The Land Before Time XV: Night of the Crystal Lights

The Land Before Time XV: Night of the Crystal Lights is a 2025 American animated direct-to-streaming musical adventure children's film and the fifteenth film in the Land Before Time series. The film was directed by Davis Doi and Steve Daye and was the first movie in the franchise to be released after Disney's acquisition of Don Bluth Productions in early 2024. The film was released in select theaters on December 19th, 2025, and added to Disney Plus a week after, on December 26th.

Plot
After an avalanche caused by Littlefoot and company destroys the crystal caves, the kids decide to clean up the mess before the annual "Night of the Crystal Lights" is ruined. Cera, who does not think she is entitled to helping her friends, lies to get out of job, saying that her mother Tria is having a new batch of eggs she must take care of. As Cera's lie gets out of hand, a group of hungry Sharpteeth decide to capture Cera so she can reveal where the batch of eggs are.

Cast

 * Jaba Keh as Littlefoot
 * Juliet Donenfeld as Ducky
 * Jeff Bennett as Petrie
 * Rob Paulsen as Spike
 * Viva Lee as Cera

Synopsis
The film begins with Littlefoot waking up and running over to his friend's homes, cheering about how today is going to be a great day, since it is the Night of the Crystal Lights. (Glowing Morning). The children meet at the Cave of Many Voices, where the song continues. Unbeknownst to them, their voices are so loud that some nearby rocks start to crumble. Petrie, noticing this, starts to panic and fly around, but his knocking of the cave creates more noise, causing the rocks to fall. The children run out of the cave and to shelter, but not before the rocks collapse into the nearby Cave of Crystals, ruining the sight.

The children are scolded by Littlefoot's grandfather for running off and causing harm. They are sent into their homes for the rest of the day as punishment, while the adults try to recover the cave, but to no avail. Late at night, while the adults are still working, Littlefoot calls his friends together for a meeting where they decide to move the rocks from the cave on their own the following morning. Cera disagrees with this, saying it was not their fault that the Cave of Many Voices reflected off their singing. She goes to sleep, trying to think of a plan to get herself out of the situation.

The following day, the children meet up at the Cave of Crystals, already starting to clear up the rocks. The rocks are heavier than they expected them to be, and it is only when a Cera-shaped rock is found in the debris that the group realizes that Cera is not with them. They go to Cera's home, where they find Cera soaking in the mudhole. Cera tries to defend herself, saying that Tria has recently given birth to a litter of eggs that she must go home and take care of. When Ducky volunteers to come with her, Cera declines, saying that it is her job as a big sister to show responsibility for her siblings (Big Sister Rules). The dinos reluctantly leave Cera alone, all convinced by her story, except for Littlefoot, who is still suspicious of her.

As Cera continues to sing her song, a group of three Sharpteeth cover behind a bush, intrigued by the assumed eggs. One of them declares that they should go find the eggs, but another says that there are no eggs in the nest where Cera is next to. The last Sharptooth says that Cera may be hiding the eggs so no one can eat them. All three of them plan to kidnap Cera so she can tell them wher the eggs are, singing about their plan (Eggs).

Production
In late 2023, rumors started to buzz around the internet that Disney was going to be producing a fifteenth Land Before time film, after a placeholder for one was found on the EIDR. These suspicions were confirmed in February of 2024, when Disney officially announced a revival of the franchise, coming into place after the company brought out Don Bluth Productions not long prior. Davis Doi and Steve Daye were announced as directors for the film, and Jeff Bennett and Rob Paulsen were announced to be reprising their roles as Petrie and Spike, respectively.

In May, a teaser trailer was released, along with the film's plot and the rest of the cast. An official trailer came out in August, along with a Disney+ release date.

Reception
The film garnered mixed-to-positive reviews from critics, who praised the humor, music, and animation but criticized the story. It currently has a 63% audience score on Ritten Tomatoes from 67 reviews. Common Sense Media gave the film a four out of five stars, saying:

"Although The Land Before Time XV marks the triumphant return of Littlefoot, Petrie, and the rest of the crew, things haven't changed a bit for this lovable cast of dinos. Although there are a few scary moments involving Sharpteeth kidnapping Cera and an avalanche, nothing presented is abnormal for the franchise. Parents can talk to their children about the story's message of telling the truth and taking responsibility for your actions."