Since the latest edition in The Land Before Time video series was just released this week, Cartoon Network had some marathons consisting of older movies in the series. Even though we own The Land Before Time: The Big Freeze, for some reason my seven-year old liked watching it on these weekend afternoons. I think the appeal might be the fact that he can take breaks during commercials and not miss any crucial data in the process.

It is always nice to view the previous episodes (videos) before purchasing a new installment, so I sat down recently to familiarize myself with The Land Before Time: The Big Freeze. This particular series goes straight to video and has never to my knowledge played in the theatres. While the first movie introduces you to the characters and how they arrive at the Great Valley, it is not necessary to have to view them all before watching the next series. Some of the movies do mention previous visitors to the valley or destinations they have explored. You will not feel lost though if you just start watching with this Part VIII.

We meet for the first time the oldest member ever to live in the Valley, going by the name Mr. Thicknose. This character is brought to life by the voice of Robert Guillaume, and does a nice job of filling this part. Usually with The Land Before Time movies there is more than one story going on within the feature, and this one is no exception. The story line consists of snow visiting the valley for the very first time and a herd of Stegosaurus arriving. The lingo through out the movie for this species is Spiketail. There is a run-in with the Sharpteeth, otherwise known as T-Rex.

The kids in the series are known as Ducky, Spike, Littlefoot, Petrie and Cera. They have become friends over the years and versions, though they are not alike in their species. Spike is also a Stegosaurus, but his family did not make the journey long ago so Ducky’s family took him in and consider him one of them. The kids start each day learning life lessons from Mr. Thicknose. When he is interrupted while discussing he has to start all over from the beginning. Some of the kids fall asleep or talk amongst themselves and this does not sit well with him.

I noticed right away that the voices of these kids have matured over time from the earlier episodes. Not sure if my son really noticed that or not, but when I quizzed him about it he said he could tell. Spike cannot talk but makes noises to get his thoughts across and is hungry most of the time and the rest is spent sleeping. He is mesmerized by the new herd that arrives in the Valley, thus spending time with the male kid of this herd. Ducky started out mad at Spike for some reason and had Cera teach her to be mad. This scene was kind of strange to me because they have known each other for years but seemed to be just getting acquainted finally. Cera goes into a song about being mad. One morning Littlefoot woke up early and saw some magical flakes dropping from the sky. When he mentioned this later on to Mr. Thicknose he was not believed. The kids did not really like this elderly character and the parents and grandparents of the kids thought this man knew everything.

This later fell apart when a few days later the snow stuck to the ground and they all wanted some fair warning to save some tree stars for food. Spike woke up and licked the snow thinking this was great, until he shivered with cold from the snow. My son laughed at this and thought it was very funny. The scenes showing all the kids and then the adults playing around in the snow is perfect for this time of year to view with kids who are used to snow and have no prior contact with it, such as my kids due to living in Southern California.

Each movie has one of the kids coming up with a plan to go on some journey and this time it is Ducky going off alone to the Mysterious Beyond after Spike left the Valley and the snow for greener pastures with the new herd. Once the others realize that Ducky is gone they start to go after her. Mr. Thicknose finds them and tags along since he would not allow them to go alone without an adult present.

An avalanche makes the entrance to the valley on their return impossible, plus Petrie learns he cannot fly with ice or snow on his wings. They catch up with Ducky in time to crush the Sharptooth with a large boulder of snow. Ducky thinks to herself that is she apologizes to Spike he will want to go back to the Valley with her and be her sibling again. She now blames Cera for teaching her to be mad at Spike.

They come upon a ice pond where they all slide around on and then it cracks with them all falling inside. The water is warm as are the rocks and green food for them to eat. Littlefoot questions why Mr. Thicknose pretended to know so much and why he fibbed. Then he explains how he was a shy youngster always listening to the grown-ups and their stories. When he started repeating them to other kids they liked him and made him feel important. This starts off a song number by Mr. Thicknose.

Meanwhile the adults back at the Valley are looking around in a snowstorm for their little ones. The Stegosaurus herd keeps moving ahead of the kids with Mr. Thicknose, but Spike stops for a second thinking he hears his name being called out by Ducky. At the top of a hill the herd follows the lead of Spike and they continue on. The kids and Mr. Thicknose called the pond with the warm water Hot Springs and then in their quest ended back to the valley again and directed the rest of the residents of the valley to Hot springs.

The Stegosaurus herd came to the Hot Springs location too and shared in the food and warmth. Now it was Spike’s turn to take a spin on the ice but he ended up breaking ice on another section that had deeper water. His mother dove into the water to get him and a few intense moments while the water was still and no one knew if they would make it. A big exit with the mother and Spike making everyone very happy. The mother Stegosaurus knew then that Ducky’s mother was really the family that Spike needed and thanked them for getting to know Spike during their visit.

They all stayed through the season until it all melted and went back to the valley to start a new adventure. The narrator for this edition was again John Ingle, who also does the voice of Cera’s grandfather and known in daytime as Edward Quartermaine on General Hospital. The latest edition VIIII is entitled The Land Before Time: Journey to Big Water. An overview of each movie can be found here, http://www.landbeforetime.com/dino_movies.html, including a trailer for this movie and the latest installment.

These are such a joy to watch with kids and learn from the experiences of these little creatures that we grow accustomed to. The animation is fantastic as usual with the sparkle of the snow and the sound of the wind blowing plus the neat expressions on their faces as they brave the first snow and trek over the mountain. I really liked the first few movies in this series and then there were two that were not as good, but the Big Freeze is a delightful one that runs almost one hour and fifteen minutes.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children up Ages 8