SUNDAY SEVEN: DRAGONS IN FILM AND FICTION

Berk is back in a couple of weeks and with the new How to Train Your Dragon sequel Hiccup and Toothless will be back as well. Of course I thought this would be the perfect time to discuss my favorite dragons in film and fiction that aren’t the loveable little guy in the previously mentioned film. So I have to ask, what are yours?

Draco (Dragonheart) He’s got the voice of Sean Connery, he’s awesome looking, compassionate (he gave a piece of his heart away after all), and has a sense of humor. Despite having the reputation of being a killer and even though humans have hunted him, Draco isn’t a monster and he deservedly earns his place among the stars.

Falkor (The Neverending Story) I recently watched the Neverending Story as some of you have read from last week’s Sunday Seven and there were two things I wanted as a child when I watched this film: a luck dragon and the Empresses castle. And maybe a speed snail. Falkor is gorgeous to look at, loves to be scratched behind the ears, hates needles like I do, and lets you ride him and scare bullies into the dumpster. He is loyal, intelligent, helped save Fantasia, and is a luck dragon. I could always use more luck.

Smaug (The Hobbit) Smaug is a great dragon, kind of jerk, torches cities for giggles, a complete hoarder, and in the most recent cinema version voiced by Sherlock. Kind of a great little mix. I remember my dad reading the descriptions of Smaug, how he had spent so many centuries sleeping atop his treasure that it had become embedded into his flesh. Great picture. Of course even big bad dragons like the glorious Smaug have an Achilles heel…his is a small bare patch where a scale has come free. Thankfully Bard the Bowman shoots an arrow before the big bad can do any more damage. Still I love the big guy. He’s a great villain and how I pictured dragons for many years: sly, manipulative, and deadly.

Lockheed (X-men) Once Upon a Time Kitty Pryde aka Shadowcat told a little girl a story about an SR-71 Blackbird that was a Giant Black Dragon. Shortly after Kitty meets an adorable cat sized purple dragon that resembles the dragon in her story. He becomes her companion and they have been rarely parted since. As a Marvel fan and X-men fan I loved Lockheed. Who wouldn’t want a cat sized dragon to cuddle with?

Haku (Spirited Away) In Spirited Away Haku is a young boy (though something more) that tries to help Chihiro as much as he can. He often shows up as a dragon and Chihiro’s love for him breaks the curse he was under (along with cleverly feeding him a dumpling which makes him throw up a black seal). She realizes toward the end of the film that Haku is actually the spirit of the Kohaku River, a river she almost drowned in as a child, but was safely washed ashore. They vow to meet one another again. He was just pretty as most Eastern dragons are. Plus I love that movie.

Drogon, Viserion, and Rhaegel (A Song of Ice and Fire) Daenerys Targaryen’s dragon children will be the key to taking the Iron Throne. They each have their own personalities. My favorite is Viserion, the white dragon. He is described as being a creamy white with molten gold eyes. I also like him because of the three brothers, he is the nicest…for a dragon. When Dany has to chain him up he seems hurt considering he has been the calmest around her. As I am only on Season 3 of HBOs Game of Thrones, I cannot wait to see what he looks like all grown up.

Uncle Deadly (The Muppet Show) The Phantom of the Muppet Show, Uncle Deadly is part of my childhood. First introduced when Vincent Price hosted, he is blue, haunts the Muppet Stage on the days that the Phantom of the Opera has off. Whether he is a dragon or not (he certainly looks like one) he was quite memorable. Loved seeing him in The Muppets even if he was an evil henchman. He is a dragon after all.

Runners Up Include: Puff the Magic Dragon , Elliott (Petes Dragon), The Dragons from harry Potter, Albi the Racist Dragon (Flight of the Conchords) and Malificent (Sleeping Beauty).