One of the most anticipated series right now is the upcoming HBO Original, House of the Dragon. Now please don’t ask why. Of course, it’s because of the dragons. The prequel of the said series, Game of Thrones gave us some pretty great dragon moments. So, now when we’ll be talking about the House Targaryen whose rise and fall was very much based on dragons, their presence is inevitable.
If you are one of those who are left spellbound by the mighty creatures, here’s a list of what you can watch:
Raya and the Last Dragon
Directed by: Don Hall and Carlos Lopez Estrada
Cast: Kelly Marie Tran, Awkwafina, Izaac Wang, Gemma Chan, Daniel Dae Kim, Benedict Wong, and Sandra Oh
Where to watch: Disney+
Who said dragons can’t be adorable, clumsy, can’t make friends, and definitely can’t save the world? Not us. Because they can be extremely cute, a lot as clumsy as us, and would love hanging out. Saving the world? It can easily be added to their Monday’s to-do list. If not for all, at least for our beloved Sisu.
Sisu, the last surviving dragon of the land of Kumandra, gets revived by the warrior princess Raya when the land gets infected by a plague again, which turns anyone in its vicinity into stone. Where Raya was expecting Sisu to be all serious, ‘godly’, poised, and ready to battle, she came out to be the exact opposite. As per her own words, she is that member of a group project who doesn’t pitch in a lot but ends up with the same grade like everyone else.
However, her faith in trusting each other, being at each other’s back, and entering ‘full-on dragon mode’ when her friends get threatened, is very much evident in the trailer itself. So, if you are one of those who root for friendship, teamwork, adventure, and a lot of fun, do give this one a shot.
How to Train Your Dragon
Directed by: Chris Sanders, Dean Deblois
Cast: Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, T.J. Miller, and Kristen Wiig
Where to watch: Amazon Prime
Each time animators try working with a dragon, they automatically come out to be adorable, just like Toothless in How to Train Your Dragon. Set in the time of vikings, it tells the tale of a village that gets attacked by dragons who take their livestock and cause damage of property and sometimes life.
When a problem arises, people start looking for both long and short-term solutions. In this case, one of which was opening a training school for kids where they learn how to fight a dragon. Hiccup, the son of the tribe chief, joined the school, too, whereas he was far more interested in mechanics and kept creating some or the other machines and tools.
But what will happen when a boy who keeps averting from any kind of violence finds himself face to face with an actual dragon?
Godzilla: King of the Monsters
Directed by: Michael Dougherty
Cast: Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga, Millie Bobby Brown, Bradley Whitford, Sally Hawkins, Charles Dance, Thomas Middleditch, Aisha Hinds
Where to watch: HBO Max
Now let’s talk about some actual scary dragons with killer instincts. In Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Dr. Emma Russell awakens King Ghidorah after learning the existence of the Titans. Kind Ghidorah isn’t a regular dragon but a far scarier one with three heads, two tails and a set of massive wings.
He takes it upon himself to wake other dormant titans around the world and wreck havoc and damages which seem to be irreparable. There comes Godzilla. One entity that can actually take down King Ghidorah and save what’s left of humankind.
Spirited Away
Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki
Cast: Rumi Hiiragi, Miyu Irino, Mari Natsuki, Takeshi Naito, Yasuko Sawaguchi, Tsunehiko Kamijō, Takehiko Ono, and Bunta Sugawara
Where to watch: Netflix, HBO Max
The winner of the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature at the 75th Academy Awards, Spirited Away is a film that everyone needs to watch, no kidding. The storyline, the characters, the development, and the lessons one can learn from it all of it is just overwhelming.
Though the film isn’t absolutely based on the dragon storyline, our protagonist Chihiro founds herself a well-wisher in Haku, the enslaved spirit of the Kohaku river who can metamorphose into the powerful beast. With the cool color tone of its body, the eyes, which seems to be more deep and mysterious than anything, a chilling yet royal vibe it gives out, the dragon steals the show each time he takes up the screen space.
Wish Dragon
Directed by: Chris Appelhans
Cast: Jimmy Wong, John Cho, Constance Wu, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Jimmy O. Yang, Aaron Yoo, Will Yun Lee, and Ronny Chieng
Where to watch: Netflix
All of us have some idea about the story of Aladdin and the magic lamp from which a genie emerges and fulfills Aladdin’s wishes. But what if the story gets twisted, and instead of the genie of the lamp, it’s the dragon of the teapot? That’s the story of the Wish Dragon.
Din is a college student in Shanghai who works part-time as well. One day, he was given a teapot by an elderly man from which a dragon emerged and, just like the genie, is bound to fulfil the wishes of the the teapot’s owner. The dragon’s name is Long, and along with him, Din sets out on a venture to look for his childhood best friend, Li Na.
Pete’s Dragon
Directed by: David Lowery
Cast: Bryce Dallas Howard, Oakes Fegley, Wes Bentley, Karl Urban, Oona Laurence, and Robert Redford
Where to watch: Netflix
The story follows a five-year-old boy, Pete, who went on a road trip but suffered an accident and lost his parents. Though he survived the attack, he went deeper into the forest when a pack of wolves chased him. However, he got saved by a yellow-eyed and blue-bodied dragon, who Pete later names Elliot.
The film explores multiple aspects but mainly the friendship of the duo and how they have each other’s back in the worst of times.