The Land Before Time (TV series)

The Land Before Time is an American animated musical television series, based on The Land Before Time film series’ characters created by Judy Freudberg and Tony Geiss. It was developed for television by Ford Riley for Cartoon Network and was produced by Universal Animation Studios and Amblin Entertainment (Amblin Entertainment produced the first film with Sullivan Bluth Studios), and animated by Wang Film Productions in Taiwan and Toon City in the Philippines. It premiered on YTV in Canada for a test on January 5, 2007 and premiered on Cartoon Network in the United States on March 5.

It was made as traditionally animated with CGI backgrounds, which the past sequels from The Land Before Time X: The Great Longneck Migration onwards have used, with occasional cel-shaded computer-animated characters in wide shots. The main antagonists in the series are Red Claw, an evil villainous Tyrannosaurus, and Screech and Thud, a pair of henchmen Deinonychus. The TV series takes place between the events of The Wisdom of Friends and Journey of the Brave, due to Chomper and Ruby being absent in the former film.

Voice cast Main Cody Arens as Littlefoot (Anthony Skillman performs Littlefoot's singing voice; uncredited) Anndi McAfee as Cera Aria Curzon as Ducky Jeff Bennett as Petrie Rob Paulsen as Spike, Thud (before uncredited) Max Burkholder as Chomper Meghan Strange as Ruby Pete Sepenuk as Red Claw, Screech (before uncredited)

Recurring Kenneth Mars as Grandpa Longneck Miriam Flynn as Grandma Longneck John Ingle as Daddy Topps Tress MacNeille as Petrie's Mother / Ducky and Spike's Mother Dorian Harewood as Mr. Thicknose Jessica Gee as Tria Meghan Strange as Tricia

Guest appearances Anndi McAfee as Lydia / Corythosaurus Aria Curzon as Ceratogaulus Girl Jeff Bennett as Apatosaurus #2 / Ruby's brother / Skip / Mutt / Doc / Kosh (The Amazing Threehorn Girl) / Ceratogaulus Elder Rob Paulsen as Ruby's father / Apatosaurus #1 / Hidden Runner / Mo / Milo / Stegosaurus / Guido / Lambeosaurus Meghan Strange as Plower / Maiasaura / Iguanodon / Corythosaurus / Ruby's sister Pete Sepenuk as Kosh (The Star Day Celebration) / Saro / Allosaurus Nika Futterman as Ruby's Mother / Ali Elizabeth Daily as Rhett / Shorty Jessica Walter as Old One Cree Summer as Tippy Susan Krebs as Tippy's mother Cam Clarke as Bron Susan Blu as Dara Mikey Kelley as Hyp Scott Menville as Nod / Mother Deinonychus Kevin Michael Richardson as Scuttle Dorian Harewood as Great Hideous Beast Jess Harnell as Swooper Dee Bradley Baker as Baby Acrocanthosaurus (uncredited) / Sarcosuchus pack

Episodes Series overview

Season 1 (2007)

Season 2 (2008)

Production In August 2005, it was reported that Universal Studios Home Entertainment Family Productions had begun production on a 26 episode TV series based on The Land Before Time to debut on Cartoon Network in 2007 followed by a home media release by Universal.

Broadcast The show premiered on Cartoon Network in the United States on March 5, 2007. Reruns of the series began airing on Sprout in January 2017, and were subsequently moved to Universal Kids upon the channel's launch on September 9, 2017.NBCUniversal Is Launching A New Channel: Universal Kids

Reception Michael D. Schaffer of the Philadelphia Inquirer said that the animation in the series, although below that of the original 1988 film, was above-average for modern television. Although he praised the theme song, saying it had a "bouncy, almost calypso beat", he was less pleased with the songs "Adventuring" and "Talking Big". He finally described the series as "bland, inoffensive stuff", and appropriate viewing for very young audiences.

Merchandise Universal Studios Consumer Products Group and Playmates Toys announced a domestic licensing agreement, whereby Playmates served as the master toy license for the then-upcoming animated television series, The Land Before Time. The 22-minute animated series aired on Cartoon Network beginning in spring 2007. The toy line launched in fall 2007 with the introduction of a full line of figures, vehicles, playsets and plush.

Home media 24 episodes of the series were released on DVD by Universal Studios Home Entertainment between 2007–2008 in North America (region 1) and 2010 in Australia (region 4) in the form of six four-episode volumes. A six-disc box set was later released in the UK (region 2) in 2012 containing the 24 episodes from the previous volumes. Two episodes were not included in those releases: "The Hidden Canyon" and "The Big Longneck Test". Only "The Hidden Canyon" was later released as a special feature on the stand-alone DVD release of The Land Before Time XIII: The Wisdom of Friends. In June 2022, a complete TV series DVD was released, not only marking the first time "The Big Longneck Test" has been released on home media but also the first time any episode has been released in widescreen format on a Region 1 DVD.

Vol.DVD nameRelease datesEpisodes Region 1 Region 4 Region 2 1 Amazing Adventures! August 28, 2007 March 31, 2010 "The Cave of Many Voices" (1), "Canyon of the Shiny Stones" (4), "The Meadow of Jumping Waters" (7), "The Spooky Nighttime Adventure" (15) 2 Good Times & Good Friends November 27, 2007 March 31, 2010 "The Star Day Celebration" (3), "The Brave Longneck Scheme" (6), "The Great Log Running Game" (5), "The Bright Circle Celebration" (12) 3 Adventuring in the Mysterious Beyond February 19, 2008 June 30, 2010 "The Great Egg Adventure" (26), "Escape from the Mysterious Beyond" (9), "The Lonely Journey" (13), "The Hermit of Black Rock" (21) 4 Through the Eyes of a Spiketail May 13, 2008 June 30, 2010 "Through the Eyes of a Spiketail" (25), "Stranger from the Mysterious Above" (17), "March of the Sand Creepers" (23), "The Forbidden Friendship" (18) 5 Magical Discoveries August 26, 2008 September 1, 2010 "Search for the Sky Color Stones" (24), "The Amazing Threehorn Girl" (19), "Days of Rising Waters" (8), "Return to Hanging Rock" (22) 6 Friends Forever December 2, 2008 September 1, 2010 "The Mysterious Tooth Crisis" (2), "The Missing Fast-Water Adventure" (14), "The Lone Dinosaur Returns" (16), "Legend of the Story Speakers" (11) 1–6 Complete TV Series June 7, 2022 March 12, 2012 Region 2 DVD only contains the 24 episodes from previous volumes.Region 1 DVD contains all 26 episodes.

Music The songs are edited and written by Michele Brourman (music) and Ford Riley (lyrics).

The theme song is performed by the South African choir Ladysmith Black Mambazo. The theme is written by Rocco Gagliese, Steve D'Angelo, and Terry Tompkins of Eggplant LLC. The music score is by Cory Lerios.

The Land Before Time (TV series)

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