10 Franchises That Made It To Episode 7 Before Star Wars
8. The Land Before Time
What's the story?
Animation legend Don Bluth, with producers Spielberg and Lucas, delivered a sweet cartoon about an orphaned apatosaur and his veggie-saurus pals searching for a mythical Great Valley back in 1988.
Six years later, none of the talent reunited for a straight-to-video sequel that weirdly spawned an endless succession of twee-er, cheaper and much more badly animated prehistoric adventures.
What's in Part 7?
The Land Before Time VII: The Stone Of Cold Fire gives not-actually-a-dinosaur Petrie the Pteranadon his moment in the spotlight in a story involving a search for a magic meteor. Michael York guest stars as Petrie's evil, but not that evil, uncle determined to use the magic stone to create the kind of paradise that the characters already live in.
How does it compare with the previous six?
Even by the standards of lesser straight-to-video sequels to animated feature hits, The Land Before Time series is bad. And even by the standards of the series, The Stone Of Cold Fire's mystical mumbo jumbo is bad. It also features characters called "Rainbow Faces".
Did it go beyond seven?
Unlike the dinosaurs, this franchise feels like it can never die. 2007's ultra-cheap The Land Before Time XIII: The Wisdom Of Friends spawned a TV series and a fourteenth film, Journey Of The Brave, is rumoured to be on its way. Sooner or later the title's going to have to become The Land During Time.