Dragons in live action movies and TV series
by guisreis | created - 16 Mar 2015 | updated - 10 Jun 2020 | PublicVisual ranking of the portrayed dragons (not of the films themselves)
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1. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010)
PG | 113 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
Lucy and Edmund Pevensie return to Narnia with their cousin Eustace where they meet up with Prince Caspian for a trip across the sea aboard the royal ship The Dawn Treader. Along the way they encounter dragons, dwarves, merfolk, and a band of lost warriors before reaching the edge of the world.
Director: Michael Apted | Stars: Ben Barnes, Skandar Keynes, Georgie Henley, Will Poulter
Votes: 166,334 | Gross: $104.39M
The best dragon!
2. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
PG-13 | 161 min | Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
The dwarves, along with Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf the Grey, continue their quest to reclaim Erebor, their homeland, from Smaug. Bilbo Baggins is in possession of a mysterious and magical ring.
Director: Peter Jackson | Stars: Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Ken Stott
Votes: 705,030 | Gross: $258.37M
Quite frightening dragon.
3. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)
PG-13 | 144 min | Adventure, Fantasy
Bilbo and company are forced to engage in a war against an array of combatants and keep the Lonely Mountain from falling into the hands of a rising darkness.
Director: Peter Jackson | Stars: Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Cate Blanchett
Votes: 571,567 | Gross: $255.12M
This is a dragon attack!
4. Game of Thrones (2011–2019)
TV-MA | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Nine noble families fight for control over the lands of Westeros, while an ancient enemy returns after being dormant for millennia.
Stars: Emilia Clarke, Peter Dinklage, Kit Harington, Lena Headey
Votes: 2,282,909
5. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)
PG-13 | 130 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
Harry, Ron, and Hermione search for Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes in their effort to destroy the Dark Lord as the final battle rages on at Hogwarts.
Director: David Yates | Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Michael Gambon
Votes: 948,087 | Gross: $381.01M
6. DragonHeart (1996)
PG-13 | 103 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
The last dragon and a disillusioned dragonslaying Knight must cooperate to stop an evil King, who was given partial immortality.
Director: Rob Cohen | Stars: Dennis Quaid, Sean Connery, Dina Meyer, Pete Postlethwaite
Votes: 101,753 | Gross: $51.37M
7. Dragonslayer (1981)
PG | 109 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
A young wizarding apprentice is sent to kill a dragon which has been devouring girls from a nearby kingdom.
Director: Matthew Robbins | Stars: Peter MacNicol, Caitlin Clarke, Ralph Richardson, John Hallam
Votes: 19,941 | Gross: $14.11M
8. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)
PG | 152 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
An orphaned boy enrolls in a school of wizardry, where he learns the truth about himself, his family and the terrible evil that haunts the magical world.
Director: Chris Columbus | Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Richard Harris
Votes: 855,732 | Gross: $317.58M
9. Sucker Punch (2011)
PG-13 | 110 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
A young girl institutionalized by her abusive stepfather retreats to an alternative reality as a coping strategy and envisions a plan to help her escape.
Director: Zack Snyder | Stars: Emily Browning, Vanessa Hudgens, Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone
Votes: 252,699 | Gross: $36.39M
A bad film with a quite nice dragon.
10. Maleficent (2014)
PG | 97 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A vengeful fairy is driven to curse an infant princess, only to discover that the child could be the one person who can restore peace to their troubled land.
Director: Robert Stromberg | Stars: Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Sharlto Copley, Lesley Manville
Votes: 400,117 | Gross: $241.41M
Fear the dragon because she will breath fire.
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
PG-13 | 157 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
Harry Potter finds himself competing in a hazardous tournament between rival schools of magic, but he is distracted by recurring nightmares.
Director: Mike Newell | Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Eric Sykes
Votes: 681,270 | Gross: $290.01M
12. The Monkey King: Havoc in Heaven's Palace (2014)
Not Rated | 90 min | Action, Adventure, Family
A monkey born from heavenly stone acquires supernatural powers and must battle the armies of both gods and demons to find his place in the heavens.
Director: Soi Cheang | Stars: Donnie Yen, Chow Yun-Fat, Aaron Kwok, Yitian Hai
Votes: 5,368 | Gross: $0.71M
13. Jason and the Argonauts (1963)
G | 104 min | Action, Adventure, Family
The legendary Greek hero leads a team of intrepid adventurers in a perilous quest for the legendary Golden Fleece.
Director: Don Chaffey | Stars: Todd Armstrong, Nancy Kovack, Gary Raymond, Laurence Naismith
Votes: 31,029 | Gross: $4.58M
14. The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010)
PG | 109 min | Action, Adventure, Family
A protege of the magician Merlin must train his teacher's successor - an introverted but resourceful physics prodigy - in the art of sorcery to prevent the return of Morgana le Fay.
Director: Jon Turteltaub | Stars: Nicolas Cage, Jay Baruchel, Alfred Molina, Teresa Palmer
Votes: 169,967 | Gross: $63.15M
15. Eragon (2006)
PG | 104 min | Action, Adventure, Family
In his homeland of Alagaesia, a farm boy happens upon a dragon's egg -- a discovery that leads him on a predestined journey where he realizes he's the one person who can defend his home against an evil king.
Director: Stefen Fangmeier | Stars: Ed Speleers, Sienna Guillory, Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich
Votes: 130,462 | Gross: $75.03M
16. Reign of Fire (2002)
PG-13 | 101 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
A brood of fire-breathing dragons emerges from the earth and begins setting everything ablaze, establishing dominance over the planet.
Director: Rob Bowman | Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Christian Bale, Izabella Scorupco, Gerard Butler
Votes: 145,410 | Gross: $43.06M
17. Willow (1988)
PG | 126 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A young farmer is chosen to undertake a perilous journey in order to protect a special baby from an evil queen.
Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley, Warwick Davis, Jean Marsh
Votes: 129,818 | Gross: $57.27M
18. Merlin (2008–2012)
TV-PG | 45 min | Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
These are the brand new adventures of Merlin, the legendary sorcerer as a young man, when he was just a servant to young Prince Arthur on the royal court of Camelot, who has soon become his best friend, and turned Arthur into a great king and a legend.
Stars: John Hurt, Colin Morgan, Bradley James, Richard Wilson
Votes: 87,211
I have not watched this series, but I suppose that this dragon is much better than its already good visual, as he is portrayed by great actor John Hurt.
19. The Monkey King 2 (2016)
Not Rated | 119 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
When a travelling monk is stranded in a wasteland, The Monkey King must escort him across the land to retrieve sacred scriptures and protect him from an evil demon.
Director: Soi Cheang | Stars: Aaron Kwok, Gong Li, Shaofeng Feng, Shenyang Xiao
Votes: 3,461 | Gross: $0.71M
The dragon is worse in this sequel than in previous Monkey King's film, but the movie is better.
20. 47 Ronin (2013)
PG-13 | 128 min | Action, Drama, Fantasy
A band of samurai sets out to avenge the death and dishonor of their master at the hands of a ruthless shogun.
Director: Carl Rinsch | Stars: Keanu Reeves, Hiroyuki Sanada, Kô Shibasaki, Tadanobu Asano
Votes: 171,049 | Gross: $38.36M
Short scene, but nice dragon!
21. Pokémon: Detective Pikachu (2019)
PG | 104 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
In a world where people collect Pokémon to do battle, a boy comes across an intelligent talking Pikachu who seeks to be a detective.
Director: Rob Letterman | Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Justice Smith, Kathryn Newton, Bill Nighy
Votes: 182,507 | Gross: $144.11M
A pokémon.
22. The Last Airbender (2010)
PG | 103 min | Action, Adventure, Family
Aang, a young successor to a long line of Avatars, must master all four elements and stop the Fire Nation from enslaving the Water Tribes and the Earth Kingdom.
Director: M. Night Shyamalan | Stars: Noah Ringer, Nicola Peltz Beckham, Jackson Rathbone, Dev Patel
Votes: 174,839 | Gross: $131.56M
23. The Last Dragonslayer (2016 TV Movie)
101 min | Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy
In a fantasy world where magic is being superseded by technology, an orphaned teen discovers her destiny to become a dragonslayer.
Director: Jamie Magnus Stone | Stars: Adeel Akhtar, Matt Berry, Danielle Bjelic, John Bradley
Votes: 1,546
24. Enchanted (2007)
PG | 107 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
A young maiden in a land called Andalasia, who is prepared to be wed, is sent away to New York City by an evil Queen, where she falls in love with a lawyer.
Director: Kevin Lima | Stars: Amy Adams, Susan Sarandon, James Marsden, Patrick Dempsey
Votes: 217,259 | Gross: $127.81M
25. The NeverEnding Story (1984)
PG | 102 min | Adventure, Drama, Family
A troubled boy dives into a wondrous fantasy world through the pages of a mysterious book.
Director: Wolfgang Petersen | Stars: Noah Hathaway, Barret Oliver, Tami Stronach, Gerald McRaney
Votes: 156,878 | Gross: $20.16M
26. Beowulf (2007)
PG-13 | 115 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
The warrior Beowulf must fight and defeat the monster Grendel, who is terrorizing Denmark, then Grendel's Mother, who begins killing out of revenge.
Director: Robert Zemeckis | Stars: Ray Winstone, Crispin Glover, Angelina Jolie, Robin Wright
Votes: 174,124 | Gross: $82.16M
27. Fire & Ice (2008 TV Movie)
84 min | Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Ruled by King Augustin, Carpia is a peaceful kingdom in a world inhabited by dragons and knights. The land's serenity is unexpectedly shattered by a Fire Dragon that spreads almighty fear and death amongst the kingdom's innocent people.
Director: Pitof | Stars: Amy Acker, Tom Wisdom, John Rhys-Davies, Arnold Vosloo
Votes: 2,711
28. The Dragon Pearl (2011)
PG | 93 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
Josh and Ling were expecting a boring vacation visiting each of their parents at an archaeological dig in China. But the new friends soon discover they're right in the middle of an adventure when they find a Chinese Golden Dragon.
Director: Mario Andreacchio | Stars: Sam Neill, Louis Corbett, Li Lin Jin, Ji Wang
Votes: 995
29. Seventh Son (I) (2014)
PG-13 | 102 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
When Mother Malkin, the queen of evil witches, escapes the pit she was imprisoned in by professional monster hunter Spook decades ago and kills his apprentice, he recruits young Tom, the seventh son of the seventh son, to help him.
Director: Sergei Bodrov | Stars: Ben Barnes, Julianne Moore, Jeff Bridges, Alicia Vikander
Votes: 80,461 | Gross: $17.22M
A witch.
30. Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016)
PG | 113 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
Alice is appointed to save her beloved Mad Hatter from deadly grief by travelling back to the past, but this means fatally harming Time himself, the noble clockwork man with the device needed to save the Hatter's family from the Red Queen.
Director: James Bobin | Stars: Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway
Votes: 122,155 | Gross: $77.04M
Jabberwocky is an unconvincing dragon in this uninspired sequel.
31. The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm (1962)
G | 135 min | Adventure, Biography, Comedy
The story of Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm, and three of their stories.
Directors: Henry Levin, George Pal | Stars: Laurence Harvey, Claire Bloom, Karlheinz Böhm, Walter Slezak
Votes: 2,158 | Gross: $14.17M
A nice stop-motion attempt in a live action film, as there was not enough technology for building a convincing dragon. You can see a picture of the dragon's legs, a poster with a drawing of the dragon's head and a link of the trailer showing the beast: https://youtu.be/HNHjy2ks8EI
32. Jabberwock (2011 TV Movie)
R | 83 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
A brave knight returns to his homeland to find a powerful dragon terrorizing his village. After many unsuccessful attempts to defeat the monster, he makes a sword which has magical powers that should do the trick.
Director: Steven R. Monroe | Stars: Tahmoh Penikett, Kacey Clarke, Raffaello Degruttola, Michael Worth
Votes: 695
What an ugly dragon!
33. Mythica: The Darkspore (2015)
Not Rated | 107 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Marek and her company must go on a journey and prevent Szorlok from obtaining all the shards of the Darkspore, or all will be lost.
Director: Anne K. Black | Stars: Melanie Stone, Adam Johnson, Jake Stormoen, Nicola Posener
Votes: 3,870
34. Avengers Grimm: Time Wars (2018 Video)
Not Rated | 88 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
When Rumpelstiltskin tries to take over Earth once and for all, The Avengers Grimm must track him down through time in order to defeat him.
Director: Maximilian Elfeldt | Stars: Lauren Parkinson, Elizabeth Eileen, Marah Fairclough, Christina Licciardi
Votes: 627
35. The Witch (1906)
Not Rated | 12 min | Short, Fantasy
A penniless troubadour consults the Fairy Carabosse about his future but offends her by paying with a bag of sand.
Director: Georges Méliès | Star: Georges Méliès
Votes: 761
Perhaps the very first dragon ever in a live action film. See the monster, among other beasts, in this frame picture here.
36. Shrek (2001)
PG | 90 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
A mean lord exiles fairytale creatures to the swamp of a grumpy ogre, who must go on a quest and rescue a princess for the lord in order to get his land back.
Directors: Andrew Adamson, Vicky Jenson | Stars: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, John Lithgow
Votes: 733,855 | Gross: $267.67M
Special mention: not live action.
37. Sleeping Beauty (1959)
G | 75 min | Animation, Adventure, Family
After being snubbed by the royal family, a malevolent fairy places a curse on a princess which only a prince can break, along with the help of three good fairies.
Directors: Les Clark, Clyde Geronimi, Eric Larson, Wolfgang Reitherman, Hamilton Luske | Stars: Mary Costa, Bill Shirley, Eleanor Audley, Verna Felton
Votes: 160,827 | Gross: $51.60M
Special mention: not live action.
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