Instead, I believe it is about the search for a better life when just about everything you loved had been taken from you. You know, about the power of will... or something. The Land Before Time is also a good coming-of-age story, one of the best maybe. A group of small dinosaurs (just imagine they are children) are trying to make things like they remember from their parents. It is like "don't think your parents will always keep the world stable and safe for you". The main characters go to Great Valley to find there the world they loved and remembered.
In my opinion, the movie is NOT about different races learning how to live together. That's bull****. Americans are just way too concentrated on the race issue (while being racist every day)
I always thought this movie was about what you said, but also racism was involved as a side meaning. (To be honest, I hate it when people think a film can only be "about" one thing.)
Like I said, in my post, I am not from America, but I have never really concidered Americans racist, nor obsessed with Race issues. I personally am from England, and there seasm to be more evidence of racism here than America. (I am not racist my self though.)
What I meant was that Americans never act in a racist way openly, but most of them hate other races deep inside. To hide the issue media puts too much attention on making sure there is no racism on TV. Even though it is seen in real life, not on television.
In this animated movie there's NO racism or anti-racism. The moral is to stick together and put aside the differences. Not racial differences, just differences. But the media claimed there was an anti-racist message, to make ppl believe the situation is getting better. And still, in 2009 I see upper middle and just upper class white Americans being racist in 99% of cases. I mean, look around you - the first black president caused SO much hype it is clear America is STILL racist. But on TV, world is shown in an idealized way. Epic Fail.
I just watched this for the first time since I was a kid and I picked up a racial message this time around. In fact, I was actively looking for racial "clues" to tell me if any of the dinosaurs were supposed to represent particular races (weird).
I didn't think this way when I was a kid and I think it comes down to the fact that most kids don't think about race. But I have to agree with some of the other posters. Since moving to the U.S. (at age 18) I've seen how important racial relations are here.
This movie definitely is based on racism partly, as can be read from this scene (only in the uncut version of the movie)
A long time passed and the brave little group was getting more tired and hungry with each plodding step. At least they left the mountains behind. Now they were in a hot, sandy desert. "I tired," moaned Petrie. "Way to Great Valley too great way." "We're almost there," cried Littlefoot. "Don't give up now." Suddenly Spike became alert and sniffed the air. "He must smell food," said Ducky. "It's the only thing that would wake him up." Spike snorted and galloped over a small hill. The others followed, staring in wonder at what they saw. There was a small spring of water surrounded by a group of thin gray-noses (Another word for Ducky's sort). Near the spring but standing apart was a cluster of trees full of delicious-looking green-food, surrounded by a group of fat crown-heads. Littlefoot and the others raced down the hill, yelling and cheering. But they got closer, they saw the hard looks on everybody's face, and the cheers died in their throats. A stern-looking gray-nose came up to them and said, "What do you want, little ones?" "Food!", Littlefoot cried. "And water, yep, yep," Ducky added. A fat crown-head waddled up and said, "No food!" "You may drink," said the grey-nose to Ducky. "You are a big-mouth like us. But," he continued pointing at the rest of the group, "no water for them." "But they need drinks, too!" Ducky protested. They're my friends." "These are your friends?" said the fat crown-head. "A threehorn? A longneck, a spike-tail and" - he pointed to Petrie - "and whatever that is." "Yes, run away quickly," said the grey-nose to Ducky, "before spikes and horns grow on you." Cera couldn't believe what she was hearing. She had never realized before how foolish it was to dislike someone just because he looked different. All she knew now was that they all needed food and water. She reared up her head and said firmly, "We're hungry! All of us!" The thin grey-nose stared at her. "And so are we," he finally said. "Then why don't you share the water with the crown-heads?" said Littlefoot. "And they could share the food with you. Then you wouldn't be hungry and they wouldn't be thirsty." "No, no, no," said the crown-head and the grey-nose at the same time. "Well, if you don't change your minds, all of you will die," said Cera. "Why don't you like each other anyway?" Ducky asked. "The crown-heads are from the other side of the swamp," said the gray-nose. "I don't see anything wrong with that," said Littlefoot. "This is silly. I'm hungry," cried Cera. "Let's go somewhere else to look for food together." And with that the small group marched away. The grey-nose shook his head. "I'll never understand those young ones," he said. The crown-head nodded and went back to guard the food.
I don't think race is the strongest theme in the film but some parts of the dialogue were probably written with race in the writer's mind. The race stuff isn't strong enough that it dominates everything else and it's watchable without thinking about race but it's still there.