The Land Before Time IV: Journey Through the Mists (1996 Video) User Reviews

Journey Through The Mists

[Smells_Like_Cheese · 5/10 · 30 March 2009]

The Land Before Time IV: Journey Through the Mists, the fourth installment into the Land Before Time series. I've been watching the sequels in the Land Before Time series because I'm curious about them, I loved the first Land Before Time and despite the sequels not having the best reputation, I still wanted to see what they were about. So far I really did enjoy the second movie, the third was decent and now Journey Through the Mists is pretty good. I think it's just as good as the third one, there's nothing that really stands out about it, but it still has a very good message about friendship and learning how to make new friends. It's very good for the kids to watch and I'm sure even some of the adults can get into this series as well for some light hearted fun.

Littlefoot notices a longneck herd entering the Great Valley, and informs his grandparents. They tell him that the longnecks are their cousins, and that they must go and greet them. As the Old One, the leader of the herd, tells the residents of the Great Valley that her herd has been migratory since a heavy rain period turned their old home into a marshland called "The Land of Mists", and became the home of many dangerous creatures, Littlefoot meets a longneck girl named Ali, and invites her to play. He introduces her to his friends, but as she is not used to associating with diverse species, she is afraid of them. Grandpa Longneck falls ill, and the Old One notes that the illness is lethal unless the victim eats the petals of the "Night Flower", a flower which can only be found in the Land of Mists. Though Littlefoot is warned that the journey is too dangerous, he feels determined to save his grandfather, and asks Ali to take him there. She agrees, as the two of them make their way, they pass through a cave, and sudden earthquake causes a wall of rocks to crash down, separating them. Ali decides the others will have to help her free Littlefoot, and runs off to get them. Littlefoot, in the meantime, tries to find a way out, and meets Archie, who offers to help him dig through the rocks. They are interrupted by a belly dragger and a sharp beak named Dil and Ichy, who have their minds set to eat them. But Littlefoot's friends are not too far behind as they help Littlefoot and Ali. Together they continue the journey to help save Littlefoot's grandfather.

The Land Before Time IV: Journey Through the Mists is a good animated film that I'm sure if you have an open mind, you'll enjoy it. There is so much dislike for these films, I think it's not just the songs but everyone is so determined that the first was the best and can't accept that there is a newer generation who wants to see new stories with Littlefoot and his friends. Over all I'm enjoying the series, even if it is a little cheesy, so far there hasn't been anything to hate. The fourth installment is a good one so I'm excited for the 5th movie and I'll give you an honest review of that movie as well.

5/10

Not great, but really not that bad either.

[gavin-thelordofthefu-48-460297 · 6/10 · 4 June 2012]

While it's way better than the second, it's still isn't as good as the original which made me feel touched and cry some tears. The dialog is inane, the songs are forgettable (with Take All Sorts as the exception), and the story falls into the predictable zone and it's short like the rest of the sequels, but there are some redeeming qualities that saved the film. The animation is very nice despite it's average editing, the characters are decent, but the villains, despite some great voice work from Jeff Bennett and Tress MacNellie, are the most uninteresting villains in the franchise. At least the voice acting in the rest of the characters are pretty good.

Overall, way better than the second, but not as excellent as the original.

Both tedious and beautiful and the same time.

[Mightyzebra · 7/10 · 18 January 2008]

This is one of many animated sequels to "Land Before Time". Each one is about dinosaurs.

This LBT will appeal to some but not to others. For people who did not like LBT2 very much at all but like LBT1 and LBT3 a great deal, this will be their kettle of a film. For people who find LBT5 etc too babyish, you will probably like this one quite a lot as well.

As for the actual film, it has the same sort of companionship and teamwork as the first, the second and the third LBT's and you could even say this is less babyish than LBT2. The animation is quite well done, especially the backgrounds. The music is one of the highlights, not repeating and constantly gloomy or happy unlike in some of the other LBT's. The storyline is both exciting and tedious in places, but there is a good adventure. The old characters are pretty much the same, which is good, unfortunately the new character, a longneck called Ali, is pretty much a spoilt, silly character, but luckily improves as the story goes along. The songs are pretty good for a LBT, especially "It Takes All Sorts" and "Grandma's Lullaby". That's pretty much it in highlights and disadvantages... Oh yes - the baddies are a bit silly, but scary enough to entertain people who like very bad villains the the LBTs.

What happens is that outside the valley, the weather and pretty much everything else is changing - for the worse. Meanwhile, a wandering herd meet Littlefoot's grandparents and Littlefoot's grandpa becomes very sick. Along with Littlefoot's new friend Ali, he is determined to find the nightflower in the mysterious beyond, which may be able to cure his grandpa...

Enjoy "Land Before Time IV: Journey Through the Mists."

Not a bad sequel, but it isn't a great one either

[TheLittleSongbird · 5/10 · 11 February 2010]

The original "Land Before Time" is a beautiful, haunting, poignant and timeless masterpiece, I still tear up whether I hear the main theme and at Littlefoot's mother's death. As far as the sequels go, some are good and some are bad. The best ones for me have been "Great Valley Adventure" and "Time of the Great Giving". This one wasn't bad, but it isn't great. Starting with the good, the animation is mostly very nice, not the same visual style as the original, but it is colourful. The rainbow waterfall shot was beautiful. There is also a nice message about friendship and sticking together. The main characters are likable enough with the exception of Cera, Littlefoot is less bossy here, and Ducky still is funny and cute. Ali is a nice addition too. And Spike spoke, that was a great moment! The plot is a nice idea and moves along fairly quickly, and the voice acting of Scott McAfee, Heather Hogan, Linda Gary and Kenneth Mars was excellent. And it was a big bonus hearing that beautiful poignant main theme from the original and in general the incidental music was lovely. However, this is where the bad comes in. I didn't care for the songs, I just found them forgettable but maybe it is just me. I didn't like Cera very much here, I know people who complain that Cera was never a likable character to begin with, maybe so, but I found her particularly bratty here. My main problem were with the villains here, despite the voicing of Tress MacNeille and Jeff Bennett, two extremely talented voice actors, I found Dil and Ichy lame and un-threatening. In general, the dialogue, with the villains primarily was uninspiring. My next gripe is with the sequels in general, this film and most of the other sequels are too short, you never quite feel the depth and the emotional attachment that was there in the original, no matter how hard the makers try. Overall, this isn't bad, but it isn't all that great. 5/10 Bethany Cox

Are you serious Cera?

[vessalalizadeh · 6/10 · 11 April 2021]

I thought this film would be magical because of the pictures with the flowers and the rainbow for example but I over-hyped by watching it. The main villain is dumb and the songs are kinda forgettable and my main reason to why this film is not great is one. In this film a new character that looks like little foot but it's a female that I forgot her name meets little foot but the other character named Cera the triceratops she thinks that littlefoot doesn't want her and his other friends anymore, and she thinks and say that IMMEDIATELY. If Cera wasn't thinking about that this film wouldn't be rated 6.4/10 from me, so this is Cera's fault.

Boring, uninspiring disgrace to a mostly good series.

[G.Spider · 1/10 · 14 July 1999]

After the excellent Land Before Time 3, this fourth film comes as a disappointment. It involves Littlefoot and his friends setting off into the land of the mists to find the cure for his grandfather's illness. Also thrown in is a female young Brontosaurus. The concept of ignoring or forgetting friends for the sake of innocent love is the only interesting thing this sorry mess has to offer. It lasts the same amount of time as the other Land Before Time films but seems longer due to the plodding, uninspiring plot.

Another major problem is the film's villains, the weakest yet. Instead of dinosaurs all we get is a rather uninspiring crocodile and an even more uninspiring bird which wants to kill Littlefoot and company for reasons best known to itself.

The one really good thing about this waste of time is that you don't need to have watched it to understand the next film in the series and can therefore skip this pointless plodder and move straight on to the far superior Land Before Time 5.

Third and final outing of Roy Allen Smith and Dev Ross in The Land Before Time series

[IonicBreezeMachine · 6/10 · 14 April 2021]

Shortly after a herd of migrating Longnecks enter the Great Valley, Littlefoot befriends one his age named Ali (who is afraid of Littlefoot's other friends Ducky,Petrie, Cera and Spike). Littlefoot's Grandpa falls ill shortly after the arrival of the migrating herd. The Herd's leader, The Old One, says there's a special flower that grows in their previous land that can cure those afflicted with illness (which is given no name) but because the land from whence they came has changed into a marshland of vermin and predators the her refuses to help. Littlefoot must now travel to the Land of Mists to find the "Night Flower" and save his grandpa.

The final Land Before Time sequel to be directed by Roy Allen Smith and written by Dev Ross, The Land Before Time IV keeps itself mostly in line with its predecessors II and III. It's really no better nor worse than the previous two, though maybe it gets a few points for having slightly more stakes than the first entries. With the crux of the movie being a ticking clock to save Littlefoot's Grandpa it definitely feels like it has more weight than the previous two entries with II teaching the moral of obeying your parents, and III being a vehicle for Bullying, resource conservation, and fire safety advice. I can say that IV feels more like an actual movie rather than an extended TV episode.

The movie's villains this time around, crocodile like creature Dil and bird like Ichi, are basically like Ozzy and Strut from the first film except rather than eggs they're trying to eat our heroes (also in a break from the norm, unlike other "Sharpteeth" in the series they can talk). The defining shtick is basically them complaining to each other that one does more work in their food gathering relationship than the other. It's not particularly endearing or amusing but I suppose it does try to shake itself up.

The songs are mostly forgettable. Grandma's Lullaby was probably the best by virtue of tying itself to Grandpa's illness and having a decent enough melody. Other songs were either annoying like the villain song "Who Needs You?" or a filler song "It takes all sorts" which basically retreads the message of the original Don Bluth movie without subtlety. Otherwise pretty much anything said of the other two sequels can apply here.

Land Before Time IV is basically more of the same. It's slightly better than the other two sequels by virtue of having a plot with heftier stakes and slightly more drive and focus, but it doesn't have much in the way of emotional or tonal weight.

pretty good

[jkennard-97972 · 6/10 · 5 May 2020]

Like the original, an well crafted heatwarming tale. This storyline is full of morals and lessons from envy, jealousy, prejudice, teamwork, friendship and much more.

The animation is traditional and simplistic with some innccuracies of depictions of species' features and some inaccuacies between Mesozoic and Cenozoic periods. However the dubbing is amazing with characters vocal patterns and use of language being correlative to the species presumed intelligence.

Unlike the original this has several musical numbers which seem dubious in the context of the series. The songs seem to get marginally better throughout the series.

However a must watch for kids

Review

[NerdBat · 5/10 · 22 February 2020]

This edition of the Land before time franchise very obviously touches on the subject of race relations and childhood. "Allie" was, I am assuming raised to believe she should communicate only with others of her own species. But as with many childrens' movies, it has them join forces to solve a problem together. So obviously it's hard for me to appreciate this film quite as much now that I am an adult, but that doesn't stop me from looking back on my childhood. I can't listen to the Sarcosuchus anymore without hearing the crazy cat lady from the simpsons.

Second Best of The Entire Series

[zack_wall · 10/10 · 26 May 2012]

As a child, I loved this film! I didn't like any of the others besides the first one, and my opinion stands 10 years later. There was something magical about this one, and I still remember all of the exciting and fantastic elements that made this my second favorite. The first one had some scary moments(for a kid, that is) but this one was much more upbeat and friendly. It will always have a special place in my heart, and my children's hearts as well. I can't believe the people who've panned this film! You need to re-live your childhoods again, or lighten up!

10/10

fine

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 2 August 2021]

The Great Valley is still an idyllic paradise but arriving refugees speak of an approaching mist which is a precursor to doom. Littlefoot sets off to find a particular flower for medicine in the land of the mists. He's joined by new friend Ali.

It's a little off with Littlefoot being alone. He needs his friends and they do finally join him. I'm also not sure about a sea turtle as a new friend. I don't see the turtle being able to outrun a crocodile. The mist is over-sold. The story is really straight forward which is fine for a kids movie. It's an hour long. This is fine but don't expect much for adults. This is a kids' movie.

Good!

[mary-361 · 8/10 · 21 February 2007]

This movie despite what others say is actually quite good. In my opinion this is the best Land before time. It does not fail in the plot and it does not fail in the entertainment value. This is overall a solid movie and I cannot get enough. I think anyone who is a true Land Before time fan will fully and whole-heartedly love The Land Before Time: Journey through the mists. This has more of a mature plot than the others,seeing that it has something to do with a potentially fatal situation, not just because of sharp teeth but also because of a journey they must take and a deadly illness. I cannot believe that people are saying this movie blows mad chunks when it really is not bad at all.

TLBT 4

[rossrobinson · 10/10 · 16 September 2003]

I remember this one when this came out in 1996, this is the 4th land before time movie this one is about when littlefoot's grandpa becomes very ill, the only way to make him better is to give him the golden petals of the night flower, littlefoot gets told that they can be found in the land of mists. Littlefoot meets another longneck called Ail, she takes littlefoot and his friends on the journey back where she came from the land of mists.

The Most Artistic Entry In The Series

[budcharles999 · 10/10 · 12 December 2015]

The truth is, the 2nd and 3rd movies sucked, and that scared off critics. They thought if they liked, or heck even watched, the 4th one, people would think they were crazy. And that's a real shame, because, well, the 4th one is good! REALLY good!

Journey Through The Mists just has so many strong points. For a start, it doesn't have that tedious feeling some other entries in the series have - no moment of screen time really seems pointless or wasted (except maybe the villain song) and the pacing is well thought-out, not so fast it feels unnatural, but no so slow you start getting bored.

On top of that, there's the overall ideas behind the movie. Most of the films in the series are rather frivolous, you know from the very start everything will be the same at the end of the episode as it was at the beginning - but Journey Through The Mists is different. The first obvious thing is Littlefoot's grandpa becoming sick - it feels like he actually IS in danger, it's not just another run of the mill quest into the Mysterious Beyond, it feels different this time.

Even more so than grandpa's illness, the story of the Valley of the Mists is absolutely brilliant! The series spends 90% of its time focusing on getting into the Great Valley, getting out of the Great Valley or chillaxing in the Great Valley - and now suddenly we're thrown into this awesome new location, with its own history and it's own dinosaurs. COOL! Not only that, but it has this really unsettling feeling about it, the location has this bright and cute charm, yet there is danger and suspense behind every corner.

The real genius of the Valley of the Mists though is how it impacts our view of the Great Valley. The traveling longneck's ambiguous response about whether the Great Valley's climate will change too leaves the audience genuinely unsettled, and wondering if the valley really is as permanent as it seems. It would've been great to see this plot thread continue throughout the series actually, with the climate changes approaching the valley, and some big climax where Littlefoot and friends found a way to save it, but alas that wasn't so.

So that's the pacing and the ideas - what else does this movie have going for it? Characters. Sure, many movies in the series have great guest characters - Chomper, Mo and Bron for example. But this one just has SO MANY, and apart from the irritating villains, they're all pulled off really well. Archie is just this fun old man, he's just generally likable and to see how brave he is as practically a defenseless 80 year old protecting a child he's only just met only reinforces that. Tickles is another character who again is just plain likable. His introduction is pulled off really well, the main cast are in a spooky swamp, they sense something and feel they're under attack, then the fog clears and they find themselves face to face with this adorable, bright, happy creature in a world full of darkness. And even though he only has a minor side role, Tickles continues to be fun every second he's on screen. Cute animal sidekicks are easy to stuff up, but the writers and animators didn't stuff up at all.

Then there's the biggest new character introduction - Ali. The thing that sets Ali apart from most characters in the series is her flaws. Don't take this the wrong way, she is still super-likable, but the way she's shy and distrusting of those who are different, and her eventual character reformation, it makes her seem so much more realistic.

Before wrapping this up, there is ONE more praise-worthy thing about this movie - the animation. The absolutely beautiful hand-drawn animation makes this movie. The cinematic and scenic backgrounds, the cute character designs, the sense of magic and mystery created by the mists, colours and 'glowy' lighting. It gets across the parts of the story that just can't be told through words alone, the true hallmark of a great film.

So there you go, Journey Through The Mists, easily the best entry in the Land Before Time franchise. In fact, contrary to what most critics believe, there are a lot of hidden gems in the series, especially episodes 8, 9 and 10. They just get ignored because people are so put off by all the filler in between.

Cute tale of friendship & fortitude. Fun villains.

[Cylex · 9/10 · 24 November 2002]

I am a huge fan of the Land Before Time series & I'm 24. This is one of the best adventures. Dil & Ichy are a good pair of villains and Ali & Tickles are cute additions to the cast. The plot is warm, the animation nicely done. The rainbow covered waterfall was a lovely shot. The songs are pleasurable too. 9/10

I'm 26 and I still love this movie!

[m667 · 10/10 · 16 August 2020]

I saw it when I was little and still love it. Everyone needs to see this movie! I like how the villains got what they deserve at the end!

Finally A Good Sequel

[allyball-63124 · 8/10 · 16 April 2016]

The pacing has improved a lot in this movie and the conflict is much larger than the other 2 sequels before this one. The animation in this movie is still pretty good except a little better. The animation on the night flowers is really flippin' good! I also really like the new characters. Ali is sweet and I kind of ship her with Littlefoot (even though I prefer him with Cera) and the villains are just downright hilarious. Not to mention that this movie introduces the adventure aspect of The Land Before Time that persisted throughout most of the later (and arguably better) sequels in the franchise. I'll admit that the parents were kind of stupid in this movie but really that's a problem with movies 2-7. I also really like the songs in this movie. The first song is a very soothing melody, the villain song is one of my ultimate guilty pleasure songs and the last song is kind of cute.

The next in the series of the eternally grand LBT

[jcmariano · 10/10 · 14 June 2005]

My third favorite film in the series, JTTM is simply a masterpiece, fit to culminate R.A Smith's tenure in LBT. The film has just the right balance of sunshine,laughter,sadness and triumph blended into an hour and about a quarter of delight.(Possible Spoiler) The value this movie teaches is that diversity of friends and loved ones is a great thing to have, especially for vulnerable young 'uns. From the CUTTTTTE mouselike creature Tickles to the elderly archelon Archie, this movie sports a character cast of variety, fit for its powerful theme. The highlight was the extremely amusing song "Who Needs You" in which the birdlike Ichy and the deinosuchus Dil continually insult each other with some fine choice sentences. True to the Land Before Time legacy, this film has not in one bit disappointed me!

Lost In The Mists

[zsofikam · 10/10 · 15 June 2016]

A group of visitors arrive in the valley and with them is a she-longneck named Ali. Ali is first encountered by accident during a round of hide-and-seek (a game that I have always had and still have a fondness for). The migrating herd explain that they have come from a place that was once similar to the Great Valley but over time became the Land of Mists. When Grandpa Longneck gets sick, the others have to get Ali to lead them to the Night Flower, which only grows in the Land of Mists. As for the new characters, Ali is very sweet and has such a nice voice, Archie has some funny moments, and Tickles is nearly as cute as Chomper. I also have to disagree with some of the other reviews and say that Dill and Icky, while not the most menacing, are pretty funny. I personally found the songs to be an improvement over those from the previous two installments, with Eggs being the only real standout from those two. Grandma's Lullaby is rather sweet and calming, Who Needs You is pretty catchy and funny, and It Takes All Sorts is simply adorable and I love its message. Finally, the animation is simply gorgeous, especially on the flowers, which have such a beautiful golden glow that wonderfully contrasts with the foggy background. Trivia: This is the last film with Candace Hudson voicing Cera and Roy Allen Smith in the director's chair.