"The Spooky Nighttime Adventure" is the Halloween episode of The Land Before Time. It originally aired on March 30, 2007.
Plot[]
The episode starts with Petrie telling some absurd story about some Sharpteeth-eating sharptooth flyer told by his uncle Pterano told by some leaf-eater told by a flyer told by some leaf-eater again. Ruby tells the gang a scary story about the Mysterious Beyond that even Sharpteeth tell their kids about something mysterious lurking in the Mysterious Beyond called Hidden Runner. The Hidden Runner is known to sneak up to its prey at night and eats its prey.
But no one ever knew what it looks like because it is invisible until it approaches nearby. It would also yell out a horrible yell and it scares Petrie made by Cera shouting angrily behind him. The gang goes to their homes to get some sleep. But Ducky first gets an absurd nightmare where she is happily alone but Hidden Runner crashes through the woods like a T-Rex.
She wakes up and the next morning, it turns out that everyone except Cera (or so she claims and claiming that three-horns never get scary sleep stories) gets a nightmare about Hidden Runner. They decide to go to Mr. Thicknose to ask about Hidden Runner, which Ruby says it is a false imaginary being. But Mr. Thicknose knows Hidden Runner is real and has known Hidden Runner ever since Mr. Thicknose was a hatchling. He tells the gang his view but decides to go with the gang to find Hidden Runner.
As they go on to find Hidden Runner, Petrie grows worried. Mr. Thicknose also states that Hidden Runner even scared away tree stars. That night, when some of them fell asleep after Mr. Thicknose finds a spot for everyone to rest until the morning, Cera gets a nightmare of being chased by a dragon. She yells that she is not afraid. Then she see images of her friends teasing that she is a scaredy-egg.
She wakes up with everyone staring at her and she still refuses she had a scary sleep story. After they all wake up and go on, they hear a terrible screech, presumably Hidden Runner. They venture into the woods more where they end up into the cave. Cera grows a bit scared, but keeps her pride. Deeper in the cave, they see the shadow of the Hidden Runner and Cera runs away in fright and Mr. Thicknose was close in seeing Hidden Runner.
The gang looks for Cera and finds her hiding. She admits that she now has the nightmares, being scared and loses her pride. But Mr. Thicknose explains that bravery comes from admitting your fear and facing it. Then, at that moment, they hear the screech of Hidden Runner. It turns out that Hidden Runner was a silent fast-runner with many colors blending with the forest-like environment that makes him look invisible. The gang goes back home, feeling happy with their accomplishment in seeing the Hidden Runner, but Petrie will always be afraid of something.
Production[]
A few scenes were removed from this episode, possibly to meet time constraints.[1] The first one occurs when Mr. Thicknose is reavealing to the kids that Hidden Runner does indeed exist, he says "But this time, this time I'm going to see him for myself!" After this in the uncut version, the scene briefly goes to the children and then right back to Mr. Thicknose, who goes on to tell the kids, "Last time, Hidden Runner was spotted at the dark caves on the hill." In the cut version though, a short exchange of dialogue goes on between Mr. Thicknose's two statements; it goes as followed:
Chomper walks up to Mr. Thicknoses leg and tugs on his skin to get his attention
- Chomper: Aren't you afraid he'll eat you?
Scene widens to include Mr. Thicknose
- Mr. Thicknose: Now that sounds like something Ruby could have made up.
Scene switches to Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky, Spike, and Ruby
- Ducky: But Ruby says the whole story is made-ed up!
The second cut scene occurs right after the children and Mr. Thicknose sing "Adventuring". Right after the children sing the last phrase of the song, "We want to go adventuring too!", in the uncut version Ruby says "I would like to see Hidden Runner with my own eyes." In the cut version this exchange of dialogue goes in between the two scenes:
Scene switches to Petrie
- Petrie: We do?
Scene switches to a close-up of Spike
- Spike (grunting): Yes.
The third cut scene occurs after Mr. Thicknose says "You can all come if you like. Just ask your parents before we go." In the cut version the break occurs right after this, and skips to them traveling in the woods. The scene goes as followed:
Petrie's still flapping around nervously, he can't believe what he's hearing
- Petrie (panicked): GAAAAH!! "Ask parents?!" What if parents say "yes?"
Petrie forgets to flap. A bit later he falls and a "THUNK" can be heard.
Another brief scene was cut at the start of the children's adventure with Mr. Thicknose. In the uncut version, when the camera zooms in on the children for the first time, they simply walk past and the scene then goes to Mr. Thicknose talking to them. In the cut scene, however, Petrie flys around a bit as they walk past and the camera goes upwards to show him looking nervously around. The scene then goes to Littlefoot and Chomper looking scared and nervous; when Chomper realizes he is getting farther away from Littlefoot he quickly dashes forwards. Cera also has a noticeable smirk which is absent from the released version.
After Mr. Thicknose mentions to Petrie that if Hidden Runner eats them then it will "definately be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" he gets scared and flies over to Littlefoot. A short scene was cut that happens right after this where Ducky and Spike both look terrified too and look down/up (Ducky riding on Spike's back) at each other.
Two scenes were swapped also. Cera comments to her friends that there is nothing to be scared of in the woods they're in. In the released version when the characters travel into a different forest, Chomper comments immediately "What about these woods?". However, in the original version Chomper makes his comment after he sees a spider swoop down and grab another bug (Which is present in the released version as well).
When Mr. Thicknose tells the children Hidden Runner scared away all the tree stars once, in the uncut version Chomper says "Did he just say Hidden Runner scared away all the tree stars?" and the children run towards the rest of the group. In the cut version though, when Ducky, Spike, and Chomper think about it for a moment they scream and run to the group more urgently.
When Spike is starting to go to sleep Ducky tells him to not go to sleep because he could have sleep stories. In the uncut version Chomper then wishes he was like Cera and not have sleep stories. In the cut version Petrie says: "And Hidden Runner only eat you when you asleep!" between their two comments.
Something also noticeable in the storyboard in that the characters faces are more expressive and more scared when they are traveling in the forest Hidden Runner is in.
Songs[]
- Adventuring
- Hidden Runner
Voice Actors[]
- Cody Arens as Littlefoot
- Anndi McAfee as Cera
- Aria Noelle Curzon as Ducky
- Jeff Bennett as Petrie
- Rob Paulsen as Spike/Hidden Runner (character)
- Max Burkholder as Chomper
- Meghan Strange as Ruby
- Dorian Harewood as Mr. Thicknose
- Jessica Gee as Tria
- John Ingle as Daddy Topps
Cultural Influence[]
Merchandise[]
"The Spooky Nighttime Adventure" was released in the United States on August 20, 2007 in the "Amazing Adventures!" DVD, along with "The Cave of Many Voices", "The Canyon of Shiny Stones", "The Meadow of Jumping Waters". This DVD was also released in Canada, and in France on July 2, 2008 under the name "Les Incroyables Aventures!" ("The Incredible Adventures!").[2]
It was released in German on the DVD "Wirbel Bei Littlefoot Und Seinen Freunden" ("Swirl With Littlefoot and His Friends") on February 19, 2009, along with "The Lone Dinosaur Returns".[3] "Wirbel Bei Littlefoot Und Seinen Freunden" was also released as a Radio drama on August 12, 2011. However, the drama is named "Freundschaft, Spass und Abenteuer", as all of the Land Before Time television series radio drama's are.[4]
Trivia[]
- According to the storyboard, the creature in Cera's sleep-story is part pelican-mouthed T. rex eater (from Petrie's story), part Hidden Runner, and part dragon.[5]
- The creature in Cera's sleep-story also bears resemblance to the Prehistoric Dragon [1] seen in the mockumentary "The Last Dragon"/"Dragons: A Fantasy Made Real"[2] made by Animal Planet.
Goofs[]
- In one scene, Littlefoot's eyes turn green instead of his eyes' normal color.
References[]
Template:References
- ↑ The Land Before Time Storyboard by Sahin Ersoz. Retrieved March 27th, 2012.
- ↑ Les Incroyables Aventures! at Amazon.fr. Retrieved on December 10, 2011.
- ↑ "Wirbel Bei Littlefoot Und Seinen Freunden" at Amazon.de. Retrieved on May 17th, 2012.
- ↑ "Wirbel Bei Littlefoot Und Seinen Freunden" A.K.A. "Freundschaft, Spass und Abenteuer" radio drama at Amazon.de. Retrieved on May 17th, 2012.
- ↑ The Land Before Time Storyboard by Sahin Ersoz. Retrieved March 27th, 2012.