Gets this Mom's seal of approval
Pros:
animation, moral/social lessons, lovable characters, music
Cons:
None
The Bottom Line:
A well done addition to the series, great music that will have your little ones singing and dancing.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
Our family owns 4 of the now 9 movies in the Land Before Time collection. We are steadily adding to our collection as they are released on DVD. Our latest addition is The Land Before Time- Journey to Big Water. This movie was purchased as a Christmas present for our 4 year old daughter.
The Movie
If you have young children in your family, the chances are you have seen at least one of the Land Before Time movies. The plot for Journey to Big Water is very similiar to the previous 8 releases. Littlefoot and his friends- Cera, Spike, Petrie and Ducky- are off on yet another adventure that takes them beyond the boundries of their home, the Great Valley. This time, they are helping a new friend, Mo, find the way back to his home in the Big Water. Mo is a yellow and purple dolphin-like creature who has been washed into new water in the Great Valley created by heavy 'sky water'. The six friends encounter many obstacles in their journey, including a swimming sharp tooth. I don't want to give away too much of the plot, so I'll stop with that much of the movie. I will say that one of my daughter's favorite parts of the movie is when a crab grabs onto Cera's nose.
The Animation and music
I've always loved the animation in the Land Before Time series. They use very vibrant, eye catching colors and in Journey to Big Water those colors help make Mo's underwater world come alive. The animators and storyboard artists should be very proud of the beautiful visualizations they provide families in this movie and throughout the series.
The movie's songs include- If We Hold on Together, Chanson D'Ennui, Imaginary Friend, No One Has to Be Alone and Big Water. My daughter's favorite is Imaginary Friend, a song with a very catchy Caribbean beat. She starts singing and dancing as soon as it starts and will ask me to go directly to it in the Sing-Along songs section of the Bonus Material once the movie has finished. No One Has to Be Alone is sung by Donny Osmond in the closing credits.
Lessons Learned
As with all the Land Before Time movies, Journey to Big Water emphasizes the values of friendship, cooperation and acceptance of those different from ourselves. These are lessons everyone can benefit from, children and adults alike.
"You are only as alone as you choose to be" is a line from Littlefoot's grandfather to him when he complains of being bored and having no one to play with. As a parent who has heard "I don't have anyone to play with" more times than I care to remember, I just may end up using this one on my own kids the next time they complain.
In conclusion
The Land Before Time- Journey to Big Water is an excellent addition to the series. Both of my children enjoy it and I like that it continues the series' dedication to lessons of cooperation and friendship. It's good fun for the whole family.
Special Features:
Littlefoot's Playhouse
-Ducky's Deep Sea Discovery Game
-Cera Goes Home Game
-Sing-Along Songs
DVD-ROM Features Including
-The Land Before Time Preschool Adventure Game
-Coloring Pages
Running time- 1 hour 15 minutes
Produced and directed by Charles Grosvenor
Screenplay by Dev Ross
Music by Michael Tavera
Narrated by John Ingle
