When Littlefoot gets into some danger and his grandmother has to get him back to safety, she tells him about Wisdoms. These are tidbits of knowledge that older dinosaurs have learned throughout their lives and try to impart upon their kids. The main one focused on in this movie is "Stay in groups," but when Littlefoot brings this up to his friends, Cera, Spike, Petrie and Ducky, they also come up with some, but they call them "Say Sos" as in "because momma say so." The young dinosaurs' morning activities are cut short when they stumble upon a pair of strange dinos who belong to a race of Yellow Bellies and are trying to make their way to their herd so they can get to Berry Valley. This new trio, Loofa (Cuba Gooding Jr.) and Doofa (Sandra Oh) as well as their silent friend, seem to have problems focusing on the tasks at hand and Littlefoot and the gang decide to help the trio find their herd. Of course, this means leaving the Great Valley and going into the Great Beyond (again).
Along the way, the group will encounter Sharpteeth, and learn that sometimes you have to trust your heart and not always listen to your head, and maybe the Wisdoms that you are taught aren't the only ones you need to use. While these Yellow Bellies don't seem to have any Wisdoms at first, it is quickly discovered that their own set of sayings and ideas can come in very handy as well.
I found it interesting how many times this particular movie mirrored the original adventure when Littlefoot and the gang were looking for the Great Valley. Back then, they not only had to face off against a sharptooth (and get rid of it in a similar way), but there was even a time when the group thought they found the Great Valley, but it turned out to be just a little, and all too inadequate, grove of trees - an event that also occurs here.
It's good to see that while The Land Before Time series is pretty different from its original movie that came out almost 20 years ago, the characters are still strong and doing a good job of teaching young viewers various lessons. The Wisdom of Friends, while not having quite as many songs as the past few movies, still gets the job done. This movie should definitely be considered by parents looking to continue their Littlefoot collection, or just wanting to give their kids another fun movie to watch that will actually help them learn some life lessons.
