The Flight of Dragons
Tags: good versus evil, cult, fantasy, magical realism

Plot synopsis:
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 Yellow 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 which can deflect dark magic, and Lo Tae Zhao contributes a magic flute 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 Sand Murks 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.

Review: What I got was a most profound experience.A land ruled by magic is brought to a perilous crossroads, and an evil wizard (voiced magnificently by James Earl Jones) seeks to bring about war and chaos.
The good wizard Carolinus (voiced by Harry Morgan) seeks help and finds a most unusual ally...a young fantasy game designer in 20th century North America.The diologue is intelligent, the action is well-paced, the plot is believable, and the ending will touch your heart.
That and the fact that you don't normally hear Larry Storch, Henry Morgan, John Ritter and Victor Buono doing voices for animated films..
I liked it, but as with many other obsessions of mine, I didn't grow to love this movie until years later.
I've seen quite only quite a few fantasy movies and only one involving a dragon.
This is a deep, mature animated movie, and the characters are well developed.
This is an excellent animated movie that is mature enough for adults, yet kids of all ages can enjoy it.
If you're into the mystical, fantasy escapism in films and if you love dragons and wizards then this is a definite must see.
I'm a complete dragon lover now and love nothing more than watching a film that drops you into a fantasy pool through narrative and colour.
Exciting animated fantasy movie.
Flight of dragons is perhaps one of the most unique animated pictures produced.
Kids will enjoy watching the dragons and creatures of fantasy while the adults will appreciate the deep story and philosophy portrayed in this film.
This is a great animated fantasy good for just about everyone.
Like a lot of people, I first saw this movie when I was about 5 and couldn't stop watching it.
A knight named Sir Orin Neville Smythe, Arak the wolf, Danielle of the woodlands, Smrgol the old dragon, Giles the Elf and soon its Lord of the Rings all over again.
The action and story is fantastic with the quest involving Sand Mirks (Horrid little creatures who attack by the million!) Giant Worms, More dragons and the ultimate Ogre of Gormley Keep.
It isn't often an adult will sit through a children's' film and enjoy what they see but I did.I still searched online for a DVD format so I could make a purchase but no dice.
An animated science-fiction movie that the whole family can probably enjoy.
Wizards, dragons, and ogres are just a few of the many creatures you can find in this movie.
Good story and characters team up with good animation to bring an excellent tale of a group of heroes joining forces to fight off an evil sorcerer in the world of magic.
John Ritter excels as the voice of Peter Dickenson, the modern day scientist who is transformed into a dragon and forced to go along on the journey.
A fantastic fantasy cartoon, as good as the book if not better, amazingly animated and voiced perfectly the film is entertaining and enchanting, the story has a Tolkien feel to it and very entertaining it is too I would recommend it to anyone who has ever had an imagination.It's a great story of dragons and magic and good versus evil!.
Beagle's The Last Unicorn then you will LOVE this movie.Spoiler!The basic plot is that this guy is transported to a land of magic.
It has a love story, and a brilliant ending which explains why there are no dragons or magic today...If anyone knows of a DVD copy please contact me!Nightingale_san.
Then a year later my Japanese friends brought over Flight of Dragons and they told me it was better than Princess Mononoke.
Crisp and clean animation flow through Flight of Dragons like a winding mountain river.
Jones has been in many great films but his voice sounded too much like Darth Vader and it was almost as though he was trying to show off which should not be done in an animated film.
This will remain my favorite animated movie of all time so I only have one thing to say- Miyazaki, look out because Jules Bass is headed for the silver screen!!.
I watched this film over and over again when I was a kid on and just watched it now maybe 20 years since I last saw it.
All sounds a bit profound I know but I think the value in this movie is really found when you watch it as an adult having seen it first when you were a child.
This animated film is a great story that I will never forget since I first saw it.
That means (bored yet?) that if you enjoyed it as a kid, it's nothing compared with the impressions that make on you when you're a grown-up.It's really an unique film combining fantasy, romance, adventure, and a great animation.
Also, it has a quite original script that you can't find in any Disney-like movie ( yet, I love Disney).
The characters present a duality (except for Omadon, who is, after all, an allegory of Evil itself) hard to see in cartoons, the dragons are the most beautiful creatures ever, the backgrounds are a piece of art by themselves, and the music is much more than a simply o.s.t. composed to follow the rhythm of the scenes.
I remember watching this film as a small child and being glued to the TV set each of the numerous times.
The story is wonderful, the characters are memorable, and now, twenty years later, I still find myself searching for the right keys to play the opening theme whenever I'm sitting by a piano.
Fun for children and adults of all ages, The Flight Of Dragons keeps you entertained without having a childish feel about it as many animated films do.
There's a great story with action sequences that are not overdone or take away from the plot, as well as a believable sense of fantasy, leaving the viewer hoping that such a world could possibly exist.
If you haven't seen it, get your copy right now and be among the many viewers who's lives have been touched by such an amazing animated classic..
I think I fell in love with the film because when I first watched it because I enjoyed the bittersweet ideas about magic and science.
The book it was based on was not a story but an essay with great artwork all about how dragons would have flown and lived, just like the book in the film.
Plenty of time for children to enjoy the various side trips, such as Smrgal teaching Gorbash how to make dragon fire, or the two dragons getting drunk in the cellar of an inn and singing "Oh Susannah." The many scene breaks look like the movie was designed for commercial interruptions, a la television.This is a niche film.
Also, much of the conversation has double entendre or a level of humour that will go right by younger children, as when Gorbash asks Smrgal if he would really eat dwarfs and Smrgal replies, "Oh no, they are all hairy and tough, not worth picking out of your teeth." My wife decidedly doesn't like this movie but I find it interesting enough in a curious way.
If you think this is a cartoon for kids, then your in for a surprise, its every part the adults fighting fantasy that every dungeons and dragons epic was.
I'm glad to say this timeless "flight of dragons" brings back animation and "art" to the level deserving of mass viewing.As with all stories, it must be believable and amazing at the same time, without being predictable.
But Flight of Dragons has lasted 30 years strong, and now my children watch it and everyone I introduced this animation to has passed it on too.
And no matter how many times I watch it, I am always captivated by the swooping musical score and the sincerity of the way Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin Jr want to transport you to their love of the books they have an obvious fanaticism to.
So, if you've been looking for this film on DVD, just go to Amazon and search for "the flight of dragons DVD", and buy it directly from Amazon (not from the marketplace).
The story was really amazing, the animation ahead of it's time, and the actors who provided the voices for the characters were outstanding.
A lot of us would buy and share it with a new generation, and so the Flight of Dragons story would live on....
Overall, the animation is classic in appearance, and the story is fresh, so this film is a highly good watch..
If you love dragons and wizards etc you'll like it.
A classic fantasy tale with dragons, wizards, magic and so on with James Earl Jones voicing the milicicious Oamadon with his booming voice, brilliant!.
The animation is its weak spot, but unless you are sensitive to that technical aspect, you will be absorbed in the well told story and the great characters.
The animation is quite different than Disney or Manga films but remains beautiful and full of style.
Deep inside I believe this movie has influenced a lot Peter Jackson lord of the rings filming.
In my opinion this is the best Dragons movies ever made, one of the best animated movies and one of the best fantasy movies also ever made.
If you are extremely looking for a lovely story, with musicals like a Disney movie type don't approach it, this is not your movie.
If you like fantasy, epic battles, dragons, quests, hobbits, dwarfs, magic, sci-fic ...
This movie is a lord of the ring//willow//never ending story// dragon slayer ...etc.
Concerned about the prospects of logic and magic existing side-by-side in harmony, a Medieval wizard summons the help of a twentieth century board gamer inventor who believes in dragons in this popular animated feature film.
The vast majority of the film though channels the adventure tale, which is significantly less interesting, especially as the characters keep droning on about science versus magic.
headache...',but when I saw this one, all I can say it is just beautiful, a story is great, so interesting and intelligent,and music is enchanting like the magic.
The story (about magic striving to survive in a world where science is increasingly able to do without it) is one that most people would be familiar with.
The animation looks generally lovely, a little flat in places, but that is the only criticism I have of this movie.
The voice talents were great, especially John Ritter and James Earl Jones(outstanding as Oamadon), the script is intelligent-Oamadon's big speech in the meeting between the four brothers is genuinely chilling- and the story is enchanting and surprisingly mature.
Please bring this movie back, because I was enchanted as a child, and this along with Last Unicorn has so much magic to make it memorable.
The choice of voice overs are definitely inspired, with gems from Victor Buono, Harry Morgan,John Ritter and the fabulous James Earl Jones.The animation is quite distinctly Japanese and very enchanting.It makes me think of all the great fantasy authors who write about true naming and knowing, whose stories reach us somewhere deep like Le Guin and L'Engle.
Why can't they animate movies like this anymore?
But you let them watch one 80's movie with the 80's style animation and they'll never want anything else.
I think the reason it might not have been re released yet is because the movie while using the science from Peter Dickenson's book takes most of the characters from George and yet George does not get any credit on the film.My theory is that due to him neither getting money nor credit for this work George does not want it re released until he has been fairly compensated for what is obviously his work.
I have read both books and in Flight of the Dragons I at no point notice the mention of a talking wolf nor a wizard named Carolinus.
My late fiancée introduced me to this movie shortly after we met, and until then I had never heard of it.It took me until halfway through the movie to adjust to the animation style, compared to the other animated movies I had seen, which had mostly been Disney animated, however it is on my list of regularly watched movies now.The story is heartwarming, a true fantasy tale of someone who has to choose between his two loves in life, with epic battles and dragons, trolls, and evil wizards trying to destroy the world.Nothing makes a better movie, I only wish film makers nowadays could get it right.
For years I could never remember what the name of this movie was, all I knew was the basic plot summary and that I loved it SO much!
Although I was not born when 'The Flight of Dragons' was first released, I saw it in the late eighties at the tender age of four - it opened my mind to things which I could only dream about.
The animation was superb, the characters magnificent and brave, and the plot beyond believe (but in a good way).
watch The Flight of Dragons!.
As far as movies good for children go, Flight of Dragons takes the cake.
As for wholesome goodness in children's movies, the Flight of Dragons is insuperable.
I'm a adult and still love the power and genuineness of the story that is The Flight of Dragons.
I remember watching it when I was a kid and I loved it.
Its a fun, fully developed fantasy story with the awesome detailed animation seen in other Rankin Bass animated films such as The Hobbit and The Last Unicorn.
The plot involves a young man from our world who enters a magical realm and after temporarily turning into a dragon embarks on a quest along with a few heroic companions to confront the evil Lord Ommadon (James Earl Jones at his deepest and most menacing) who threatens the kingdom with his control over the dragons.
(me & my friends like this one)The movie was done excellently for its time.
I first watched this film with my (then) young children who were enthralled by this tale of good and bad, fiction and fantasy.
Supported by their respective dragons they interact with human characters, sent into the animation, who become embroiled in this magical tale.I was overjoyed to watch it again recently on TV, and found it to be just as good as I'd remembered it.
The story telling of this film is very clear, and obviously intended for kids with a great imagination.
I remember watching it when I was young, it is a truly emotional story with some great characters.I haven't seen it in years but it has stayed with me and deserves at leat 8/10 from me just for that.
A wonderful explanation of dragons, and the confrontation of magic/fantasy and science/logic.
But I think you have to be a fantasy/dragon lover to really enjoy it on all levels..
Not necessarily for kids, more mature than many live action movies I've seen....
The story is about the inherent conflict between logic/technology and magic/nature, a theme often addressed in anime (Princess Mononoke, Blue Seed).
The analysis is used to good effect in much of the dialogue of the film's bookish and bespectacled hero, Peter Dickenson-with-an-E, who inadvertently annoys the people of the Land of Magic (including several dragons) with cheerful comments such as "this is exactly how a 747 does it!" It's a little melancholy at the end, but great fun otherwise..
The animation is excellent, though the actual flight of dragons looks more like dragon-shaped balloons, but one of the characters has a tic in his eye, consistent throughout the film.
I'm yet another of the "seen this when I was a kid", around the same time that Fox's animated "Dungeons & Dragons" was on TV.
The animation is superb as is the vocal talent on offer: James Earl (Darth Vader) Jones as the evil sorcerer and Harry (MASH) Morgan as the good wizard.
as a child i saw this movie and loved it.
I only watched "Flight of Dragons" already being in adult.
And indeed, in the same year as "The Last Unicorn" "Flight of Dragons" was produced.
"Flight of Dragons" fascinated me from the beginning, just by having a wonderful theme song (again like "The Last Unicorn" does).
This story and movie has heart for certain and therefore should be a must watch for friends of the genre..
Touching Fantasy Movie about the Conflict between Science and Myth.
Unlike other Rankin and Bass animated movies--The Hobbit and The Last Unicorn--this film isn't based on a single work.
I remember watching this film as a child, and I was captivated by the gorgeous Eastern artistic style of the dragons and the explanations of how their physiology worked.
Rewatching it as an adult, it still mostly works, and the style is still beautiful and imaginative.The start of the film is pretty strong, and introduces the 'Four Magic Brothers' each of whom rides his own dragon.
More logical-minded kids will love it, and adults will enjoy the animation style..
The question raised by the movie, that of magic vs science may be a little stale, but the way it presents the question is enchanting.
Thats just me though I guess.ANyway I fully recommend this film to anyone, who loves fantasy..
In these days of CGI and DTV, where technology is emulating magic and magic is something you read of in a book, Flight Of Dragons is one of those films that makes it worthwhile to look back at old cel-animation...Through the eyes of Peter, played by the late John Ritter, We are taken to a world which could really exist...
Where real old magic is on it's last legs, and the last of the great wizards wish to take it somewhere to exist for the rest of time.