Flight Of Dragons Book

[Desmond Hutchins]

TheFlight of Dragons is a 1982 animated fantasy film produced and directed by Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin Jr. loosely combining the speculative natural history book of the same name (1979) by Peter Dickinson with the novel The Dragon and the George (1976) by Gordon R. Dickson.[1] It stars the voices of John Ritter, Victor Buono (in his final role before his death), James Gregory, James Earl Jones, and Harry Morgan. The film centers upon a quest undertaken to stop an evil wizard who plans to rule the world by dark magic. A major theme within the story is the question of whether science and magic can co-exist. This is told mostly through the experience of character Peter Dickinson, drawn from the 20th century into the magical realm.

Released direct to video in the United Kingdom on September 1983, it was aired as an ABC "Saturday Night Movie" on August 2, 1986,[2] and released by Warner Brothers as a made-to-order DVD in the US on 17 November 2009 as part of the "Warner Archive Collection".[3][4]

In an age of medieval fantasy populated by fantastic creatures, the Green Wizard Carolinus, who presides over nature, notices that magic is fading from the world as humanity embraces logic and science instead. Summoning his three magical brothers, he proposes combining their powers to create a "last realm of magic" hidden from the rest of the world. The Blue Wizard Solarius, who commands the heavens and seas, and the Golden Wizard Lo Tae Zhao, whose realm is light and air, agree to the proposal. However, the Red Wizard Ommadon, master of black magic and the forces of evil, resolves instead to infect mankind with fear and greed, causing humans to use their science to destroy themselves.

Since the wizards are forbidden to fight among themselves, Carolinus proposes sending a group of heroes on a quest to steal Ommadon's crown, which is the source of his power. The party includes the knight Sir Orrin Neville-Smythe and Carolinus' young dragon companion Gorbash. Solarius gives them an enchanted shield - The Shield of Saturn, which can deflect dark magic, and Lo Tae Zhao contributes a magic flute - The Flute of Olympus, which lulls dragons to sleep. Requiring a leader, Carolinus consults the magical force of Antiquity, which directs him to look 1,000 years into the future to find a man of science descended from a legendary hero. In late 20th century Boston Carolinus locates Peter Dickinson, a former scientist turned board game designer who is obsessed with dragons. Carolinus brings Peter back through time and enlists him in the quest, and Peter becomes enamored of Carolinus' ward, Princess Melisande. Ommadon sends his dragon Bryagh to capture Peter, and an accident with one of Carolinus' spells while rescuing him causes Peter to merge with Gorbash, Peter's mind taking over the dragon's body.

Knowing nothing about being a dragon, Peter is mentored by Carolinus' elder dragon companion, Smrgol. The dichotomy of magic and science is explored when Smrgol teaches Peter how dragons fly and breathe fire, abilities which Peter is able to explain with scientific principles. As the quest progresses, the heroes survive an attack by the monstrous Sandmurks and are joined by the talking wolf Aragh, the archer Danielle, and the elf Giles. As the party nears Ommadon's realm, Danielle and Sir Orrin are captured by an ogre. Peter is nearly killed attempting to rescue them but is saved by Smrgol, who defeats the ogre at the cost of his own life. In the Red Wizard's realm the party faces the Worm of Sligoff, which Peter destroys by igniting the sulfuric acid it excretes. Ommadon casts a spell to induce hopelessness in the group, which Peter repels using Solarius' shield. Ommadon next sends numerous dragons to kill the heroes, but Giles plays Lo Tae Zhao's enchanted flute, lulling them and Peter to sleep. Bryagh remains awake and kills Giles, Aragh, and Danielle. Sir Orrin slays Bryagh, but dies from his wounds.

When Ommadon appears on the battlefield, Peter manages to separate himself from Gorbash by recalling the principle of impenetrability. He is able to defeat Ommadon by countering the wizard's declarations of magic with explanations of science and logic, and denying the existence of magic. This destroys Ommadon, restores the other heroes to life, and allows the magical realm to take shape. Peter, having denied all magic, is separated forever from this realm, but not before awakening Melisande with a kiss and leaving her Ommadon's crown. Having fallen in love with Peter, Melisande begs Carolinus to allow her to join him. Back in 20th century Boston, Peter is selling the magic flute and shield to a pawnbroker when Melisande enters the shop carrying the crown, and the two embrace.

Colin Greenland reviewed The Flight of Dragons for Imagine magazine, and stated that "The Flight of Dragons is unsophisticated to say the least, but the Japanese animation includes some nice shimmering effects; and if, like Dickinson's, your best character is a dragon, then this is for you."[8]

Other reviews were less positive: "I'm sure fans of The Flight of Dragons, sick of looking at crappy downloads or worn VHS copies, will be satisfied with what's here, but if you didn't grow up with this one, it's best left alone."[9]

Various VHS editions of the film have been released since its debut in 1982. There was also a LaserDisc release from which some VHS copies were produced. The LaserDisc release was made by PolyGram Video in the United Kingdom, and there was also a Betamax release. In 1996, Warner Home Video released the film as part of the Warner Bros. Classic Tales VHS series, which was also available in Australia one year later. The Warner Archive Collection released the film on DVD on November 17, 2009. In December 2017, Warner Archive announced that they would be releasing the film on Blu-ray in 2018.[10] The Blu-ray was released on January 16, 2018. The Blu-ray has the film in widescreen and has the original 4x3 standard definition version as a special feature.

The original score was composed by Maury Laws. The film's theme song, also entitled "The Flight of Dragons", was written and composed by Jules Bass and Maury Laws, and performed by Don McLean. An official soundtrack was never released.

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?

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.

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.

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.

Watch out! Fierce, beautiful dragons circle this print, breathing fire of scarlet and gold. Your awesome kid will always be in control of these beasts, commanding them to fly - wings outspread - with every twirl of her skirt. With pockets for storing treasures and a deep red bodice, this dress is sure to be a favorite of your little dragon tamer.

Parents need to know that kids will see sword fighting, causing human casualties. They will also see dragons getting drunk, and, at one point, what appears to be the death of the entire human cast. On the other hand, the video's ongoing magic vs. science debate -- which includes some actual scientific explanations -- really gets kids thinking. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.

In this animated feature, a present-day man is sent back to ancient times to save the dying realms of magic from the Modern Era. In the end, both science and imagination come out winners. As mankind moves away from magic and toward science, the wizard Carolinus (voiced by Harry Morgan) finds his powers weakening, although he's surrounded by dragons, fairies, knights, and princesses. Carolinus's brother, the evil Red Wizard Ommadon (James Earl Jones), offers to help by destroying all of human civilization! To defeat Ommadon, Carolinus summons the one person able to bridge the worlds of science and magic: a 20th-century sci-fi writer named Peter Dickenson (John Ritter). Dickenson relishes his magical quest -- until a spell gone wrong leaves his mind trapped in the body of a friendly dragon named Gorbash.

3a8082e126