giving”.
Voice cast
- 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:...
- Narrator / Cera's Father - Scott McAfeeScott McAfeeScott McAfee is an American voice actor and the one to voice Littlefoot from the The Land Before Time films II-IV. He is the younger brother of Anndi McAfee, who is the current voice for The Land Before Time character Cera....
- Littlefoot - Candace HutsonCandace HutsonCandace Hutson is an American actress best known as the voice of Cera the Triceratops in The Land Before Time film series from the original movie to The Land Before Time IV: Journey Through the Mists....
- Cera - Heather HoganHeather HoganHeather Hogan is an American actress best known for the second voice of Ducky in The Land Before Time 2, 3 and 4. She took this role after the death of Judith Barsi and did the voice of baby Nala in the Lion King merchandise.-Filmography:-External links:...
- Ducky - 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...
- Petrie / Mutt / IguanodonIguanodonIguanodon is a genus of ornithopod dinosaur that lived roughly halfway between the first of the swift bipedal hypsilophodontids and the ornithopods' culmination in the duck-billed dinosaurs... - 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...
- Spike / Kosh - Whitby Herford - Hyp
- Scott MenvilleScott MenvilleScott David Menville is primarily an American voice actor, actor, musician, and comedian.-Early life and career:The son of Chuck Menville, he was bassist for the Southern California rock band Boy Hits Car, which released three albums until he left the band in 2006. He was with the group since...
- Nod - 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...
- Grandpa Longneck - Linda GaryLinda GaryLinda Gary was an American voice actor and voice-over artist, who has worked on multiple animated projects.-Personal life:Linda Gary Dewoskin was born in California on November 4, 1944....
- Grandma Longneck / Mother QuetzalcoatlusQuetzalcoatlusQuetzalcoatlus was a pterodactyloid pterosaur known from the Late Cretaceous of North America , and one of the largest known flying animals of all time. It was a member of the Azhdarchidae, a family of advanced toothless pterosaurs with unusually long, stiffened necks... - Nicholas GuestNicholas GuestNicholas Haden-Guest is an American actor. He primarily works as a voice actor, but is best known for a TV role, as the principal in the NBC teen sitcom, USA High.-Personal life:...
- Hyp's Father / Mutt's Father - 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...
- StegosaurusStegosaurusStegosaurus 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...
/ Spike & Ducky's Mother / Petrie's Mother - Frank WelkerFrank WelkerFranklin Wendell "Frank" Welker is an American actor who specializes in voice acting and has contributed character voices and other vocal effects to American television and motion pictures.-Acting career:...
- VelociraptorVelociraptorVelociraptor is a genus of dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaur that existed approximately 75 to 71 million years ago during the later part of the Cretaceous Period. Two species are currently recognized, although others have been assigned in the past. The type species is V. mongoliensis; fossils...
s / UnquillosaurusUnquillosaurusUnquillosaurus is a genus of maniraptoran dinosaur from the late Cretaceous Period, discovered in Argentina. Known only from a single fossilized pubis , its total body length may have reached 2-3 meters .The type species Unquillosaurus ceibalii was described by Jaime Eduardo Powell in 1979...
(This is the only time Welker is credited for voicing a Sharptooth)
Songs
The songs are written by Michelle 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...
("The Rose").
- When You're Big - Hyp, Mutt and Nod (Whitby Hertford, 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 Scott MenvilleScott MenvilleScott David Menville is primarily an American voice actor, actor, musician, and comedian.-Early life and career:The son of Chuck Menville, he was bassist for the Southern California rock band Boy Hits Car, which released three albums until he left the band in 2006. He was with the group since...
) - Standing Tough - Topsy (John Trivolta)
- Kids Like Us - Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky and Petrie (Scott McAfeeScott McAfeeScott McAfee is an American voice actor and the one to voice Littlefoot from the The Land Before Time films II-IV. He is the younger brother of Anndi McAfee, who is the current voice for The Land Before Time character Cera....
, Candace HutsonCandace HutsonCandace Hutson is an American actress best known as the voice of Cera the Triceratops in The Land Before Time film series from the original movie to The Land Before Time IV: Journey Through the Mists....
, Heather HoganHeather HoganHeather Hogan is an American actress best known for the second voice of Ducky in The Land Before Time 2, 3 and 4. She took this role after the death of Judith Barsi and did the voice of baby Nala in the Lion King merchandise.-Filmography:-External links:...
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...
)
Reception
In a brief Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
review, Michael Sauter criticized some modernisms in the dialogue but said that, "Littlefoot and his friends still retain their youthful charm."
Home video release history
- December 15, 1995 (VHSVHSThe Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
and laserdiscLaserdiscLaserDisc was a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium. Initially licensed, sold, and marketed as MCA DiscoVision in North America in 1978, the technology was previously referred to interally as Optical Videodisc System, Reflective Optical Videodisc, Laser Optical...
) - May 13, 1997 (VHSVHSThe Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
and laserdiscLaserdiscLaserDisc was a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium. Initially licensed, sold, and marketed as MCA DiscoVision in North America in 1978, the technology was previously referred to interally as Optical Videodisc System, Reflective Optical Videodisc, Laser Optical...
- The Land Before Time Collection) - December 1, 1998 (VHSVHSThe Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
and laserdiscLaserdiscLaserDisc was a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium. Initially licensed, sold, and marketed as MCA DiscoVision in North America in 1978, the technology was previously referred to interally as Optical Videodisc System, Reflective Optical Videodisc, Laser Optical...
, the last laserdiscLaserdiscLaserDisc was a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium. Initially licensed, sold, and marketed as MCA DiscoVision in North America in 1978, the technology was previously referred to interally as Optical Videodisc System, Reflective Optical Videodisc, Laser Optical...
release - Universal Family Features) - December 4, 2001 (VHSVHSThe Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
) - December 10, 2002 (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 (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....
- 4 Movie Dino Pack (Volume 1) and 9 Movie Dino Pack) - September 27, 2005 (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....
- 2 Dino-Mite Movies)