The sixth film in the Land Before Time franchise. It was released on December 1, 1998.
Littlefoot's grandfather tells the kids the legend of "The Lone Dinosaur", a longneck who protected the Valley from a ferocious sharptooth. After their battle, a huge stone appeared, shaped like a longneck with a ring of sharptooth teeth around its neck. It's said that if this stone — Saurus Rock — is ever damaged, bad luck will befall the Valley.
The next day, Littlefoot meets a dinosaur named Doc, whom he assumes is the legendary "Lone Dinosaur". He tells his friends, and Dinah and Dana, Cera's niece and nephew, are inspired to go to Saurus Rock. Littlefoot and friends go after them, but Saurus Rock is accidentally damaged, and the Valley is soon hit by a series of misfortunes.
Tropes:
- Ambiguous Situation: Several things in the film can be viewed as Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane:
- Does Saurus Rock affect luck in the Great Valley, or is all the bad stuff that happens once it's damaged just coincidence? (A lot of coincidences?)
- The Canyon Sharptooth that shows up at the end of the film looks like the Meanest Sharptooth, is in a similar location to where that Sharptooth was defeated, and appears seemingly from nowhere just in time for a rematch with the person who (might've) defeated it. Is it the Meanest Sharptooth, either as a ghost or just older after surviving its fall? On the other hand, many Sharpteeth in earlier films—such as the original Sharptooth and Chomper's father—share the Meanest Sharptooth's color scheme, so the Sharptooth in the climax could be another case of this.
- Baby Talk: When Dana and Dinah talk, a few distinguishable words can be heard now and then but it's mostly unintelligible. Cera can't understand them, but Ducky's had so many younger siblings that she can easily translate what the twins are saying.
- Bait-and-Switch Silhouette: Just as Littlefoot is about to get eaten by the Canyon Sharptooth, a shadow falls over him and he looks up to see the silhouette of... not Doc, but Grandpa Longneck.
- Big Damn Heroes:
- Doc pulls this off no fewer than three times, first rescuing Littlefoot from falling, then saving him from a tornado, and finally arriving in the nick of time to back up Grandpa Longneck against a pair of Sharpeeth. It gets lampshaded by Grandpa Longneck:
Grandpa Longneck: You sure have a habit of showing up at the right time.Doc: Still just lucky, I guess.- Grandpa Longneck also arrives in time to save Littlefoot from the Canyon Sharptooth.
- Call a Rabbit a "Smeerp": Tornadoes are referred to as "whirling winds" and bees as "buzzing stingers."
- Catapult Nightmare: Downplayed. Littlefoot has a Guilt-Induced Nightmare about destroying Saurus Rock entirely, and when he hits the ground, he wakes up with a gasp and lifts his head up.
- Central Theme: Stories and belief. On the good side, people can be inspired by heroes, but on the bad side, people can believe superstitions that worry them and cause persecution.
- Clint Squint: Doc is rarely seen without one, just like the actor he's a clear Expy of.
- Comically Missing the Point: While Cera is scolding Dana and Dinah, the Allosaurus creeps up behind her. Cera is oblivious to her friends' warnings.Cera: You don't want to see Grandpa Threehorn when he's mad. When Grandpa Threehorn gets mad, it's even scarier than—than—Littlefoot: A sharptooth!Cera: No, I think a sharptooth's a little bit scarier.
- Curbstomp Battle: Grandpa Longneck beats the snot out of the Canyon Sharptooth all by himself. It's only when the second Sharptooth shows up that he's in any kind of trouble.
- Deadly Dodging: When the two Sharpteeth charge Grandpa Longneck and Doc, the longnecks jump out of the way so the Sharpteeth crash into the stone pillar behind them instead.
- Death from Above: Grandpa Longneck and Doc defeat the Sharpteeth by breaking a stone pillar to bury them in a bunch of rocks.
- Diabolus ex Nihilo: A second Sharptooth shows up at the climax with no warning and absolutely no explanation.
- Disappointed in You: Mr. Threehorn says this to Cera when he finds out the twins ran away under her watch.
- Disney Villain Death:
- The Meanest Sharptooth is defeated by being dropped off a cliff by the Lone Dinosaur.
- Subverted with the Allosaurus, who also falls off a cliff but survives with nary a scratch.
- Do Not Touch the Funnel Cloud: Mostly averted. When a windstorm hits the Great Valley, debris is seen flying around and is treated as dangerous, even when characters are far from the funnel cloud. The moment the funnel cloud first appears, though, it's played straight: it's literally feet away from Littlefoot but he's completely fine since he's not inside it.
- *Drool* Hello: Although Cera's companions see the Sharptooth coming, she doesn't notice it (thinking it's a gag) until it starts to drool on her.Cera: (screams) Sharptooth drool!
- Exact Eavesdropping: The kids mention Dana and Dinah ran away just as Mr. Threehorn is close enough to hear it and get mad at Cera. Lampshaded by the group, who claim him being there at that exact moment was bad luck.
- Exact Words: Cera gets mad at Dana and Dinah and tells them to "get lost." She means "go away," but Dana and Dinah take this as permission to literally get lost.
- Explain, Explain... Oh, Crap!:
- When the rest of the gang is looking for Littlefoot after his and Cera's argument, they talk about what he said before he left. He was going to stop the bad luck in the Great Valley, which he believes he and his friends are responsible for when they broke the Sharptooth's tooth off Saurus Rock. Then they quickly realize how he is going to try a replace the tooth.
- Littlefoot has to find the tooth of a sharptooth to repair Saurus Rock. He returns to the body of a sharptooth he and his friends managed to kill and goes to work trying to pry out a tooth. It's hard work, but at least there's a breeze to cool him of. Except, Littlefoot is standing inside the sharptooth's mouth trying to remove the tooth. Littlefoot reasons there shouldn't be a breeze, then realizes that the sharptooth is breathing and is actually still alive, just as it starts to stand back up.
- Faint in Shock: When Cera and the twins break a "tooth" off Saurus Rock, Spike thinks the rock is about to fall on and kill him. It barely misses, stabbing into the earth right next to his tail, and Spike faints.
- Fake Ultimate Hero: Downplayed. While the legends about 'The Lone Dinosaur' are obviously exaggerated, and he does end up needing help from Littlefoot's grandpa in the end to defeat the Sharpteeth, Doc is capable of holding his own.
- Fearless Infant: Zigzagged with Dina and Dinah. The twins have no problem jumping on rock pillars across a massive drop into a canyon or playing on top of the very tall Saurus Rock, but they do get scared by the story of the Meanest Sharptooth.
- Foreshadowing: If the dark Sharptooth at the climax is the Meanest Sharptooth's ghost, then the story Cera comes up with on the spot to scare Dana and Dinah technically counts in that it introduces the idea the Sharptooth could still be around:Cera: They say that some nights, you can see the ghost of that Sharptooth wandering around, looking for his teeth!
- Floating in a Bubble: While playing on some sort of bubbly mud pit with twin relatives of hers and getting tripped up by them. Upon emerging from the pit, Cera ends up in one of these. Petrie bursts her out of it, though
Fridge Logic kicks in on why she didn't use her horn to do so earlier. - Folk Hero: The Lone Dinosaur is one for longnecks—a mysterious traveler who shows up in the nick of time to save dinosaurs in trouble. According to legend, he was the first leaf-eater to ever fight a Sharptooth one-on-one.
- Good Scars, Evil Scars: Doc, a good guy, has a scar, but it's thin and contrasts less with the skin.
- Help, I'm Stuck!:
- The group winds up inside a hollow log stretched across a ravine after escaping a Sharptooth, and escape through a hole in the top. Cera squeezes through with difficulty, while Spike winds up stuck, just as the Sharptooth returns, resulting in a hasty rescue.
- The Saurus Rock Sharptooth has this happen to him twice, getting stuck in a tree while chasing Dana and Dinah and later getting caught between two trees chasing the older kids.
- The Hero's Idol: Doc becomes one of these for Littlefoot, as Littlefoot wants to be like the Lone Dinosaur and thinks Doc is him. By the end of the movie, Doc helps Littlefoot realize his grandpa's pretty cool, too, so Grandpa Longneck takes over the role.
- Hero with Bad Publicity: After the bad luck starts happening, Doc is given the blame due to it beginning after he arrives in the Great Valley.
- Informed Ability: The Sharptooth in the legend of the Lone Dinosaur is "the biggest, meanest, most ferocious Sharptooth ever," but his performance is rather... lacking. He's no bigger than other Sharpteeth seen throughout the series, and definitely isn't as fierce or dangerous as the original Sharptooth or even the Plated Sharptooth.
- Informed Species: One of the sharpteeth is an Allosaurus which looks more like a T. rex, to the point of having two fingers instead of three (though it's sometimes shown with three fingers).
- Interspecies Friendship: Downplayed, but the two Sharpteeth don't hesitate to team up with each other to fight Grandpa Longneck and Doc despite clearly being different species.
- Irony: Grandpa Longneck is thankful that "Sharpteeth aren't very smart". In real life, Sauropods (longnecks) are by far the dumbest dinosaurs and Theropods (sharpteeth) are by far the smartest.
- The Jinx: Subverted. Mr. Threehorn and other dinosaurs blame Doc for the bad luck hitting the Valley, but if the misfortune is supernatural in nature, it's from Saurus Rock breaking, not Doc.
- Legacy Character: At the end of the film, the kids' retelling of the Lone Dinosaur legend has Grandpa Longneck filling the role.
- The Load: Dana and Dinah constantly cause trouble for Cera and the others and need to be rescued multiple times. It's them crashing into Cera that breaks Saurus Rock.
- Minor Injury Overreaction: In Littlefoot's dream about being the Lone Dinosaur, he slaps the Meanest Sharptooth on the ankle with his tail and it hops away on one foot in pain.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Cera tells Dana and Dinah to get lost, which they do... which causes them to break Saurus Rock, which maybe triggers a wave of bad luck to hit the Great Valley.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain:
- Spike destroys the rock pillars the children used as a bridge to cross the canyon. The Allosaurus, while trying to get at the kids, tosses a log that makes a convenient bridge across.
- One of the Sharpteeth's sharp teeth gets used to fix Saurus Rock.
- Palate Propping: Littlefoot uses a stick to prop up a seemingly-dead Allosaurus's mouth, but abandons the effort when it starts breathing.
- Playing Possum: The Saurus Rock Sharptooth wakes up not long after Littlefoot finds it at the bottom of the canyon, but pretends to still be dead so Littlefoot won't run away. Leads to a funny moment where the Sharptooth winces at Littlefoot trying to knock his tooth out but can't make a sound or else Littlefoot will know he's alive.
- Practically Different Generations: We learn that Cera (who, despite her Vague Age, is still a child) is an aunt to two three-horn hatchlings named Dana and Dinah, thus proving that she has at least one older sibling who is already at an age that he/she can have children. This sibling is not seen, however.
- Prehensile Tail: The Lone Dinosaur and Doc show a level of control and flexibility with their tail that no other longneck has, using it to grab Sharpteeth by their ankles and trip them.
- The Real Heroes: Littlefoot fantasizes about being the Lone Dinosaur, but by the end of the movie has learned to better appreciate a hero that's closer to home: Grandpa Longneck.
- Recycled Plot: This film reuses the plot from the third movie about the water mysteriously drying up, which was incredibly unnecessary as it only lasts for one scene and is never brought up again.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: The Meanest Sharptooth and the Canyon Sharptooth both have red sclerae. This is the last film in the series to use the classic red-eyed Sharptooth design pioneered by the first movie; the T. rexes from here on out generally have either white or yellow eyes.
- Red Sky, Take Warning: In Grandpa Longneck's story of the Lone Dinosaur, the skies turn a menacing red when the Meanest Sharptooth arrives.
- Riddle for the Ages: Is Doc the Lone Dinosaur? All signs seem to say yes—but if so, he must be ancient, as Grandpa Longneck remembers hearing the story from his grandfather. Is Doc supernaturally old? Does he resemble the Lone Dinosaur by coincidence? Or has the story simply changed over time to include something Doc did?
- Rhetorical Request Blunder: Cera gets mad at Dana and Dinah and tells them to "get lost." The twins take her literally and run off to Saurus Rock.
- The Scapegoat: Mr. Threehorn and many other dinosaurs blame Doc for the misfortune hitting the Great Valley. Mr. Threehorn, for what it's worth, tells Littlefoot this doesn't necessarily mean Doc is bad and fully recognizes he saved Littlefoot's life—just that Doc's bringing bad luck to the valley with his presence.
- Scared of What's Behind You: Cera starts snapping at Ducky and Petrie. They wince, and Cera doesn't notice the Sharptooth right behind her...at least until it drools on her.Cera: AAAAAHH!!! SHARPTOOTH DROOL!!!
- Self-Disposing Villain: The Allosaurus accidentally bites the log it's using as a bridge to cross a canyon, making the log break under the Allosaurus' weight and sending it plummeting to the ground far below.
- Series Continuity Error: It's been established in previous films that Sharpteeth cannot enter the Great Valley. However there are at least two of them hanging out near Saurus Rock which, while appearing to be in the outskirts, is never hinted to not be a part of the Great Valley.
- Signature Move: While adult longnecks throughout the series often use their tails in combat, Doc's specialty is using his like a whip—complete with the distinctive snapping sound—and it has enough dexterity to wrap around a Sharptooth's ankle and trip it. It's one reason why Littlefoot think Doc is the Lone Dinosaur, since Grandpa Longneck's story had the Lone Dinosaur do this to the Meanest Sharptooth. Littlefoot tries to copy this move when he pretends to be the Lone Dinosaur, but he just ends up slapping himself.
- So Proud of You: In a rare display of affection, Mr. Threehorn tells Cera he's proud of her for protecting Dana and Dinah during the tornado and gives her an affectionate nuzzle.
- Tag Along Kid: Littlefoot is immediately starstruck by Doc, whom he thinks is the Lone Dinosaur, and follows him around. For his part, Doc doesn't get annoyed by Littlefoot and seems to like him (and saves his life twice more after this), but seems to have other things on his mind.
- That's No Moon: While looking for Dana and Dinah, Cera bumps into what she thinks is a tree trunk.Cera: That sure didn't feel like a tree trunk.Petrie: It no look like tree trunk, either.Ducky: And it does not sound like a tree trunk, no no... no![Everyone screams as the Sharptooth rips its head out of the tree]Littlefoot: It is NOT a tree trunk!
- Tuck and Cover: Doc shields Littlefoot with his body from the tornado.
- Would Hurt a Child: Mrs. Maia angrily chucks Ducky away from her eggs while Ducky is looking for Dana and Dinah.
- You Talkin' to Me?: This happens, sans gun when Littlefoot says this line.
