IMDb RATING
5.8/10
3.5K
YOUR RATING
A mysterious object crashes near the great valley, and Petrie's untrustful uncle arrives in search of it, believing it to be "a storm of cold fire", a susposed rock of great powers.A mysterious object crashes near the great valley, and Petrie's untrustful uncle arrives in search of it, believing it to be "a storm of cold fire", a susposed rock of great powers.A mysterious object crashes near the great valley, and Petrie's untrustful uncle arrives in search of it, believing it to be "a storm of cold fire", a susposed rock of great powers.
- Awards
- 1 win & 3 nominations
Jeff Bennett
- Petrie
- (voice)
- (as Jeff Glenn Bennet)
- …
Anndi McAfee
- Cera
- (voice)
Thomas Dekker
- Littlefoot
- (voice)
Aria Noelle Curzon
- Ducky
- (voice)
Rob Paulsen
- Spike
- (voice)
- …
Kenneth Mars
- Grandpa Longneck
- (voice)
Miriam Flynn
- Grandma Longneck
- (voice)
John Ingle
- Cera's Dad
- (voice)
Tress MacNeille
- Ducky's Mom
- (voice)
- …
Jim Cummings
- Sierra
- (voice)
Patti Deutsch
- Rainbow Face #2
- (voice)
Michael York
- Pterano
- (voice)
B.J. Ward
- Rainbow Face #2
- (singing voice)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaPterano has become extremely popular among fans, featuring prominently in fanworks and cited by many fans as their favourite character outside of the five main characters, or their favorite new character. Many fans claim that his voice-actor is what makes him such an appealing character, being one of the few new characters to be voiced by an actor other than a voice-actor. His voice-acting has even been compared to that of Tim Curry, due to their similar overacting and English accents.
- GoofsIn the flashback sequence detailing why Pterano is met with scorn by the adults of the Great Valley, Grandpa Longneck explains that after the Great Earthshake, the adults communed and traveled together as a group, with no one's opinion outweighing the other. This contradicts with much of the "racism" expressed in the first Land Before Time film, in which many of the herds kept to their own kind.
- Alternate versionsOn current digital printings and STARZ and HBO airings/streaming platforms, there have been many alterations to the film:
- The 1997 Universal Pictures logo is now zoomed in.
- Both title cards are now shown right before the comets zoom into the light during the opening scene
- The fiery comet which Littlefoot sees at night is now yellow instead of blue (although it remains blue during the song "Beyond the Mysterious Beyond").
- The fiery pit which blows Littlefoot and his friends out of Threehorn Peak and the small boulder they stand on are entirely reanimated
- The pillar of light at the very end is more shiny.
- The late-1990's Universal Television logo is added right before the Universal Cartoon Studios logo (which is mysteriously sourced from The Land Before Time V: The Mysterious Island (1997), judging from the last second of the end credits music being heard between both logos).
- ConnectionsEdited from The Land Before Time (1988)
- SoundtracksBeyond the Mysterious Beyond
Written by Michele Brourman and Amanda McBroom
Performed by Charles Kimbrough, B.J. Ward, Anndi McAfee, Thomas Dekker,
Aria Noelle Curzon and Jeff Bennett
Featured review
I'm certainly not going to sit here and extol their virtues, but I don't think anyone can say the 'Land before time' sequels are specifically bad. They are light and frivolous compared to Don Bluth's 1988 progenitor, yes, largely lacking the earnestness, substance, and nuance that have made it a minor modern classic. Even as the shortcomings are evident, however, and the writing relatively simple and unsophisticated, the direct-to-video offerings are only intended for mild entertainment in the first place. We may scrutinize, and we may wish that they were built to appeal to a broader audience instead of catering (perhaps condescendingly) to the very youngest of viewers, but they're modestly enjoyable in the least, and some (including sixth entry 'The secret of Saurus Rock') are notably better than others. So we sit with mixed expectations for seventh installment 'The stone of cold fire,' but there's still a possibility that it could stand firm on its own legs, and if nothing else it will surely fit in among its brethren. And, well, the latter holds true.
Here, there is a great deal to take in right from the start. With a new studio accordingly taking over much of the animation, and especially with digital methods now employed instead of the traditional hand-drawn animation previously seen, this release takes some getting used to. It's still the case that the colors are vibrant, and we get rich detail in active elements and even more so in the beautiful backgrounds, though I do wonder if there's even less nuance here than in the other sequels (let alone compared to the original TLBT), all accentuated as we see characters animated against static backgrounds. Then, too, for as straightforward and uncomplicated as the storytelling has commonly been in this series (at least since the first), it comes across that new screenwriter Len Uhley tries to smash too many ideas together here, and this picture is arguably both overfull and full of itself. Introducing the scientifically-minded gallimimuses ("Rainbow Faces") is one thing, but the accompanying song ("Beyond the Mysterious Beyond") seems to go a step too far. That's to say nothing of adding Petrie's dubious uncle and his friends on top of the curiosity of the titular object, and all of the conflicts, beats, character reactions, and story ideas to follow.
True, the voice cast is reliable, including industry icons Jeff Bennett, Rob Paulsen, and Jim Cummings, nevermind special guest star Michael York, and one could argue that the performances into which they're guided are more sure-footed this time around - that is, not entirely as unnaturally cutesy and childish as we've heard in the last five examples. Michael Tavera's score arguably stands out more, being more robust in and of itself and also benefiting from a hardier sound design. Regardless of how exactly they're treated, there are concrete notions herein for the narrative, and in fact there are touches of subtlety that have been sorely missing from the franchise for awhile. For example, Pterano and his pals are up to no good, and while that wickedness is as plain as day, the antagonists' methods are a little sly and underhanded. We get adventure, and drama, and some humor to round things out, and there are even darker slivers of violence than we've gotten since 1988. I quite believe 'The stone of cold fire' needed a more measured, deliberate hand, not just in conception but in its execution (including pacing), but overall the result is fairly solid.
It's just that the doing is A Bit Much. And where 'The Great Valley adventure' or 'Journey through the mists' were A Bit Much owing to their distinct juvenility; this particularly is A Bit Much because while the underlying thoughts in this instance are reasonably sturdy, the sum total feels excessive, brusque, and maybe even a tad forced. Moreover, while there is notable strength in some regards, and some cleverness (once again, the antagonists benefit from some of the best writing), this feature is not completely free of the issues that have troubled its video predecessors, including songs of variable quality. So here we are again, with a 'Land before time' sequel that IS a good time, but softly so, and somewhat passively. I can honestly say that I like 'The stone of cold fire,' but I'm unlikely to dwell on it for even a moment hereafter, and there's no need whatsoever to make a special effort to watch. Provided that something of such a temperate tenor is something you can get on board with, it's duly worthwhile if you come across it; would that the movie elicited a more enthusiastic response.
Here, there is a great deal to take in right from the start. With a new studio accordingly taking over much of the animation, and especially with digital methods now employed instead of the traditional hand-drawn animation previously seen, this release takes some getting used to. It's still the case that the colors are vibrant, and we get rich detail in active elements and even more so in the beautiful backgrounds, though I do wonder if there's even less nuance here than in the other sequels (let alone compared to the original TLBT), all accentuated as we see characters animated against static backgrounds. Then, too, for as straightforward and uncomplicated as the storytelling has commonly been in this series (at least since the first), it comes across that new screenwriter Len Uhley tries to smash too many ideas together here, and this picture is arguably both overfull and full of itself. Introducing the scientifically-minded gallimimuses ("Rainbow Faces") is one thing, but the accompanying song ("Beyond the Mysterious Beyond") seems to go a step too far. That's to say nothing of adding Petrie's dubious uncle and his friends on top of the curiosity of the titular object, and all of the conflicts, beats, character reactions, and story ideas to follow.
True, the voice cast is reliable, including industry icons Jeff Bennett, Rob Paulsen, and Jim Cummings, nevermind special guest star Michael York, and one could argue that the performances into which they're guided are more sure-footed this time around - that is, not entirely as unnaturally cutesy and childish as we've heard in the last five examples. Michael Tavera's score arguably stands out more, being more robust in and of itself and also benefiting from a hardier sound design. Regardless of how exactly they're treated, there are concrete notions herein for the narrative, and in fact there are touches of subtlety that have been sorely missing from the franchise for awhile. For example, Pterano and his pals are up to no good, and while that wickedness is as plain as day, the antagonists' methods are a little sly and underhanded. We get adventure, and drama, and some humor to round things out, and there are even darker slivers of violence than we've gotten since 1988. I quite believe 'The stone of cold fire' needed a more measured, deliberate hand, not just in conception but in its execution (including pacing), but overall the result is fairly solid.
It's just that the doing is A Bit Much. And where 'The Great Valley adventure' or 'Journey through the mists' were A Bit Much owing to their distinct juvenility; this particularly is A Bit Much because while the underlying thoughts in this instance are reasonably sturdy, the sum total feels excessive, brusque, and maybe even a tad forced. Moreover, while there is notable strength in some regards, and some cleverness (once again, the antagonists benefit from some of the best writing), this feature is not completely free of the issues that have troubled its video predecessors, including songs of variable quality. So here we are again, with a 'Land before time' sequel that IS a good time, but softly so, and somewhat passively. I can honestly say that I like 'The stone of cold fire,' but I'm unlikely to dwell on it for even a moment hereafter, and there's no need whatsoever to make a special effort to watch. Provided that something of such a temperate tenor is something you can get on board with, it's duly worthwhile if you come across it; would that the movie elicited a more enthusiastic response.
- I_Ailurophile
- Nov 29, 2024
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- The Land Before Time 7: The Stone of Cold Fire
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 15 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
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