dndowling Review of The Flight of Dragons

The Flight of Dragons (1982 Video)

Flight of Dragons gets credit for risk, but its conclusion isn't rewarding.

[7/10 · 9 February 2020]

I always believe in giving a movie credit when it takes risks and FOD takes risks. It's a fantasy film that uses a fish out of water, unlikely hero's journey and integrates science into a genre that is known for doing it's darn best to make you forget about things like the laws of physics. FOD dares to try and explain the workings of a world that is changing. This idea works in the beginning when the hero is turned into a dragon and teaches the other characters how dragons fly and breath fire through science and explanations of logic as opposed to magic. The characters themselves work well together and the incomparable James Earl Jones shines as the evil overlord, Ommadon. There are themes of honor, loyalty, and acceptance. The animation is charming, in true Rankin/Bass Production style. The music is memorable and fits well. I suppose the only fault is its conclusion. The film is structured around a world that is moving from magic into science, from creatures into man. It would have been nice to see man and reason overcome magic and creatures actually using science and reason. Instead it falls into a trap that another film, 1994's The Pagemaster fell into. The Pagemaster tried to get kids into reading, but instead of exploring the source material or why reading is importnat, it just name dropped. FOD does likewise. Whereas the protagonist could have built a weapon using science, or rallied his friends around a trap of technology to defeat the evil magic, the protagonist simply recites professions and formulas. He literally just screams them. That's how evil is defeated. A bizarre and unfulfilling end that brought down an otherwise interesting and sincerely done film. The only other downside is the updated Warner Brothers Classics Collection cover art, which suffers the same fate as many Don Bluth creations (most notably, Secret of Nimh) that attempted to Disney-fy the animation in order to better appeal to small children. The cover art is now more colorful, cartoony, and the eyes are made bigger with added, overbearing smiles. It's terrible, but Flight of Dragons is worth the watch.