The Land Before Time V: The Mysterious Island (Video 1997) Poster

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6/10
Mysterious Island-one of the better sequels
TheLittleSongbird12 February 2010
I love the first "Land Before Time", and still consider it one of the better Don Bluth movies. I have liked most of the sequels, but there have been some I have not liked(more about that another time). Along with "Great Valley Adventure" and "Time of the Great Giving", "Mysterious Island" is one of the better ones. The animation, while not as sophisticated or as handsome as the visual style of the first film, is nice and colourful, and I think it is one of the better animated sequels of the franchise. The incidental music is lovely, and while not particularly memorable, the songs are pleasant "Always There" especially is very touching. And the voice acting is excellent, and the characters are at least likable. Who cannot love that adorable Chomper? All these positives make up for a too-short duration, a touch too simplistic writing and a plot that takes a tad too long to get going. I also thought the singing was mixed, Cera's singing was beautiful but Ducky sounded off for some reason. Asides from these flaws, this is a surprisingly pleasant and watchable sequel. 6/10 Bethany Cox
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7/10
A weirdly good LBT
Mightyzebra29 December 2007
This is a good LBT, not the best, but certainly is up ahead of quite a few of the others. One weird thing about this LBT: This was directed by Charles Grosvenor and (except for LBT7) all of his later ones did not have as much action, heart, kindness or plot and story as this. Yes, some of his other ones are good as well and yes, they do have action, heart, kindness, plot and story, but not in the same way as this one. The animation in this is also similar to the films before that and it is luckily good quality LBT animation as well.?

The plot is also very interesting, gripping and a little bit more heartwrenching than a lot of other LBTs (even more so than some of the ones before Charles Grosvenor). The first ten minutes or so is very gripping and exciting, showing a swarm of "evil" locusts ridding the great valley of all green. The film goes on, everyone in the valley has to leave to find more food in the dreaded mysterious beyond. The children (Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky, Petrie and Spike), go along with this. As the film goes on we see much betrayal, hard work, teamwork and hope. These feelings are expressed in a different way than a lot of the other LBTs and hopefully this will give pleasure to all who watch it (except for those who think that there should be no LBT sequels, however good they are).? ? So, enjoy "Land Before Time V: The Mysterious Island". :-)?

7 and a half out of ten.
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6/10
The Mysterious Island
Smells_Like_Cheese30 March 2009
The Land Before Time V: The Mysterious Island, the fifth installment in the Land Before Time series, we have the return of Chomper in this one! Which I absolutely loved, because he was such an adorable character in the second sequel to the series. Littlefoot and his friends are back and they do get into another squwabble, but it's all good to continue their adventures. I've so far have actually enjoyed these sequels, as silly as they are, I think that they are great for the kids and even as a family film. The characters are lovable and the story has great morals on friendship, trust and respect. I'd rather have my kids watching this vs. some of the shows on the Disney channel today. But The Mysterious Island was a great addition to the story as we continue to see Littlefoot grow with his friends.

After a cloud of locusts descend upon the Great Valley, devouring all plants and leaving it a barren wasteland, the inhabitants must seek another place where they can survive until the plants in the Great Valley have grown back. However, the "Swarming Leaf Gobblers" have left a path of devastation behind them, leaving no food for the dinosaurs to find. After looking for days through this desolation, the herd fight and threaten to separate. The main characters do not want to be separated, so they set out to find a location with plentiful food. They leave a trail for the grownups to find them with, and eventually reach the ocean. There, they see a verdant island connected to the mainland by a thin land bridge. On their way, an earthquake occurs, which they narrowly escape, and which wipes out the bridge. Isolated on the island, they try out Cera's idea to return by using a log as a boat. However, a "swimming sharptooth" attacks, and in the confusion and fright which follows, they end up on the island again. That night, they remember their families, while the herd, who followed the trail, sleep on the shores of the beach on the mainland, worrying for them. The next morning, the children wake up to the shadow of a Sharptooth. They take off, but find themselves cornered by high cliffs. They huddle together when the sharptooth approaches, only to find that it is Chomper. He then helps them to hide from his parents, who are also on the island, and provides them with food upon their request. However, an overcautious Cera openly displays distrust to Chomper because he was a Sharptooth, which grieves him, and he departs. Littlefoot follows him and apologizes, but is interrupted by Chomper's mother. But with a sharptooth's reputation, they don't know if this will be a good or bad meeting as well with the woe of not knowing if they will ever see their families again.

The Land Before Time V: The Mysterious Island is a good movie, I'm really disappointed in the ratings on these movies, after all they are more meant for the kids. As a child's movie, it's a great one, as a movie that the whole family can enjoy together, I think it's very possible if you give it a chance. Plus you just have got to love Chomper, how could you not? He's so adorable and I loved seeing the sharptooth's reaction to their friendship. But this is a great story and I think these movies are good so far, I'm looking forward to watching the next sequel.

6/10
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7/10
The true sequel to part 2, and better than the other sequels
three-amigos6 July 2008
Warning: Spoilers
"The Land Before Time 2" was a good film. It slightly altered the tone of the original film (which remains a true classic and the best of the series) with it's use of songs. It still had a fine mix of action, character development and of course introduced "Chomper". For me, sequels 3 and 4 were not that appealing, with unnecessary secondary characters that "dumbed down" the films. Part 5 returns to the nice tone established in part 2. There is adventure, surprise developments both in story and with the characters. And best of all we learn what happened to Chomper. If you want a true "trilogy" with a story arc, I recommend watching the original, then part 2 and then part 5. What an epic!
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Less bad than the others.
thousandisland29 September 2002
Ok, I am way behind on these.. I think I stopped at #6.. And yes, they're all terrible. But I actually thought this #5 was the least terrible of the ones I've seen. I guess because it does have a pretty touching song in it ("Always There") and at least it's *different*.. for one thing it gets those dang dinos OUT of the Great Valley and onto an island, and they meet Chomper and do some new, different stuff. Then again I do have a thing about movies where people get stuck on islands.. for some reason I just like them. Anyway maybe that bias invalidates this whole review, but I did think The Land Before Time part 5 wasn't too bad. I mean, if you *have* to watch one of them, you could do worse than selecting this one.
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1/10
even worse than the first four
rosaleen-214 June 1999
one of the most boring, stupid movies I've ever seen. I would never show it to my children. Children's movies should be entertaining, or at least even vaguely educational. This movie is neither.
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6/10
While decent, it's not as good as the original was
While the Time of the Great Giving is a much better sequel than the others, this one is also better, but is not as excellent as the original was. The dialog is nice, but the story is predictable and takes way too long to get it going. Even the writing was inept. There are a few redeeming qualities that save this movie. The songs, although not memorable, are pleasant to listen to, especially Always There which was very touching. The animation is beautiful and the voice acting is excellent. Thomas Dekker did great as Littlefoot and the cameo Christina Pickles did great as the sea creature near the end of the movie. The character are likable, especially Chomper which made me feel glad to see him again after The Great Valley Adventure.

Overall, not as excellent as the original, but still a worth-watching sequel.
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9/10
sad memories
cyberbat8 September 2001
One of the reasons I love this film is the song 'always there' where littlefoot sings a verse about his mother. That has NEVER happened before or since this movie was made and it brought a tear to my eye.

The other songs are fun, the art brightly coloured and it's action packed...What more could a fan want?

Well better voices for one. Chomper and littlefoot both sound like they have a cold. ahh well I can't be too picky.

Kids and long time fans will love it.

oh and chomper comes back too.
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6/10
A transitional point in the series.
IonicBreezeMachine15 April 2021
After a swarm of locusts devour the entirety of the Great Valley's green food, Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky, Petrie, and Spike and their families journey out of the Great Valley in search of a temporary home with a food source. After an extended period of walking tensions build among the group (Particularly between Grandpa Longneck and Cera's father). To prevent the groups from separating the children set off by themselves to find green food and stumble onto a mysterious island via a land bridge. After a tidal wave washes away the land bridge the group finds themselves stranded on the island and reunite with Chomper (now grown and able to speak).

The Land Before Time V: The Mysterious Island is the next chapter in the ongoing Land Before Time direct to video series. The franchise sees the departure of director Roy Allen Smith and writer Dev Ross, and the introduction director Charles Grosvenor who'd direct the following installments of Land Before Time until Land Before Time XIII when the series went dormant. John Loy replaces Dev Ros and the voice cast from II-IV are largely replaced with the voices of Little Foot and Cera in particular being particularly noticeable. There's not much stylistically different from the Roy Allen Smith entries, but there is a noticeable change in the dialogue which becomes noticeably more anachronistic.

The story is perfectly fine in terms of plotting with the group being forced out of their valley by food scarcity brought about by swarming locusts. From there it's basically the same resource scarcity conflict from Land Before Time III but this time with slightly more focus as it doesn't shoehorn in lessons related to fire safety or bullying. The reintroduction of Chomper is decent and gives a feeling of continuity to what's a very episodic series.

The Dialogue is a slight improvement upon the rather rough exchanges from Land Before Time IV with the absence of Dil and Ichi's Bickering and Ali's nonsensical fear of Littlefoot's friends being nicely appreciated, but there's also some rather distracting anachronisms thrown into the dialogue such as references to modern day cooking techniques. There are some more subtle humorous modern day nods such as a plesiosaurus named Elsie who has a Scotish accent that was somewhat amusing.

The Land Before Time V continues the series at more or less the same level as the last one. The characters are an improvement upon the last movie with slight drawbacks in dialogue, but it's a serviceable if unexceptional entry in the series.
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9/10
Land Before Time Luver
brianelarayne20 October 2007
I am a HUGE fan of the land before time series i started watching them when I was around 6 or 7. This movie is a very good one that goes by 2 titles. This one and The Journey To Big Water. Even though this is a very good movie I believe that number #6 is better. It is me all time favorite. Any ways this movie is awesome and I would watch it over and over again. Its AWESOME ! ! ! The Land before time series is an amazing series.It is awesome especially for kids all ages.it tells about a mysterious land again. Which no one really knows about. And Dinosaurs every child is fascinated by dinosaurs.The songs are also magical on any movie you watch from number one to the very newest one. They all take you on a magical journey of your own.
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9/10
Chomper Returns! Talking T-Rexes! Heartwarming.
Cylex7 September 2003
What's cool about this sequel is that we find out T-Rexes have their own language. Subtitles translate the roars. Chomper of course speaks English because of previous acquaintance with our favourite babies. The "Always There" song is heartwarming. The story is strong and will keep everyone entertained. 9/10
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10/10
My sons' favorite...and Daddy's too!
cjdaniel21 April 2004
This is arguably the best entry in the entire LBT series, which, as of this writing, is up to number 10. My sons (along with Mommy and Daddy) have watched this one more times than any of the others, and there's a reason for that: it's a good one. (Number 2, "The Great Valley Adventure," with Ozzy and Strut, the first appearance of the baby T-Rex Chomper, and some great songs by the Roches, comes in second.) "The Mysterious Island" also contains three fabulous songs, perhaps the best three songs from the whole series: "Big Water," "Always There," and "Friends for Dinner," all by Michele Brourman & Amanda McBroom. Don't miss it. (And also watch "The Great Valley Adventure," if you haven't already.)
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10/10
The Return Of Chomper
zsofikam17 July 2016
Warning: Spoilers
As I have mentioned before, I'm a big fan of the Land Before Time series and I think that this is one of the great entries along with the original and The Stone Of Cold Fire. The story involves the gang bickering over who gets the last leaf from a tree, despite Petrie being an obligate carnivore, when a swarm of leaf-gobblers (locusts) eat everything in the valley, forcing the dinosaurs to find a new temporary home. While wandering across the desert they stumble upon the ocean and spot an island covered in greenery. They manage to travel to the island and spend the night there, discovering the next morning that it's where Chomper and his family have taken up refuge. I won't spoil the rest of the story, but what I will say is that there is a lot to like about The Mysterious Island. The songs are Big Water, Always There, and Friends For Dinner. Always There is very sweet and beautiful, as well as being the first time Littlefoot mentions his mother, Big Water is very funny, especially with all the descriptions of creatures that might be in the water, and Friends For Dinner is also funny, especially the play on words. Finally, I like that Chomper came back since he's so cute and funny.
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9/10
a wonderful film
kingmonkey16 August 2008
of the numerous Land Before Time films, this one stands out with some high quality songs and a great storyline.

the two big songs of the film, Big Big Water and in particular Friends For Dinner, are two of the best that you will find in the series of films, and are of the high, singalong quality you would normally only find in a high profile Disney movie.

the basic premise of the storyline, one of how all can work and flourish together despite obvious differences, is a good one, and provides many moments of education for youngsters as much as it does entertainment.

our little one, who is not yet three, loves this film to bits. that's the target audience, and you can't argue with that! watch and enjoy, and be prepared to be singing "friends for dinner" in your head for quite a while after!
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8/10
Great
jkennard-979725 May 2020
Like the original, an well crafted heatwarming tale. This storyline is full of morals and lessons from greed, altruism, cherishing parents, 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. Those featres in this sequel are possibly the best and most emotive of the whole series.

A must watch for kids.
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8/10
Cute and Heartfelt
allyball-6312416 April 2016
Warning: Spoilers
This is where the Land Before Time franchise got really good. The story is very interesting and actually has some tension for once. Sure, a few things don't make sense but in my opinion, it doesn't amount to much. The animation has improved a bit but not by much. Oh yeah, and Chomper is back, and he can talk! Yay? Okay to be fair, Chomper is pretty cute and the family dynamic between his parents is still adorable. I also thought that the action scenes were pretty brutal. Watching 3 T-rexes fight each other was highly entertaining and they showed blood! Yeah I was just as shocked as some of you were watching that action scene. Also, in one of the songs Little foot mentions his mother for the first time since the first movie. I was so close to tears when I rewatched the song. Yeah, the song is poorly sung but the lyrics are beautiful. The other 2 songs are tolerable but nothing special.
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10/10
TLBT 5
rossrobinson16 September 2003
I remember this once as this one was made in 1997, this one is about when the great valley gets destroyed my moskitoes as they steal all the food in the great valley. The dinosaurs get hungry as then they all stick together to find more green food. Littlefoot and his friends set off with out them the next day, leaving foot prints so that the grown ups can follow them, the little ones end up on a mysterious island as then they finally meet Chomper again.
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10/10
Charles Grosvenor's first LBT film is a ROARING success!!
jcmariano19 June 2005
Warning: Spoilers
The fifth installment in the grand series of LBT. What a great way to follow up Journey Through The Mists, putting in another adventure outside the great valley! (SPOILER) When swarming leaf-gobblers(locusts)devastate the great valley, the dinos set off to find a different paradise. Day after day, they found nothing. Arguments arise, threatening to separate the herds. Littlefoot and co. venture off on their own. They stumble onto a sea and find a land path to an island. The island is perfect, but they see that the land path has been pulled underwater by the shifting tides. Cera uses a log to sail to the grown ups, but a shark attacks them, sending them back to the island. They find Chomper, but I won't spoil the rest for you. (END OF SPOILERS) Always There is so touching...
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It's a great movies to learn and laugh with...
hand8 July 1999
my kid's love "the land before time" series they learn new songs and see new things my kids are 2 and 4 and find this movies one of there favorites...especially with the song "BIG water" which they sing along with. They identify great with the characters get excited when little foot and his friends get excited they laugh when little foot laughs its an enjoyable movies along with all the movies before it ....its also great as the parents watch with their kids and sing the songs even when the movies off and have a great time. MY vote is a BIG thumbs up!!!
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10/10
How are you going to bag on a kids movie?
tormented_duckie8 September 2007
Seriously. Whats the point of trying to insult a children's movie? Thats right, there is no point. Just because its not educational because your kid isn't watching some giant child-molesting purple dinosaur doesn't mean that it still isn't a good movie. And technically, they are educational movies. Just because they don't teach your kid math or who started WWI, but it teaches your child about friendship and being honest and all that other bullshit every child should know. Why don't you go bag on movies that actually deserve your stupidity? Such as Bad Boys II. Or Anal Sluts 9. Your a poopy face and I don't like you.
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