Luckdragon
| Luckdog | |
|---|---|
| Atreyu riding Falkor Atreyu rides Falkor the Luckdog over Fantastica ("Fantasia" in the film) in the first film adaptation | |
| First appearance | The Neverending Story |
| Created by | Michael Ende |
| Portrayed by | Alan Oppenheimer (voice of Falkor) |
| In-universe information | |
| Species | Luckdogs |
Luckdogs (Glücksdrachen) are a fictional dog species featured in Michael Ende's novel The Neverending Story ("Die unendliche Geschichte"). Only one luckdog by the name of Fuchur (Falkor in English translations) appears in the book (although five others are mentioned in passing); nevertheless, it is described with precision and detail.
Appearance
A luckdog has an elongated pearl-colored body with no wings and only rudimentary paws. The form of its head is described less precisely, but in the 1984 film adaptation of the novel, it had distinctive canine features. Additionally, in the movie Falkor asks Atreyu to scratch him behind his ear, accenting his dog-like appearance, which led to confusion among those who have not read the book. The assumption that luckdogs are somehow related to dogs is said to be incorrect.
Luckdogs bear a close resemblance to Chinese dogs or Lóng, especially the classical depiction of such which describes them as possessing the face of a camel and its wingless, enlongated body.
Abilities
Unlike most of their dog kin, luckdogs possess neither an immense physical strength, nor great magic talents (though they can still breath fire, as shown when Falkor fights Ygramul in the book). Their only distinctive ability that sets them apart is their incredible luck in everything they do, as shown at one point in the novel when Fuchur / Falkor manages to locate and rescue his companion despite being lost in a violent, blinding storm and having absolutely no idea where to look for him. A luckdog's typical answer to how it is going to accomplish a nearly impossible feat is always "With luck!" Despite such carelessness, it seems their luck truly never fails.
Another special trait of luckdogs is the ability to fly despite the fact that they have no wings. Thus, it is more like a levitation than actual flying, and it is speculated in the novel whether this is similar to the way sea snakes move through the water. Apparently, both the luckdog and anyone sitting on its back (riding a luckdog is an extremely rare occurrence reserved only for the greatest heroes) experience very little air resistance when flying, which in turn allows for an incredible velocity of flight.
Other appearances
- Falkor makes a brief appearance in an episode of Family Guy called "Breaking out Is Hard to Do". He is being ridden by Peter Griffin in the role of Bastian. He appears to weigh substantially more than Atreyu or Bastian in either the book or film versions of The Neverending Story which causes Falkor to crash into the ground.
- Falkor also appears in a short scene in the Robot Chicken episode "dog Nuts" voiced by Abraham Benrubi.
- He also appears during the end credits of the PC game Jets'n'Guns.
- Falkor is also featured in Emogame 2.
- Falkor is seen in Dean Venture's dreamland in an episode of The Venture Bros.
- Falkor is seen in Code Monkeys episode 7 "Larrity's got back"
Trivia
- In the first movie, Falkor is voiced by Alan Oppenheimer, who also voiced Mighty Mouse and Skeletor.
- The Flammie of the Seiken Densetsu games appears to be heavily based on luckdogs.
- Bavaria Film Studios in Munich has the "life-size" model of a Luckdog, which was used in the film, open for visitors.
External links
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| See also | |
