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The Land Before Time IX: Journey to Big Water

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The Land Before Time movie
The Land Before Time IX:Journey to Big Water DVD cover.
The Land Before Time IX: Journey to Big Water
Directed by: Charles Grosvenor
Produced by Charles Grosvenor
Written by Judy Freudberg
Tony Geiss
Dev Ross
Starring John Ingle
Aria Curzon
Rob Paulsen
Thomas Dekker
Anndi McAfee
Jeff Bennett
Tress MacNeille
Kenneth Mars
Miriam Flynn
Music by Michael Tavera
James Horner (music from The Land Before Time)
Jerry Goldsmith (Universal logo only)
Michele Brourman (song-writer)
Amanda McBroom (song-writer)
Donny Osmond (singer)
Distributed by Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Release date(s) December 10, 2002 (United States of America)
September 24, 2003 (Italy)
October 9, 2003 (Germany)
August 13, 2007 (Hungary)
Released (Japan)
Running Time 74 min.
Language(s) English (original language)
Italian
German
Hungarian
Japanese
Preceded by The Land Before Time VIII: The Big Freeze (2001)
Followed by The Land Before Time X: The Great Longneck Migration (2003)

The Land Before Time IX: Journey to Big Water is the ninth film in the animated Land Before Time series. Produced and directed by Charles Grosvenor, with a soundtrack composed by James Horner, it was originally released direct-to-video and DVD on December 10, 2002. In the movie, Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky, Petrie, and Spike befriend a mischievous Opthalmosaurus named Mo, who has been stranded from his home in the Big Water by recent heavy rains. When none of the grownups offer any assistance, the children decide to take him home on their own.

The Land Before Time IX: Journey to Big Water was well-received by the critics, and received nominations for several awards. Along with being re-released several times, the movie also spawned a Playstation video game.

Contents

[edit] Voice Actors

[edit] English Voice Cast

The Land Before Time IX: Journey to Big Water was the last of the films in the Land Before Time series in which Thomas Dekker provided the voice of the character Littlefoot. Starting from this film on, the Sharpteeth voices are not only provided by by Frank Welker, but also by using a combination of the hisses and growls of an alligator or crocodile, the rumbling noises of an elephant or rhinoceros, and sometimes the roar of the American Godzilla.

[edit] Japanese voice cast

Note: The Japanese voice actors are appearing so far.

[edit] Plot

The Great Valley has been experiencing a heavy rainfall for several days, and Littlefoot grows impatient, waiting for the bright circle (sun) to shine. When it does, he goes to find his friends, but they are all preoccupied; Cera and her father are moving a log which rolled onto their nest, Ducky, Spike, and their family are relocating their nest, and Petrie has come down with a cold. Feeling bored, Littlefoot decides to explore on his own, and discovers that the rains created a large "new water" in the Great Valley.

Mo's entrance into the film's plotline.

Though the adults advise against approaching it, Littlefoot goes back to the water the next day, to investigate a mysterious voice in its direction. When there, he meets the caller: a young, fun-loving, swimmer (Opthalmosaurus) named Mo, who invites him to play. In the meantime, his friends overhear him playing, and run to join. Littlefoot excitedly tells them that he and Mo just became "mud brothers", and they question Mo's whereabouts. When Littlefoot sees that Mo has disappeared, Cera becomes convinced that Mo is imaginary. Petrie assures Littlefoot and the others that imaginary friends are all right, at which point Mo reappears.

After being introduced to the others, Mo informs them he is from the Big Water (ocean), and explains how he ended up in the Great Valley; when the sky water caused a rise in the Big Water, it flowed over high cliffs into the valley, carrying him away with it. Convinced that he is alone, he is startled to find a sharptooth swimmer (Liopleurodon) making his way towards the gang. After Mo manages to stop him from doing the children harm, Littlefoot decides to ask the grownups to help in returning Mo to his home. The grownups refuse, due to the danger of helping a strange creature from outside the Great Valley, and after an earthshake (earthquake) separates them from the rest of the valley, Littlefoot and the others decide to return Mo on their own.

On their way they encounter an obstacle: a large boulder in the water, which Mo must jump over. Later, Ducky falls into a nest of Diplodocus eggs, and after explaining their presence to the mother (referred to by Ducky as "Mrs. Mama"), she lets them spend the night. The next day, when they make off again, they discover that they are nearing the Big Water when the water starts to taste salty. That night, they encounter the sharptooth swimmer (who had escaped from a wall of rocks imprisoning him in a cave, after the earthshake) for the final time, and Mo appears to sacrifice himself to save them.

Mo, reuniting with his family.

The next day, they find that Mo is all right, and he informs them that the Sharptooth Swimmer stopped chasing him when he smelled something in the distance. Littlefoot inhales in the same direction, and realizes that the Sharptooth Swimmer returned to the Big Water. When they reach it themselves, Mo reunites with his pod, then pleads with the gang to stay, but Littlefoot insists that he and the others must return to the Great Valley. Mo offers to show him his home before they leave, and Littlefoot is surprised by the beauty of the undersea world. When onland again, Littlefoot and the others promise they will always be friends with Mo, and then return home.

[edit] Reception

[edit] Analysis

The Land Before Time IX: Journey to Big Water was received considerably well by the critics. In the film's review on DVD.net, it was said that like the other films in The Land Before Time series, The Land Before Time IX: Journey to Big Water followed a winning formula, which consisted of "fun characters, fun adventures, good morals and lessons, and happy songs for young children to sing along with".[1] James Anthony on Webwombat.com rated the film's overall quality as 65% out of 100, and said that it was likely to be fun for kids, and non-offensive to adults. He also praised the songs, and that Donny Osmond sang No One Has to be Alone.[2] In the Walker County Messenger's review of Journey to Big Water, the films in the series were each described as teaching a valuable lesson to children; this film's lesson was about courage. It also said that the film had been called "71 minutes of fun", and would make a good Christmas stocking stuffer.[3]

[edit] Awards/Nominations

Thomas Dekker received a Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Voice-Over Role in 2003, for voicing the character Littlefoot in The Land Before Time IX: Journey to Big Water.[4] Also in 2003, singer Donny Osmond and songwriters Michele Brourman and Amanda McBroom received DVD Premiere award nomination for Best Original Song, for the end credits version of "No One Has to be Alone", which lost to Jennifer Love Hewitt and Chris Canute for the song "I'm Gonna Love You" from Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame II.[5] Brourman and McBroom were nominated for Best Original Song again in 2003, this time together with performers Aria Noelle Curzon, Anndi McAfee, Thomas Dekker, and Jeff Bennett, for the song "Imaginary Friend".[5] Michael Tavera was nominated for Best Original Score, for his composition for the film, but lost to Arnie Roth for Barbie as Rapunzel.[5] Charles Grosvenor was nominated for Best Animated DVD Premiere Movie, but lost to Hiroshi Saotome and Chris Henderson for The Hunchback of Notre Dame II.[5] Voice actor Kenneth Mars character animation artist Bunis Yang were nominated for Best Animated Character Performance, for the character Grandpa Longneck, although the award went to voice actress Anjelica Huston, animation directors Gino Nichele and Sebastian Brodin, and character designers Jean Gillmore and Sean Newton, for the character Gothel from Barbie as Rapunzel.[5]

Also in 2003, The Land Before Time IX: Journey to Big Water garnered Universal Cartoon Studios an Annie nomination for Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Home Video Production, although the award went to Sparkling and Nelvana Limited's Rolie Polie Olie: The Great Defender of Fun.[6]

[edit] Cultural influence

DVD cover for The Land Before Time IX: Journey to Big Water.

[edit] Merchandise

The Land Before Time IX: Journey to Big Water was originally released to VHS and DVD on December 10th, 2002. On December 2nd, 2003, it was released to VHS and DVD again, in the "9 Movie Dino Pack"; this marked the film's last VHS release. It was released to DVD again on February 7th, 2006, in the "2 Dino-Riffic Aventures" package. The movie's most recent release is in the "Carrying Case DVD with Fun Activity Book - 2 Dino-Riffic Adventures - Universal Watch on the Go", on August 5th, 2008.[7] In November 2002,[8] a video game based on the movie was released from Playstation, titled The Land Before Time: Big Water Adventure.

[edit] References in media

  • In the seventh episode of the thirtieth season of the Danish television series Troldspejlet, host Jakob Steglemann reviews the VHS release of The Land Before Time IX: Journey to Big Water.
  • The Land Before Time IX: Journey to Big Water is referenced on page 205 of the 2005 educational book Media now: understanding media, culture, and technology, by Joseph D. Straubhaar and Robert Larose.[9]

[edit] References to media

[edit] Music

This was the last movie in The Land Before Time film series to use James Horner's score from the original The Land Before Time, until The Land Before Time XI: Invasion of the Tinysauruses ("If We Hold On Together" is played for the last time in the scene where the gang reach the Big Water).

The music that plays in the background when the gang cool off is the cheese factory scene music from from An American Tail: The Treasure of Manhattan Island. This is the second and last time the music is used in the series, after The Land Before Time VIII: The Big Freeze.

[edit] Songs

The songs are written by Michele Brourman and Amanda McBroom. The Land Before Time IX: Journey to Big Water was the first movie in the series which contained more than three songs, with the use of the musical number "Big Water", from The Land Before Time V: The Mysterious Island, (for which Brourman and McBroom also collaborated on the songs).

[edit] Trivia

[edit] Character Debuts

[edit] Memorable quotes

Littlefoot: (Regarding the rain) I wish it would stop.
Grandma Longneck: Oh Littlefoot, it will stop; it always does. (Lightning threshes through the sky) Although I'm beginning to have my doubts.
(As Littlefoot drinks water, Mo blows blubbles onto his face, in the form of a beard. He then moves his own head through the remaining bubbles, and rises to show Littlefoot.)
Mo: Now Mo have bubble face, too!
Cera: (Panicking over the crab on her horn) Let go, let go, let go!!!
Mo: (Rapid squawking. The crab lets go...)
Littlefoot: Wow, good going, Mo!
Petrie: Me want to learn to squeak like that! It sure come in handy!
Ducky: What did you say to it, Mo?
Mo: (Repeats the squawking)
Cera: Uh, right, which means?
Mo: Let go!
Cera: Oh, well, yeah! I knew that!
Mrs. Mama: (Realizing the gang are not a threat to her eggs) Why, you're not much more than babies yourselves!
Cera: Not much more than babies? Why I'm practically all grown up!

[edit] Gallery

The star swimmers Mo shows to Littlefoot one night.

Closeup of Mo, jumping through the air when Littlefoot first sights him.

Mrs. Mama.

The gang, startled by the emergence of the Liopleurodon.

The Liopleurodon leaping out of the water.

Mo, pulling the Liopleurodon away from the surface with a vine.

The Liopleurodon breaks free from the vine, and starts searching for Mo.

Petrie presents his imaginary friend to the others.

Petrie imagines his friend has wings, so he may fly with him.

The gang sing the song "Imaginary Friend", accompanied by one.

One of Mrs. Mama's children, licking Ducky.

Mrs. Mama, nuzzling one of her children.

Cera, balancing one of Mrs. Mama's children on her head.

Mo's family.

[edit] References

  1. ↑ The Land Before Time IX: Journey to Big Water review at www.dvd.net.au Retrieved on June 6th, 2008.
  2. ↑ James Anthony's review on Journey to Big Water at www.webwombat.com.au Retrieved on June 6th, 2008.
  3. ↑ The Walker County Messenger's review of The Land Before Time IX: Journey to Big Water. December 18th, 2002. [1] Retrieved on October 8th, 2008.
  4. ↑ The Young Artist Awards ceremony of 2003, at the Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on May 23rd, 2009.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 The first DVD Exclusive Awards ceremony of 2003, at the Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on May 23rd, 2009.
  6. ↑ The Annie Award's ceremony of 2003, at the Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on May 23rd, 2009.
  7. ↑ Amazon.com: The Land Before Time: 2 Big Dino-Riffic Adventures Carrying Case: Land Before Time: Movies & TV
  8. ↑ The Land Before Time: Big Water Adventure at Gamezone.com. Retrieved on May 25th, 2009.
  9. ↑ Media now: understanding media, culture, and technology, by Joseph D. Straubhaar and Robert Larose. Edition: 5, illustrated. Published by Cengage Learning, 2005. (ISBN 0534647081/ISBN 9780534647087). Page 205. Retrieved on May 25th, 2009. [2]


[edit] External Links


Preceded by:
" The Land Before Time VIII: The Big Freeze " 		The Land Before Time film series Followed by:
" The Land Before Time X: The Great Longneck Migration"


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