A band of mismatched do-gooders. An Odyssean-level quest to save the day. Body switching. Inter-dimensional travel. An ultimate showdown of good versus evil. And of course, dragons. Lots of them. More than Daenerys could ever handle. Ummm…why isn’t this a live action movie yet?
But I’m getting ahead of myself. The Flight Of Dragons is a 1982 direct-to-video (that’s VHS, kids) animated film by Rankin/Bass, the duo that brought us The Hobbit and The Last Unicorn, amongst other classics. These gentlemen deserve ALL the lifetime achievement awards. The film is based on both the 1979 novel of the same name by Peter Dickinson and the 1976 novel The Dragon and the George. It was also a staple of my childhood, played on repeat till that poor tape wore out, along with the other aforementioned movies from the same studio.
Following a grand orchestral opening, we meet Carolinus, the green wizard, who sets the tone for the film. The world of magic he resides in is fading and bending towards that of science and logic. Which side will ultimately triumph?
But first, cue the tears as the haunting folksy theme song is sung by none other than Don McLean, transporting us even further back to a time of other hippy-era dragons like Puff (The Magic)…
Carolinus (voiced by Harry Morgan of M*A*S*H fame) summons his ethnically diverse brothers (hooray for token 80’s inclusiveness!), each one a wizard representing a different fantastic realm, to a meeting. He proposes that before science inevitably wipes out all their powers, they should combine energies to create The Realm of Magic, a haven for all things mystical, like fairies, elves, talking animals, and their beloved dragons.
While two of his brothers agree with Carolinus, the third, Ommadon—the red wizard of the realm of death—refuses to succumb to a so-called magical “retirement village.” He threatens to use humanity’s fear against itself using dark arts, hoping to rid the world of humans once and for all by wreaking havoc and destruction upon them.
If you missed his name in the opening credits, Ommadon’s voice will sound chillingly familiar to you: it’s Darth Vader himself, James Earl Jones, trading in breathy gravitas for a gravel-filled timbre so monstrous it still reminds me of how I instinctively cowered from the character as a child.
Knowing he must be stopped, Carolinus proposes a quest to destroy Ommadan and prevent further chaos. He finds his champion in the form of a modern day man of science, a scholar from Boston named Peter Dickinson. (Yes, like the source author—the film has many meta references.) Peter is voiced with youthful enthusiasm by John Ritter. It seems crystal (ball) clear to Carolinus that this young man with a mind for the logical and a personal passion for the fantastical will make him the perfect leader for the quest.
After transporting a delighted Peter back to the magical realm, a freak spell-related accident merges his mind with the body of the dragon Gorbash. The quest starts off on unsteady footing as the young man struggles with inhabiting a creature he has long loved and fantasized about but does not know the first thing of how to actually be.
Along the way Peter/Gorbash is joined by a diverse group of heroes: a chivalrous knight, a wise elderly dragon, a talking wolf, an elf, and a female archer—whose request to join the all male troupe is met without question or hesitation. It’s a nice moment of casual ’80s girl power despite the fact that the only other female character in the movie is Carolinus’ ward, Princess Melisande. A dutiful, obedient and somewhat simpering girl with an Instagram-worthy Rapunzel/Princess Leia hybrid hairdo, Melisande quickly falls in love with Peter (well, to be fair, her options are slim) and deems him her champion. Not permitted to join the quest, she serves as the troupe’s narrator as she watches them through visions.
For a children’s movie, The Flight of Dragons has a surprising amount of depth and detail that probably went over many kids’ heads, as it certainly did mine, at that time. In re-watching I could not help but notice the level of self-awareness, the adult humor, and occasional frightening moments that made me wonder why my parents let me watch it over and over again back in the day.
The Christian imagery is heavy, beginning with the search for a young savior who may have to ultimately sacrifice himself, and his selection by an all-knowing invisible entity called “Antiquity,” who appears only once as a burning bush—sorry, sparkly tree. Then there’s the resurrection of a supporting character who returns from the dead to save the quest. There is even a casual water-into-wine moment where Carolinus changes cider into milk to soothe his upset stomach.
The movie also manages to convey Peter’s intellectual curiosity in some interesting ways. Using his scientific background, Peter tries to make sense, for both himself and the viewers, of how exactly dragons function. In detailed terms he explains the physical processes that allow a dragon lift to fly, create fire to breathe, and why they have a need to hoard gold. It is never presented as pandering or simplistic, something sorely lacking in modern children’s television.
Also quite striking are the various obstacles the questing party encounter along the way in the form of monsters, ogres, and evil dragons. These are animated ferociously and introduced with a jump scare or two. They are not intended to be endearing or delightful but to instill fear, and do so quite well. There is plenty of death, both graphically depicted and implied, that show the stakes and severity involved when taking on pure evil.
With a slick Japanese style of animation and swelling soundtrack devoid of any musical numbers (beyond the title sequence), the movie holds up well, for the most part. If anything, there is a certain sorrow to be felt when contemplating how much further we have advanced in the world of science while leaving behind the fantasies of youth.
So the question arises once again: why does this movie remain locked in time? Yes, there is a DVD available at various sources online, but while the editing feels perfect for television (with many well-timed stops), it has not aired in decades. And unlike many other direct-to-video films of the 80s and 90s, the fandom online is limited. Etsy, for example, has barely any Flight of Dragons-inspired fan-made art and plush toys, compared to, say, the mountain of goods related to films like The Secret of NIMH or Labyrinth.
I usually have a tough time finding anyone who can remember having seen the film, if they’ve heard of it at all. It seems to be one of those childhood movies that may not be completely forgotten, but one that was just overshadowed by too much competition at the video rental store.
There is a short moment in the film where one dragon remarks about another, “By all that’s magic, is the Dragon not a wonderful creature?” That sentiment still certainly seems to ring true in modern media—it reminds me of the strangely touching moment in the most recent season of Game of Thrones where Tyrion Lannister approaches Khaleesi’s chained dragons for the first time. He speaks to them, soothing their wariness, recalling his childhood wish to have his own dragon, back when the creatures were said to be extinct. When it comes to dragons, even a cocksure and somewhat hardened figure like Tyrion can be flown, sentimentally, down memory lane on their spiked wings.
He’s not alone—in recent years, we have seen these creatures pop up in Harry Potter, Eragon, the How To Train Your Dragon movies, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and, most recently, in the revival of Pete’s Dragon. They clearly continue to inspire wonderment and fascination, and I encourage anyone who’s ever had a childhood fantasy involving these magnificent beasts to seek out this movie.
In one particular scene, a whole horde of dragons falls out of the sky, lulled to sleep by a magic flute. Each creature is animated differently, and sumptuously for its time. You can see the varying scales and horns. Some are rough, others are sleek. Some belong in King Arthur’s Court, others lifted from a Ming Vase. It is a gorgeously rich piece of wordless animation.
So I am puzzled why this movie has garnered some interest from Hollywood (there was a live action version announced in 2012 and later cancelled), but with ultimately no result. It seems prime for the hatching.
There are many live action films on the upcoming docket that seek to revamp vintage cartoons. The benefit of a remake is that there will be a new childhood classic for the next generation while the previous generation can enjoy a familiar story. Should it fall short of expectations, as sadly many live action updates do, then it will hopefully encourage people to seek out the original material. Republish the books and get an extras-filled anniversary DVD for the cartoon.
And that, ultimately, is why I pine for a revival of The Flight Of Dragons—so it can gain a new following, and maybe reach cult-level status, complete with more frequent cosplaying and midnight screenings…
In the meantime, it can stay firmly solidified in its own magic realm—the realm of nostalgia. It will be safe there. And I’m fine with that.
Reneysh Vittal is a writer, editor and cultural critic. His work has appeared on VICE, Narratively and The Rumpus. Read more work at www.RVittal.com and follow him on Twitter @ReneyshV
*Raises hand* I remember this one! At least I remember the man in the dragon’s body, the explanation of dragon fire, and the fact that we had a bad recorded-from-TV VHS tape that started the movie in the middle of the tape so you watched to the end then rewound to catch the end of the movie at the beginning of the tape. I’m not exactly sure how we managed that. Thank you for reminding me of this – I’m going to need to hunt down one of those DVDs now so I can watch it in the right order.
Maybe one of the earliest examples of direct-to-video? I hadn’t realized it never played in theatres, but I do recall tripping across it mid-1980s and really liking it. A borrowed copy only unfortunately, so I only saw it the once. I remember something about it felt unusually adult, I’m sure it would bear a re-watch.
I’ve seen this many times. This cartoon got me started in collecting dragon figures. Yes, indeed the dragon is a wonderful creature.
This was a big part of my childhood. My brother and I watched it countless times, in addition to The Hobbit and The Last Unicorn, much like you. I was so enamored of the film that when I started playing the flute in 4th grade–perhaps when I wasn’t watching the movie as much as I used to–I worked out how to play the tune the elf plays on the magic flute to put the dragons to sleep. I’m sure it delighted my parents as a beginner flutist shrieking out those notes over and over and over again. To this day I can bring up the melody of that short tune as well as the opening sequence song (quite rusty on the lyrics, though).
I wouldn’t mind seeing a live action version of this movie. The story isn’t perfect but I think it could be polished up easily and the potential for casting already has a few things going for it. But I would insist that if it were remade that the tune that puts the dragons to sleep remain the same; my 4th grade self would be delighted.
I regularly rented this one from the local Video Wizard as a kid. As a megafan of all things Rankin/Bass, especially their Hobbit, Return of the King, and The Last Unicorn I recognized the animation style as similar to other things I loved. Plus all the Rankin/Bass films have consistently incredible voice work. The character designs populated a lot of my childhood imaginings, particularly Ommadon and his freaky expanding sword. I own it on DVD from the Warner Archive.
Any love for the Rankin/Bass Wind in the Willows?
Thank you ScavengerMonk. I bought a copy from the Warner Brothers Archive. Since the Dragon Riders series by Anne McCaffery I have loved dragons.
Oh I have always loved this one. I found a copy of the book in a second hand store while I was in college and it rekindled my love of it. I actually just showed it to my daughter for the first time a couple of weeks ago and she really dug it! It definitely still speaks to the imagination. I would love to see it get some more attention, too. Thank you so much for this wonderful write up!
Peter Dickinson’s book from ’79 wasn’t actually a novel. It was a non-fiction book (sort of) that explored the possibility that dragon’s actually existed and that the mythology was prehistoric memory of them. The illustrations were incredible and the artist went on to do the concept art for the film. In execution, the movie was the plot of The Dragon And The George reinforced with the ‘science’ of Dickinson’s book.
As for why this is obscure, my guess is it was ahead of its time. In 1982, my solidly middle class (if not upper middle class) family did not have a VHS machine, and would not be getting one for another year or so. I don’t think we were terribly unusual in that. This film could have easily come out and simply been inaccessible to most of its potential audience.
I can’t recall ever hearing of it, and I was dead solid in its intended demographic. I adored their Hobbit and Last Unicorn movies, and somewhat fondly remember their Return of the King. (Not to mention the Christmas specials.) A few years on I read the Gordon Dickson novel, too.
I can’t recall ever seeing or hearing of this movie before. I grew up in the ’90s, so I must have missed it. That will have to be remedied–it looks awesome!
I loved this film as a kid.
I loved this film! I recall converting it from VHS to DVD when the converters first became available (and I still have it!). A live action film could be truly magnificent, and a special edition bluray with interviews and extras would not go amiss either.
@6 – Glad to help. I feel confident this film won’t disappoint a dragon fan.
I adored this movie! To this day I measure all descriptions of dragons against the models presented in this movie. :) For most people, The Hobbit (Smaug) was their first introduction to dragons, but for me it was The Flight of Dragons!
I love this movie (the less scrupulous among you will find it in its entirety online in all the usual suspects) and think the story and casting is spot on. I don’t really know what to say apart from I saw it and I loved it. Maybe that is why it has so little fan activity, it is just too perfect. Fan activity tends to focus around little imperfections, the fan preferred couples, the plothole that needs meta-filling, the unstated reason for the hero’s predicament, “improving” character designs, etc. There is just no real need for any of that here. It is awesome as is and instantly charming.
I don’t want a remake though. Certainly not by the clodhanded idiots who are running Hollywood right now. Can you imagine Michael Bay’s version? The Gareth Edwards version with no dragons in it. Or worse the extreme Ayn Randian version from Snyder, where Ommadon turns out to be the hero? Lets not have a remake just yet, lets wait for people with actual talent in movie making beyond the mere technical shots to move into the field.
My family loved this film, we watched it over and over (helped somewhat by our surname being Dickinson). The monsters were terrifying – Sand Merks, the Ogre of Gormley Keep, That worm… thing, Omadon, his terrifying dragon that I won’t even attempt to spell.
Sir Orrin’s badass speech to his sword during his battle with… that dragon is one of my favourite nostalgic vocal clips.
” Blade with whom I lived…”
(Coincidentally another one is Sir Auron’s speech to the team during the battle with Yunalesca in Final Fantasy X. “Now, this is it, now is the time to choose. Die and be free of of pain, or live and fight your sorrow.” Never mess with an Orrin/Auron especially if they are a Sir)
It does have its flaws (golden flowers?) but I won’t go into them here, where is the fun in that?
I loved The Dragon and the George when I was younger but had no idea it was adapted to animation. Now I want to find a copy just to hear how Aragh, Daffyd and Danielle sound.
It sounds like they got rid of the Accounting Office though, which is a shame. I can well imagine James Earl Jones in *that* role instead.
Our three girls were obsessed with this one as kids.
Laura, wallowing in the limpid pool of time
The Dragon and the George by Gordon R. Dickson is the book the story comes from. It went on to spawn a series of sequels that continued the story of The Dragon Knight. That said, I loved this animation fest and the original science of the Peter Dickensen book is cool, too.
Israel’s then only TV channel screened it twice during the summer holiday. The first time my friend recorded it on VHS, turning us to lifetime fans, the second time it was stopped mid-airing due to some parents’ complaint that Carolinus looks like an anti Jewish propaganda. Thank God my friend recorded it the first time!
Another hand up for the ‘played this on loop from a TV recorded VHS’ crowd. This was played on New Zealand state TV… I guess around ’85 and my family recorded it. A couple years later it was accidentally taped over. This meant it sort of became near-mythical in my head. I knew it so well, but couldn’t watch it any longer, or find a copy in New Zealand in the late 80’s.
I then happened to read The Dragon and the George by Gordon R. Dickson and realised part-way into the story, that the film must be based on the book (I had no idea). That sent me off reading the whole of the Dragon Knight series.
So, yes. I have strongly fond memories of this film. I did get hold of a copy in the last ten years and re-watched it and was sort of amazed to find that I still enjoyed it as an adult, even with a huge gap since watching it as a child.
Definitely one to hunt up if you’ve never seen it but liked The Hobbit and The Last Unicorn.
Chris
If it makes anyone feel better, upon finding this movie again, I set my 7 year old son down and ‘made’ him watch it. He has ADHD and has a terrible time sitting still. From the moment the title song began to play, he became enthralled, sat still for the entire movie, and has begged to watch it many times since. Nearly five years later, he still tells new kids he meets all about Flight of Dragons and still begs to watch it every couple of months. Just trying to do my part to keep it alive.
Thankfully, he’s the kind of kid who prefers Flight of Dragons, Captain N, The Legend of Zelda, Adventures of the Gummi Bears, and other 80s cartoons, than new cartoons or tnewer versions. When he wants to watch Transformers, I ask, “Old School, New School, or Live Action.” He nearly always responds with a grin: “Old School”. Raising this kid right.
I absolutely loved this movie as a child. I had my parents record it off a television broadcast using our VHS recorder, so the version I grew up with was replete with 80s commercial breaks. I’ve since bought the DVD from the Warner Classics line and shared it with my little ones.
I’ve probably rewatched this film more than any other, and I’ve been working out a tabletop RPG module using 5E D&D. Will always remember this film fondly and will rewatch it happily on a whim,
Please, criterion remaster!
My brother and I helped burn out our library’s copy of this.
I swear, for years I thought I was going crazy, because I had this on VHS (then lost it), couldn’t remember the name, and anyone I asked about it had never heard of it. I thought maybe it was something I dreamt up. Then, thanks to the magic of the internet, I’ve discovered that I wasn’t hallucinating and it does exist! I freaking love this movie, and keep meaning to buy it on DVD. One of the things that got me interested in fantasy as a young kid. I fully intend to make my niece and nephews watch it (yes, I plan on being THAT uncle)!
I loved this movie! Along with The Railway Dragon!
I’ve loved this movie since childhood. The dragons are rendered beautifully, the voice acting is fantastic (arguably the best voicework James Earl Jones has done, after Darth Vader) and the musical score (including the opening theme) is hauntingly perfect. And I still consider the climactic showdown between Peter Dickinson and Ommadon one of the best (and most dramatic) defenses of science, skepticism, and empiricism as a bulwark against the forces of ignorance and superstition.
It’s available as an on-demand DVD from Amazon if anyone wants to check it out.
@28 I dunno; it is hard to scientifically deny all magic when you are standing in a magic kingdom, that is sorta a failure of empirical observation there. I do agree that as a climatic confrontation though it is downright awesome. It is the sort of verbal smackdown you can imagine Patrick Stewart giving on TNG, that is how good it is. The two voice actors really do sell the clash of the two ideologies and charismatic orators.
I definitely remember this! I watched it with my younger sister. So much fun!
Now I need to buy a copy. Thanks for the reminder!
i have always loved this story. The book that came out about it has also been a favorite but the movie is the best. For years it was not available to buy, only in the last 5 or so years has it been made available again! I bought it as soon as it was released on DVD and showed it to my kids several times! I even have searched out some of the animation cells! I love Gorbash and the whole team!
Thanks for posting this! One of my all time favorites. I own 2 VHS copies (one recorded fromTV by my mother), a DVD, and a digital copy frome amazon. I recently shared this with my 5 year old and she loved it. Just recently found a copy of “The dragon and the George” which is one of the two books the movie is based on. I can’t wait to read it. Keep up the awesome work guys!
Oh, I was another one who played this until the video wore out; it was a library copy, and I’m not sure I ever let anyone else have a turn watching it, I rented it so often. Oddly, everything listed here sounds totally new to me, except for the one picture of Peter with the game board, and the theme song– snippets of which have stuck around for my whole life. I *do* remember being absolutely perplexed when I followed up on my obsession with the movie by taking the book out of the library, only to discover that the plot from the movie wasn’t there at all, it was just all about how dragons could fly/breathe fire/etc. (In retrospect, very cool, and gorgeously illustrated, but not exactly what ten-year-old me was looking for.)
A friend gave me the DVD recently, but I couldn’t play it. You’re making me think I should work harder to track down something compatible.
It’s funny, I just looked at the DVD on Amazon, and the characters on the cover barely look like they do in the actual movie. The cover also makes it seem much more lighthearted than it really is. I’m guessing whoever designed it has never actually seen the movie before!
Such a beloved movie. Getting the book is amusing too, as the movie is literally a prequel. For those who haven’t had the pleasure (it is out of print), the book is a pseudo-scientific treatise on, well, ‘The Flight of Dragons’. It takes a rational, reasoned approach to how such creatures could have existed, and acts at all times as though they truly did. It’s very similar to the ‘Gnomes’ book that’s also out there. Anyways, the movie is an epic quest, but the undercurrent is Peter learning all the stuff he then puts into the book (which the movie starts out with him seeking funds to author and publish).
Ohhh! I loved this movie so much as a child… and now I know why one of my roleplaying characters is named Orrin: his name was swimming around in my subconscious for when I needed him.
Sir Orrin”s speech is still one of the most beautiful “last stand” speeches I’ve ever heard or read. And the scientific smackdown Peter lays on Ommadon makes me want to yell “SCIENCE, BITCHES!”
I used to LOVE this movie as a kid, it was already 3 years old when I was born and I probably didn’t see it until I was six (and I’m pretty sure my parents recorded it from the TV onto a VHS or it might have been one of those we “forgot” to return to Blockbuster) it was always my favorite, right up there with The Hobbit and Faeries (another long forgotten film) I would love to find this on DVD somewhere.
I’ve since grown up to be a bit of a writer, and I occasionally find myself going back to some of the things I remember from this movie, even though I haven’t seen it in over 20 years.
I was also a kid who watched this over and over on a VHS taped from some ABC airing – at least I’m pretty sure it was ABC promos that my Dad didn’t quite cut out when he recorded it. I was born in 85, so it definitely had some TV showings in the 80’s. I bought one of the DVDs when it was finally made available because the original VHS disappeared at some point, and I no longer had a VCR. I wish it had a better DVD treatment, the WB archive seems to be the DVD equivalent of print on demand.
I blame Danielle and Melisande for my desire to have super long hair. The scene where they meet Danielle and she takes off her hat and her hair falls down was permanently imprinted on my young brain as my goal hair.
We had this on video when I was a kid, although my parents are too old to have seen it as kids, and it’s a decade older than me…
Count me in as having LOVED this movie as a kid! (I wonder if Mom still has the tape squirreled away in her attic…)
I still remember the theme song and the final showdown scene. Epic!
Man, I remember seeing this years and years ago but for the life of me I could not figure out what it was called. I’m going to go watch it again tonight (probably The Hobbit also)
I used to rent this from MovieTime way back….yes, I am that old. This and the animated Hobbit. Then would spend hours working on my own world (for D&D).
Would of loved to have got involved with this one after being contacted originally by Jesse but nothing came of it. I hope it attracts a new audience. Such a special film for so many unique reasons. Fingers crossed.
Hopefully I will add something of a similar vein in time. The world can always do with more enchantment.
This movie is really profound, actually. It’s almost as good as The Last Unicorn. When they released it on DVD, they must have figured they would sell more of them if they marketed it to four-year-olds, because the cover they designed for it is…well, look… it makes it look like a total Disney musical, not the trippy philosophical adventure and gothic horror show that it is. Those poor four-year-olds… I recommend this to anyone who enjoys works of real imagination…any fan of Tolkien or Star Wars, for example. By the way, the voice of Darth Vader is the voice of the evil wizard Ommadon, James Earl Jones himself. Ommadon’s speech to the other 3 wizards is awesome…terrifying and thought-provoking. I actually designed my own DVD jacket to slip into the cover and replace the cheesy one, because despite being 37, I continue to watch this movie, once a year or so. If you email me about this, I’ll send you the JPEG file of the cover I made, so you can print it out: mushroomhuntingcentral@gmail.com
Get this movie, especially if you remember it at all– you’ll be glad you did. It’s deep
I was glad to find this article, as I was looking up “Flight of Dragons” to see if there was any analysis of it… I was like you, I watched the film so many times that I lost count until the VCR that it was on got worn out, and still its a movie that will always reside in the deepest parts of my memory… I also watched Labyrinth countless times too. These were the movies of my childhood. It would be awesome to see a redone version of it as you were saying… Thanks for writing this.
ahhh! Thank you for this re-hash! I hope one day it will be re-mastered properly and put on dvd. I was born in 1983 and remember this well! My father loved it too! One can hope. Now that all of us 80’s babies have real jobs and money to spend on nostalgia……one can hope.
I must admit that I had never heard of this before. Maybe because I was a teen in the seventies so wouldn’t have come across this. It sort of comes from the same place as my own dragon tales – the idea that if a dragon can speak, then they have to be more than a thuggish brute or they would never have survived. They have to have a culture, a way of life and, of course, opinions!
In my stories, dragons represent the best of civilisation. They fly so do not recognise borders or nations and so don’t have wars. They do not understand the concept of a lie and do not have any fixed religions. They are fiercely egalitarian. I made them like this as it gave me a way of shining a contrasting light on the not-so-wonderful humans.
Mine dragons are at the A World Called Dirt website and if you like this old animation, I think you will get this lot. A slightly grown-up version for those who saw the old film back when young.
AWorldCalledDirt.com
There is also an article on dragons here.
Thanks for writing this article – nice to see some other good dragons around and dragon-lovers.
So I just finished rewatching this show! I was the same as you guys completely burning out the VHS along with the hobbit, the last unicorn, and return of the king. I love the music for all of them and the Gothic undertones. It brings more life to the story in my opinion. The darkness reminds me too of the black cauldron and the princess and the goblin. Where evil is dark and the villains didn’t run around singing cute little songs trying to curse you or put you to sleep they were really out to kill you. Ahhh gotta love the 80s.
I am sixty five and remember loving this movie right along with my children. I had it on beta, then on VHS. The flood of 2016 in Louisiana took both my
copies along with everything I had, including my video collection and my beta and VHS players. It will always be fondly remembered long with labyrinth, the last unicorn, and many others of that era. Definitely don’t make them like that anymore, to coin a phrase.
I’d probably have a problem with this, ‘the Dragon and the George’ is a favorite book of mine and the dissonance would get to me.
For anyone who might be interested, this just got a Blu-ray release.
I too was enthralled with this movie during my childhood, and still am to this day after reacquiring it on DVD! It truly was a thrilling story and would do well in a live action film, given the right producer, director and casting. I even believe that story has plenty of room for expansion on the plot line! Much the same as The Last Unicorn which has always remained one of my favorite films from my formative years. These vintage gems are ripe for the picking, and could re-introduce the wonder that I and many other felt to a whole new generation! So the question is; how do we make this happen?
Love this movie. My grandmother recorded it for my cousins and my brother and I inherited it. The theme song floats eerily though my head and I finally looked it up an rediscovered this part of my childhood. I sang the song to my brother and it was amazing to see the recognition flood across his face. An underrated classic for sure!
Great film, taped it off the telly when I was a kid and watched it over and over again. Can remember it word for word, even now more than three decades on! I’ve never left a post like this before but somehow felt compelled to do so – must be the magic. Plus one for a live action movie!
I have this on VHS and dvd I also have similar films like the last unicorn. I would love this to be made into a modern movie or a Netflix series. Brings back so many memories of my childhood and escaping into far off magical lands :)
I saw this as a kid and found the companion book at the library(not in novel form, but a colorful, kids book of this movie). I have always loved the RB hand drawn lost in time 80s toons!