Big Land

When the dinosaurs of the Great Valley wake up to find themselves covered with "white ground sparkles," the prehistoric lizard kids have snowball fights, but the adults understand the threat to their food supply. So when a traveling family of spiketails (Stegosauruses) offers to take Spike with them in search of warmer climes and more munchies, his adoptive mother reluctantly agrees. But his adoptive sister Ducky sets off after him and the rest of the playmates form a rescue party joined by the blustering elder, Mr. Thicknose (the voice of Robert Guillaume). The small band faces a T-Rex, landslides, blizzards, wind shear on Petrie the Pterosaur's wings and, finally, ice skating into hot springs, which ultimately save the valley's dino denizens. As with its predecessors, this 72-minute film combines a little science and song with a lot of life instruction for the preschool and grade-school crowd. (Ages 3 to 7) --Kimberly Heinrichs