This Don Bluth film is one of the most beautiful movies, animated or not, to grace the big screen. Beginning with narration which describes the point in time when dinosaurs began to disappear from the face of the Earth, we are treated to scenes of dinosaurs, underwater and on land. We see families of dinosaurs being born, and finally the focus turns to a single egg. It finally hatches, and we meet our young protagonist, Littlefoot the brontosaurus (aka long-neck).

Littlefoot is the only offspring of a gentle mother. He wanders off on his own and befriends a sassy triceratops (three-horn) by the name of Cera, only to be told by her outraged father that "three-horns never play with long-necks". So Littlefoot returns to his mother and grandparents as they journey to the Great Valley, a land where leafy trees and fresh water exist in abundance. Littlefoot marvels at his mother's faith in a land she has never seen, but he trusts her wholeheartedly.

But the trek to the Great Valley is long and dangerous. The dreaded tyrannasaurus rex (sharp-tooth) lurks around every corner, waiting for unsuspecting prey. And then there are the "earth-shakes" which continue to wreak havoc on the land. One day Littlefoot wanders off again and once more bumps into Cera. Momentarily forgetting their differences, they scamper off together...only to run straight into Sharp-tooth. Hearing their cries of terror, Littlefoot's mother hurries to the rescue and locks herself into battle with the ferocious dinosaur. Meanwhile, a huge earth-shake tears the ground apart. Losing his footing, Sharp-tooth is swallowed up by the Earth.

But Littlefoot's mother is on her last legs, and she quietly gives her son instructions on how to reach the Great Valley on his own. She tells him she will be with him, but he will not be able to see her. So Littlefoot finds himself alone, his mother gone, a great chasm separating him from his grandparents. So, disheartened, he sets off for the Great Valley. On the way he meets up with Ducky, a talkative duckbill (bigmouth), Petri, a pteradactyl (flyer), Spike, a mute stegasaurus, and Cera once again. All have been separated from their families, and they learns that they must make this journey together, despite their differences, or they will never reach their destination.

This lovely movie is arguably the best dinosaur movie ever made, and it tells a beautiful story that need never grow old. The morals of the story: Never give up on your dream, even if you can't see it. Love never dies. And friendship knows no boundaries.

As the haunting theme song says, "If we hold on together, I know our dreams will never die. Dreams see us through till forever..."

Don Bluth reviews:
All Dogs Go to Heaven
An American Tail
An American Tail: Fievel Goes West
The Secret of NIMH
Land Before Time
Anastasia

Recommended: Yes