The Land Before Time is a film.
Donald Virgil `` Don '' Bluth ( born September 13 , 1937 ) is an American animator , film director , producer , writer , production designer , video game designer , and animation instructor who is known for directing animated films , such as The Secret of NIMH ( 1982 ) , An American Tail ( 1986 ) , The Land Before Time ( 1988 ) , All Dogs Go to Heaven ( 1989 ) , and Anastasia ( 1997 ) , and for his involvement in the LaserDisc game Dragon 's Lair ( 1983 ) . Sullivan Bluth Studios . Most of the staff from the US studio moved to the new Dublin facility during production on the studio 's second feature film , The Land Before Time . The Land Before Time . Produced by Sullivan Bluth Studios , Amblin Partners ' Amblin Entertainment and Lucasfilm ( despite not receiving an official credit nor the film 's marketing bearing the studio 's logo ) , it features dinosaurs living in the prehistoric times . The film explores issues of prejudice between the different species and the hardships they endure in their journey as they are guided by the spirit of Littlefoot 's mother and also forced to deal with the murderous T-Rex that killed her . Released by Universal Pictures on November 18 , 1988 , the film was a critical and financial success , and spawned a multimillion-dollar franchise with thirteen direct-to-video sequels and a television series ( without involvement from Bluth , Spielberg , or Lucas ) as well as merchandise ( toys , video games , etc. ) and a television series .