The Land Before Time (1988) is an animated classic so beloved that it rivals even Disney’s The Lion King (1994). Directed by Don Bluth (An American Tail) and executive produced by George Lucas (Star Wars) and Steven Spielberg (Jurassic Park), the film follows a young dinosaur named Littlefoot as he embarks on a dangerous quest to find a new home known as the Great Valley following a world-changing earthquake. During his journey, he meets other young dinosaurs in a heart-warming story about love, friendship, and loss.Credit: Universal Pictures / Amblin EntertainmentBut while the film spawned 13 direct-to-video sequels and an animated series, it never quite reached the same heights as The Lion King. The Disney classic only got two sequels and an animated series, but in 2019 it got a photorealistic remake, which grossed over $1.65 billion worldwide. In 2024, it got a prequel (Mufasa), which was also a box-office hit with $723M.There are no plans for The Land Before Time to undergo the same treatment, however, there is an independent remake in the works from filmmaker Joey Lever, who’s currently best known for the 2014 fan film Spider-Man: Lost Cause.Credit: Universal Pictures / Amblin EntertainmentRelated: Universal Studios Great Britain Could Drop ‘Jurassic World’ for ‘The Land Before Time’Unlike The Lion King, the upcoming Land Before Time film, simply titled Littlefoot, is being retold in cartoon-inspired 3D animation and not photorealistic CG, with its style being more comparable to Pixar, according to Lever. “We knew straight away that we weren’t going to do hyper-realistic animals,” he said, adding, “There’s a reason why The Lion King 2019 didn’t connect [with audiences] emotionally. One of the big problems were their faces. They just didn’t allow for deeper connection because they were too realistic.”Despite being a box-office king, The Lion King (2019) was criticized for its characters’ lack of emotive expressions.Credit: DisneyBut Lever and his team’s approach to Littlefoot doesn’t mean that fans won’t be immersed. “We’re trying to ground the tactile realism of live action with the expressive shape language of Pixar,” he said. “The lighting is moody, the environments are filled with atmosphere, smoke, dust, debris. We just wanted to create a different kind of visual style that even the king Don Bluth would approve of.”Over the past year, Lever has teased images and snippets of the character designs and has even confirmed the full voice cast for the film, with young British actress Summer-Joules Saunders voicing the titular long-neck dinosaur.There’s also an official announcement teaser for the film, where Lever explains why the team decided to remake The Land Before Time. “The big question is, ‘Why are we doing this?’ Because most people don’t understand why remakes should be a thing,” he says. “And honestly, most of the time they’re right, but The Land Before Time to me is different. A lot of people today haven’t seen it.”“In a world where remakes are everywhere, it’s rare to find one that actually deserves to be brought back,” he continues. “This story does. It’s emotional, it’s raw, it’s quietly powerful.”“I genuinely believe that we’re doing something super special,” Lever also says in the video. “We’re introducing The Land Before Time into a world that’s completely forgotten about it. It’s a stunning, beautiful piece of art.”While there’s no release date for the film yet, recently, Lever shared a test video of Littlefoot across his social media and on YouTube. It shows the 3D version of the beloved character in motion set against a real background – and he looks like he’s been pulled right out of a multi-million dollar studio production. Watch it below:Littlefoot is expected to be 15 minutes in length, because, as Lever explains, feature films cost millions. This film is “an independent project made with no money, made with heart, time, and a tiny team”. However, Lever stresses that it’s being treated with “the care and emotion of a full-length project.”Would you like to see an official remake of The Land Before Time? Let us know in the comments!The post ‘The Land Before Time’ Remake Shares First Look at CG Littlefoot in Action appeared first on Inside the Magic.