Highlights
- Dragon movies like
The NeverEnding Story
and
Dragonslayer
steered the course for today’s portrayal of dragons. -
Dragonheart
revolutionized CGI dragons and deepened the narrative around heroes and dragons. -
Reign of Fire
set the standard for modern dragons, redefining their anatomy and how they breathe fire.
Dragons have been part of the collective imagination since stories being told in ancient times. Most of the dragons we see today in series like House Of The Dragon wouldn’t couldn’t exist without several dragon movies that redefined the genre. These movies gave studios confidence in spending money on creating giant CG lizards who can breathe fire and fly, which allowed for other movie makers to take those risks as well.
This is a list of the most influential dragon films that not only changed how dragons look today, but how they are portrayed, how they move, their biological characteristics, and so much more. These dragons were pioneers in the film industry and protagonists of a new age in the fantasy genre.
6 The NeverEnding Story
Falcor Changed The Perception We Had About Dragons
- Director: Wolfgang Petersen
- Release: July 20, 1984
- Runtime: 1h 42min
The NeverEnding Story is considered one of the most iconic fantasy movies in history. It is not just because of its particular approach to non-linear narrative, but also the fantasy-like esthetics that would define an era and pave the way for many other fantasy-themed movies. Perhaps its greatest accomplishment, however, was giving birth to Falcor, the Luckdragon.
Falcor’s dog-like, friendly-looking design brought a positive shift in the perception that humans had of dragons, which up until now described them as fearsome beasts and bringers of destruction. Falcor’s design was inspired by the benign dragons from oriental myth, and was one of the first of its kind to debut in Western movies. Noah Hathaway (Atreyu) has made several statements about Falcor’s design making him feel more “at ease, relieving the fear and nervousness from being on stage.” Clearly his friendly-looking face was optimized to make young audiences feel comforted, even when the plot took the darkest of turns. Remember Gmork? Well, hundreds of psychologists sure do!
5 Dragonslayer
The Action Hero’s Journey To Slay The Dragon Begins With This Film
- Director: Matthew Robbins
- Release: June 26, 1981
- Runtime: 1h 48min
Dragonslayer was the inaugural example of the “Hero of The Dark Ages” trope in the film industry. Creepy, obscure, eerie, and closer to a dark fantasy film than an adventure flick, this movie carved the path for modern stop-motion animation and animatronics. As a matter of fact, there wouldn’t be a Jurassic Park franchise today without the existence of this film.
This movie played a lot with environmental storytelling, with the young and reluctant hero having no choice but to embark on a perilous journey alongside his mentor to rid the world of a great evil. Dragonslayer was the product of great teamwork between artists and filmmakers and set the example for other industry leaders to repeat the feat.
4 The Flight Of Dragons
A Motherlode Of Inspiration For Modern Animated Dragons And Fantasy Films
- Director: Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin Jr.
- Release: January 3, 1989
- Runtime: 1h 35min
The Flight of Dragons is a hidden gem from the 80s that influenced modern animation and served as an example of the potential of fantasy films. Not many know about this movie, but that might be because there are no good-quality copies of it roaming around on the internet, and no streaming services seem to offer it either.
Not only was the animation technique revolutionary at the time this film was produced, but the level of detail dedicated to every character was unheard of. Every dragon had its own design: Some of them were similar to those from oriental art, but then there were classic Welsh dragons, and Nordic-inspired drakes as well. Each creature was unique and fully animated from the tip of the tail to the nostrils.The Flight Of Dragons set the bar high, and later, many other fantasy animation films (starting with The Last Unicorn in 1982) took the torch and kept the flame burning.
3 Dragonheart
More Than CGI, A Masterpiece About The Human Condition
- Director: Rob Cohen
- Release: May 31, 1996
- Runtime: 1h 43min
Dragonheart wasn’t just a movie about a dragon and a human working together for the first time, but also a deep analysis of what makes us human. This film definitely changed the conception of audiences regarding how a dragon should look: Less reptilian, and more human-like. It was also the first time Sean Connery played a CGI character, and he totally nailed it. The way his voice integrated with Draco’s personality was seamless, and proof that the actor was at the pinnacle of his career.
During the film, we see how the line between good and evil is a very thin thread, and the character of Bowen, a former Dragonslayer Knight turned into a revolutionary bound to defeat the evil King, is simply perfect. This film not only redefined how dragons should look in films, but also how the narrative is constructed around the figure of the classic hero. It was also the beginning of a new age for CGI.
2 Dragonheart: A New Beginning
Failed To Fill The Shoes Of Its Predecessor, But Gave Us Something More Instead
- Director: Doug Lefler
- Release: August 8, 2000
- Runtime:1h 24min
Though it tried to stick to the winning formula of its predecessor, with great moral values, complex characters, and a perfect villain to boot, this sequel failed in terms of overall quality and acting. Sadly, Dragonheart: A New Beginning is severely underrated, because like most sequels, it’s not as good as the first one. Yet it still brought to the table a few interesting things.
The first novel detail this movie provided is that it used the premise of a dragon learning the “how to” of doing dragon things, which was quite refreshing. The second thing is that, for the first time, Dragons (not Kaiju) were shown breathing something other than fire; in this case, ice. The concept of elemental breath was already there from tabletop games (D&D) and fantasy books, but it was the first time viewers got to see a dragon spitting ice and freezing the villain in a film. The third thing was the concept of the dragon-riding knight, an iconic figure that would later appear in many other films and series.
1 Reign Of Fire
Dragons In Movies And TV Reached Their Ultimate Form
- Director: Rob Bowman
- Release: July 12, 2002
- Runtime: 1h 41min
Want to know how the modern concept of dragons in films and series came to be? Then watch this movie. Reign of Fire marked a clear line between “before” and “after” in the history of dragons in movies, not only because its incredible CGI perfectly portrayed these vicious beasts, but because of the design of the creatures themselves.
Before Reign of Fire, dragons walked on four legs and had 2 wings on their back. After the movie hit the cinemas, dragons were redesigned (except for some films like Eragon), and based on the “wyvern” archetype. That meant bat-like wings attached to pseudo-frontal legs and strong, claw-like hind legs. This film also explains scientifically how dragons breathe fire, by accumulating a mixture of gases and chemicals which then are expelled through a gland, and catch fire when they come into contact with oxygen. Yes, that’s right: Napalm spitting dragons. How cool is that?
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