Beloved Disney writer Stu Krieger reveals little-known secrets about iconic movie Land Before Time - from how characters got their names to the TRUTH about sequel rumors

Famous Disney writer Stu Krieger has laid bare some behind-the-scenes secrets from one of his best-known movies, Land Before Time, opening up about everything from the inspiration for the characters' names to the truth about swirling sequel rumors. 

Stu, 72, who is behind a number of Disney Channel favorites, including the Zenon franchise and Smart House, has been answering fan questions about the beloved dinosaur-adventure epic in a wholesome video series.

The original Land Before Time came out in 1988, also featuring executive producers Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. 

The plot followed baby Apatosaurus Littlefoot and his gang of friends - Petrie the Pteranodon, Cera the Triceratops, and Ducky the Saurolophus - on an adventure in search of the Great Valley, a verdant haven free of natural disasters.

Stu, 72, the writer of the screenplay who last year also released a new book titled Raft, has been peppered with questions from fans of the Land Before Time, and as of late has been taking to his TikTok to give his answers.

Stu Krieger, 72, is the writer behind the 1988 animated dinosaur-adventure film Land Before Time, which also featured executive producers Steven Spielberg and George Lucas

Stu's been taking to TikTok to answer fans' questions about the beloved children's movie

For one, the young Triceratops character's name isn't spelled 'Sarah' - instead, it is 'Cera'

'Why do all the dinosaurs in Land Before Time have cool names except for Sara?' one queried - mistaken in their spelling of Cera's name.

'Well you clearly did not do your research, cause her name is not S-A-R-A or S-A-R-A-H. It's C-E-R-A because she was a Tri-cera-tops. And that's where the name came from,' Stu explained.

'Don't lie, you thought it was spelled "Sarah" too…,' he cheekily jabbed in the caption. 

Elsewhere, asked who is favorite character is, Stu admitted: 'I'm pretty much partial to Cera.' 

One of the reoccurring motifs in the film is the 'treestar,' which nourishes the dinosaur herds, and is found in abundance in the Great Valley. 

A fan prompted Stu to share the inspiration for the five-pointed visual of the treestar - essentially the blanket term the dinosaurs used for foliage.

'For all those of you who have been asking for the inspiration for the treestar, it was a maple leaf!' Stu declared, holding one up in his hand. 

In an earlier TikTok, he expanded on how he came up with the moniker. 

One of the reoccurring motifs in the film is the 'treestar,' which nourishes the dinosaur herds, and is found in abundance in the Great Valley 

Stu, who'd come up with the moniker 'treestar,' explained the visual inspiration was a maple leaf

'That happened when I was thinking about things from a dinosaur perspective. I went out in the backyard, I was laying on my back looking up, and from below, they looked like stars! Treestars.' 

Additionally, in another TikTok clip, Stu was confronted with a rapid-fire series of questions.

'Would you ever consider doing a movie if done in the og animation of them being older?' one wrote in.

Stu admitted that 'right now' he was more focused on writing books, like Raft.

'But, you know, when it comes to another Land Before Time, I'm someone who never says never,' he added. 

'Why was it so sad and why was it technically [a] kids' movie?' someone else wondered - likely thinking of the heart-wrenching scene in which Littlefoot's mother dies after saving him from a T-Rex. 

The plot followed baby Apatosaurus Littlefoot and his gang of friends on an adventure in search of the Great Valley, a verdant haven free of natural disasters 

In one heart-wrenching scene Littlefoot's mother dies after saving him from a T-Rex 

'You know, not to throw Steven Spielberg under the bus, but he really was the one when we were talking about the story, who said he wanted to go through a whole range of emotions with the dinosaurs so we could begin to teach kids about all the different emotional challenges they would be facing in their lives,' Stu said.

In a different post, the expert also discussed how Steven's original vision for Land Before Time was more akin to the dialogue-free sequence set to the melody of The Rite of Spring that also starred dinosaurs. 

'But then, often when they talk about the classic animated films, it's the voices of the characters that really capture them,' Stu contended.

'For kids, to be able to latch on to personality, and the different nature of the different characters, we really needed the dialogue to make sure those themes came through.'