FLIGHT OF DRAGONS
© Rankin-Bass
Flying Low
By: Nadia OxfordDate: Thursday, September 27, 2007
The late 1970s and early 1980s played host to an unusual time for animation. As Disney continued to dominate the field with their own (often sanitized) adaptations of old fairy tales, other directors and producers became restless and said, "Shucks, cartoons don't have to be just for kids." They looked around for examples and found them readily enough--in Japan.
Thanks to manga god Osamu Tezuka, anime and manga have a much wider adult fanbase than American cartoons and comics (though things are gradually changing for the better with the latter). And for a while, American cartoons got the same treatment. Films like Watership Down and The Plague Dogs were drawn painstakingly using a watercolour style that brought English meadows and misty hills to life. Don Bluth also took a stand for adults by defecting from Disney and producing The Secret of NIMH, a story about a stricken family of mice. Though not necessarily a raging bloodbath, the title didn't shy away from the use of blood and violence, nor did it cover up dark themes like animal testing.
Unfortunately, animation's growth spurt didn't last long. The films ultimately grossed little profit and cartoons went back to being Saturday morning kid's fare for a long time. Still, it's nice to look back at the works produced during this era, particularly the contributions by Rankin-Bass studios. Rankin-Bass is responsible for the animated versions of The Hobbit, The Last Unicorn and The Flight of Dragons.
People look back on these movies and remember how stylish the animation was. Those who grew up without embracing anime are usually surprised to learn that the animation for their old favourites was done in Japan. One little known fact about Rankin-Bass is that it commissioned animation from the Japanese Topcraft Studios. Topcraft Studios housed a lot of talent that eventually moved on to form Studio Ghibli, which is world famous today for films like Grave of the Fireflies, Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle.
That talent still glows in a lot of Topcraft's old films, though there are instances where nostalgia counts for a lot. The Last Unicorn is a brilliant adaptation of a brilliant book, but something feels lacking with Flight of Dragons.
It can be dangerous to come right out and admit to not feeling whimsical for old classics that have been worn down in everyone else's VCRs. Regardless, Flight of Dragons isn't the best animated movie the 80s had to offer, despite its Japanese origins.
Starting with the movie's merits, there are few instances where it talks down to its audience, there's no reliance on pop culture references to deliver humour and the animation is nicely done. The story deals with dragons, surprisingly, and a modern day man who is pulled into the World of Magic to help fight against an evil wizard who wishes the worst for mankind. What follows is a standard story of Good versus Evil, and maybe that's the problem.
Flight of Dragons doesn't directly adapt the book by Peter Dickinson. It's a very loose adaptation that takes a lot of liberties with the plot (and adapts another novel, "The Dragon and the George," at the same time). Stories about heroes fighting bad wizards are cool. Offering more than worn out typecasting for supporting wizards and princesses is cooler. Halfway through his quest, for example, the hero, Peter, is joined by a handful of demi-heroes. None of them receive any sort of development; they just tag along for the ride.
Compare those oatmeal-bland hangers-on to the animated heroes and heroines that were (or came to be) available in the same era: Mrs Bribsby, the shy mouse who gathered up her courage to fight for her children. Molly Grue, the homely woman with a warm heart. They vault way over Flight of Dragons' colour-coded, somewhat racially stereotyped wizard posse.
If the movie were released today, how well would its characters hold up? Would it be embraced as the revolutionary classic that a lot of people still take it for? Ah, maybe, but for one special reason: The evil wizard Ommadon, voiced by the legendary James Earl Jones.
Though he's pure, unbridled evil, Ommadon feels like he actually exists for a reason besides "keeping the balance" or whatever the standard rules for elemental wizards usually dictate. Flight of Dragons takes place at a delicate time when mankind is slowly turning away from magic and towards science. While the other wizards talk about creating a Realm of Magic to shield what little whimsy is left in the world (magic being the source of mankind's vital inspiration), Ommadon roars at his brothers and says he'd be more than happy to help mankind develop all he'd ever need with the help of his precious "science." Cue footage of a giant mushroom cloud. Awesome.
Ommadon is excess and desire; he's greed and pride. He must exist for humans to learn and grow, but if he remains unchecked, he will wreak havoc. The personification of mankind's sins can never be dull, no matter how often it's used. And his "showdown" with the hero Peter is definitely not typical of a cartoon movie.
More From Mania
Dragonlance: Dragons of Autumn Twilight
"Omega Flight #1" Sells Out!
(Wednesday, April 11, 2007)
The “Potterverse” Defined
(Tuesday, April 3, 2007)
There Be Dragons Here
(Thursday, December 28, 2006)
Flight of the Phoenix, The
(Tuesday, October 12, 2004)
WINGS OF TWILIGHT: THE ART OF MICHAEL KALUTA
(Monday, July 16, 2001)
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: Inside the F/X Lair, Part 1
(Thursday, November 30, 2000)
See more related content
