Dragons - Fire & Ice
Dragons: Fire and Iceis a visually and dramatically impressive animated adventure inspired by a line of Mega-Bloks toys, the same way that Mega-Bloks' rival Lego's Bionicle products yielded theBionicle: Mask of LightandBionicle 2: Legends of Metru Nuifeatures. By comparison,Dragonsmay be the superior entertainment, perhaps no less cluttered in its mythic storytelling than theBioniclefranchise but framed and paced far more like a handsome, live-action movie. Set in a time of legend, the film concerns a shattered truce between two warring kingdoms, Draigar and Norvagen, whose earlier peace was established through the wisdom of dragons. Each side blames the other for the disappearance of those winged creatures, though that tragedy was brought about by a manipulative ambassador. But it is Draigar's prince and Norvagen's princess, unbeknownst to them, who possess special powers granted by the Dragon King to heal the old rift. Above-average family viewing.--Tom Keogh