The Flight of Dragons
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| The Flight of Dragons | |
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 Video cover |
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| Directed by | Jules Bass Arthur Rankin, Jr. Fumihiko Takayama Katsuhisa Yamada |
| Produced by | Rankin/Bass |
| Written by | Romeo Muller (Screenplay) Peter Dickinson (Novel) Gordon R. Dickson (Novel) |
| Starring | John Ritter Bob McFadden Don Messick James Earl Jones |
| Music by | Maury Laws Don McLean |
| Distributed by | ABC Warner Bros. |
| Release date(s) | 1982 Video Release (UK) August 3, 1986 (USA) |
| Running time | 92 min. |
| Language | English |
The Flight of Dragons is a 1982 animated movie produced by Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin, Jr. and very loosely based on the speculative natural history book of the same name (1979) by Peter Dickinson and the novel The Dragon and the George (1976) by Gordon R. Dickson. Released direct to video, it was finally aired as an ABC 'Movie of the Week' in 1986. Opening theme sung by Don McLean.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
Peter Dickenson (John Ritter) is a poor, dreaming scientist/inventor who is transported into the failing world of magic. He meets three wizards, two dragons, and the beautiful Princess Melisande (Alexandra Stoddart), who is a Wizard's foster-daughter.
The green wizard Carolinus (Harry Morgan) summons his magic brothers to a meeting, their first in four centuries. Mounted on his house-dragon, Gorbash (voiced initially by Cosie Costa), Carolinus travels to the Temple of All Antiquity, and there meets his three magic brothers: the golden wizard Lo Tae Zhao (Don Messick), the blue wizard Solarius, and the red wizard Ommadon (James Earl Jones), accompanied by their dragons Shen Tsu, Lunarian, and Bryagh, respectively. He then proceeds to explain that the world of magic is dying. To save it, they must join together to create the 'Last Realm of Magic', a protected place where magic will live on after humans stop believing in it. Ommadon refuses to aid his brothers, and vows to dominate humanity by infesting humans with greed, in an attempt to stop magic's death by force. The only way to stop him is to take his Red Crown, the source of his dark magic. 20th century Peter, being descended from an ancient hero, is asked to begin a quest for this purpose.
Before the journey begins, a magical mishap leaves Peter in the body of the house-dragon Gorbash (voiced by Cosie Costa when not voiced by Ritter-as-Peter). Knowing nothing about being a dragon or about magic, Peter travels with two other companions, a knight called Sir Orrin Neville-Smythe (Bob McFadden) and the dragon Smrgol (James Gregory). During the journey, it is Smrgol who teaches Peter the details of being a dragon.
At their campsite, Ommadon sends rodent-like creatures called sandmirks to attack the party with their insanity-inducing cries. The blue wizard Solarius offers the dead wolf Aragh (Victor Buono) his life back in return for the death of the sandmirk queen. He agrees to join the quest. Princess Melisande is put into a deep sleep by the cries while using her magical abilities to see the party. The group presses on, and they are attacked by Giles of the Treetops (voiced by Don Messick) and his elves because they are mistakenly suspicious of the dragons. The archer Danielle (Nellie Bellflower) saves the group because she recognizes Sir Orrin. Learning the truth, Giles and Danielle join the travelers.
They rest at an inn; but in the night, an enormous ogre attacks, destroying the inn, murdering the innkeeper, and kidnapping some of the party. Peter and Smrgol must rescue Sir Orrin and Danielle from the ogre's castle. During the fight, Peter is overwhelmed, so that Smrgol must intervene. In so doing, the older dragon kills the ogre and himself dies.
The survivors move on to Ommadon's Red Realm and defeat the gigantic Worm of Sligoff. They use magic gifts, a shield and a flute, to defeat Ommadon's spell of despair and to put a flight of dragons to sleep (including Peter occupying the body of Gorbash). The magic flute does not defeat Ommadon's dragon Bryagh (James Gregory), who kills Danielle, Aragh, and Giles. Sir Orrin slays Bryagh with his sword while being burned alive by dragon fire. Ommadon magically appears claiming victory. Peter reappears when he realizes that two things cannot exist in the same place at the same time. He uses his scientific knowledge to deny all magic; in a dramatic conclusion, Peter alphabetically lists as many branches of science as possible, and Ommadon, whose teachings and power are based on superstition and the ignorance of others, tries to match Peter's list with his own list of foul creatures (harpies, witches, demons, etc.) but cannot withstand Peter's onslaught of science.
The death of Ommadon allows the party to return to life. Carolinus arrives, along with the remaining two magic brothers, and succeeds in creating the 'Last Realm of Magic' but sadly concludes that Peter is gone from the magic's reach. Princess Melisande awakens from her slumber and informs them Peter appeared, gave her a kiss, and woke her. She asks to join him in 20th century Boston, and Carolinus reluctantly agrees.
Peter returns to his own time, sells the shield given to him by Solarius, and meets Melisande again who is selling Ommadon's crown. They embrace in the shop as Carolinus, riding Gorbash, flies away over the city waving farewell.
[edit] Production
The voice actors for Solarius and Antiquity were not credited. Antiquity was voiced by Paul Frees, but it is not known who supplied Solarius' voice.
[edit] Crew
| Producers | Arthur Rankin Jr., Jules Bass |
| Associate producers | Masaki Iizuka, Lee Dannacher |
| Screenplay by | Romeo Muller |
| Based on The Flight of Dragons by | Peter Dickinson |
| Additional story material from The Dragon and the George by | Gordon R. Dickson |
| Design by | Wayne Anderson |
| Original score by | Maury Laws |
| Title song by | Jules Bass, Maury Laws |
| Title song performed by | Don McLean |
| Additional material written by | Jeffrey Walker |
| Animation coordinator | Toru Hara |
| Storyboard and Animation directors | Katsuhisa Yamada, Fumihiko Takayama |
[edit] Distribution
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,there was also a Betamax release. A DVD was released under the Warner Archive brand on the 17th of November, 2009.
[edit] Soundtrack
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.
