Dragons are one of our favourite mythical creatures, right up there with unicorns and mermaids. They have appeared as ferocious creatures, adorable sidekicks, loyal guardians and more. Here’s a look some of our favourite movie dragons.
Toothless (How to Train Your Dragon series)
When the movie first hit the screens in 2010, we all fell in love with Toothless the Night Fury, the beloved companion to Hiccup (Jay Baruchel), son of the chieftain of the Viking village of Berk. While dragons were initially considered enemies to these Vikings, it was Toothless and Hiccup that turn things around. From being hunted, the dragons became trusty companions to the Vikings, who ride them into battles instead of hunting them down and killing them.
Toothless is a rare breed of dragon called the Night Fury. When un-antagonised, Toothless is this adorable midnight-hued dragon that looks like a giant cuddly soft toy. When provoked, its jaws come out and he turns into a fierce protector that you would not want to mess with.
In How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, Toothless finds a female mate, a rare all-white fury dragon, and is enamoured with her. One thing leads to another, and Toothless must find the secret Dragon Utopia before the infamous dragon hunter Grimmel finds it first!
Why We Love Toothless: Just look at his doleful eyes, how can anyone not love that?
Dragonheart
The story goes like this. Set in Medieval times, Draco is the mightiest dragon in the land. He is asked by Bowen (Dennis Quaid), a Knight of The Old Code to give a sliver of his mighty heart to Einon, son of Aislinn the Queen. Einon has been wounded and near death, and only the heart of a dragon can save him. Draco agrees on one condition- that when Einon comes of age to be King, he must rule the land with fairness and compassion. A young Einon agrees. However, years later, Einon grows to be a cruel king, and this angers Bowen, who thinks Draco might be the cause of Einon’s cruelty. He goes on a dragon killing spree to kill all dragons. When he encounters Draco again, the pair finds themselves working together to transform Einon.
Draco is the first fully-computer animated character to appear in movies alongside live-action actor. Voiced by Sean Connery, Draco looks formidable and life-like. Connery’s recording sessions were also filmed so that the filmmakers can adapt his facial expressions to create Draco.
Why We Love Draco: Connery’s voice makes the fearsome Draco a commanding and charming creature all at once.
Smaug (The Hobbit)
This is the dragon that will send shivers down your spine. Smaug is a character in J.R.R. Tolkien's 1937 novel The Hobbit, seen on the big screen in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. Described as “the greatest of the dragons of his day”, Smaug had heard about the great wealth of the dwarf kingdom Erebor and wanted them for himself.
He attacked the kingdom without warning and settled in the mountain, along with all the treasures. A group of 13 dwarves set off on a quest to reclaim their kingdom from Smaug, with help by the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen) and the Hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman). But to reclaim the mountain, the group has to outwit Smaug, who’s ahead of them every step of the way. If there’s a dragon that will scare the living daylights out of you, it has to be Smaug.
Why We Love Smaug: Strong, greedy and wicked, Smaug has the trifecta of a great villain, which he is. But he is also voiced by the charismatic Benedict Cumberbatch, so for that, Smaug is both intimidating and intriguing.
Dragon (Shrek)
Donkey (Eddie Murphy) and Dragon may be the oddest on-screen pairing of all time. You know how the story goes. Shrek (Mike Myers) is an ogre on a quest to rescue a princess (Cameron Diaz), which frees him to return to his swamp life. Except that it didn’t quite end that way. On his quest, he meets a donkey, and at the castle to save the princess, they meet a ferocious dragon guarding Princess Fiona.
Dragon, whose little referred-to name is Fergie, is disturbed by Donkey while sleeping on guard. Angered, she chases after Donkey, who tries his best to distract her. Upon knowing that Fergie is a female, he turns on his charms successfully. In the latter part of the series, Donkey and Dragon are married with little flying donkeys.
Why We Love Dragon: Most of the dragons in movies are males, to see Fergie the Dragon is a refreshing change, and the devotion she has for Donkey is adorable.
Falkor (The Neverending Story)
Falkor isn’t just a dragon, he’s a luck dragon! With a body of an oriental dragon and a face that resembles a dog, he is a trusty companion to Atreyu and Bastian on their journey to find a cure for the empress of Fantasia.
Based on a children’s fantasy, The Neverending Story tells of a young boy, Bastian, who discovers a book in an old bookstore and is drawn to it. As he reads the story, he’s actually unfolding the story. He gets sucked into the story, and finds himself alongside Atreyu, a young warrior on unearthing the reason behind this plague called The Nothing, which slowly turns the land into a state of cloudy darkness. The pair meets Falkor during their journey and the trio encounter and conquers obstacles along the way.
Why We Love Falkor: Well, how many luck dragons do you know?
Mushu (Mulan)
He’s the guardian angel that accompanies our heroine, Mulan on her daring move to join the army in her dad’s place, secretly.
A scrawny, tiny, red Chinese dragon with blue horns, Mushu (Eddie Murphy) provides Mulan (Ming-Na Wen) with not just companionship, but plenty of troubles and ill advice. But he’s also her much-trusted confidante and a shoulder to lie on. Mushu was actually once a guardian spirit of Mulan’s family, but was demoted to being an incense burner and gong-ringer for failing to protect a family member, who died as a result. That explains his over-enthusiasm in protecting Mulan, as he’s trying to redeem himself.
Why We Love Mushu: Why not? He’ll brighten up your day if you’re having the blues. And at the core of it all, Mushu has a great heart.
