Taro, The Dragon Boy (1979)
Anime/Young Boy's Adventures
Likeable and charming Japanese anime for children about a young boy of hubris who sets out on a series of adventures
Dragons
The dragon is a creature from folklore. It is usually seen as large and reptilian in nature, able to fly and breathe fire. Dragons are frequently hostile to humans but can be tamed and ridden by a select few. Some depictions of dragons have them as intelligent and able to speak. In other versions, they desire to hoard treasure, while possessions of their teeth, blood or scales can offer magical boon.
Dragons have appeared in various works of fantasy and fairytale where they are fought by heroic adventurers and dragonslayers. The depiction of the dragon on screen goes back to at least the silent Siegfried (1924). There have been a number of animated examples but the live-action equivalent took flight with the CGI revolution of the 1990s. Following the boom in Epic Fantasy films in the 2000s onwards, there have been a number of fantasy works about and/or featuring dragons.
There is also the tradition of Chinese dragons, which are not reptilian or fire-breathing in nature but are more wisely creatures that often aid people in adventures.
Pete’s Dragon (1977)
Boy and Invisible Dragon/Disney Film
Disney live-action film about a boy and his dragon where the dragon is represented by animation
The Hobbit (1977)
Epic Fantasy Adventure/Animation
Generally overlooked animated adaptation of the J.R.R. Tolkien book made for tv by Rankin-Bass. This keeps to the text very faithfully – more so than Peter Jackson – and is only let down by some limited animation
Pufnstuf (1970)
Gonzo Children's Film/Magical Island
Mind-spinning film spinoff of the tv series H.R. Pufnstuf, this plays out like The Wizard of Oz on hallucinogens
Captain Sindbad (1963)
Arabian Nights Adventures
A cheaply made Arabian Nights fantasy adventure that came out seeking to copy ride the coattails of the success of Ray Harryhausen’s The 7th Voyage of Sinbad
The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm (1962)
Brothers Grimm Anthology/Biopic
Anthology of Brothers Grimm stories from George Pal where the brothers are wound in as characters. The film’s effectiveness is killed by Pal pitching everything down at a mawkish and simple-minded level
The Magic Sword (1962)
Heroic Fantasy Adventure
One of the better films from B-budget dircetor Bert I. Gordon, a fantasy adventure where Gordon produces some decent effects
Jack the Giant Killer (1962)
Heroic Fantasy Adventure
A blatant attempt to copy Ray Harryhausen’s The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, night down to employing the same lead actors and director, but this fails through shoddy stop-motion animated effects
Sleeping Beauty (1959)
Disney Animation/Fairy-Tale
One of the finest of all Disney animated films, an adaptation of the fairytale made with the full artistic resources that studio could bring to bear
Hercules (1958)
Greek Mythological Hero
The hugely successful film that started the Italian peplum cycle featuring muscle-builder heroes in togas. This is rather stolid and strips much of the fantasy out of the Greek legends, nevertheless has its own pulp spectacle
The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958)
Arabian Nights Adventures
One of the classic films from cult stop motion animator Ray Harryhausen, an Arabian Nights fantasy adventure where Harryhausen’s creations prove to be quite wondrous
The Reluctant Dragon (1941)
Live-Action/Part Animated Tour of Disney Studios
One of the more obscure films in the Disney catalogue. A part live-action, part animated dramatised tour of Disney Studios, showing how the studio runs and screening several animated short pieces
Siegfried (1924)
Epic Heroic Legend
The first of a two-part silent Fritz Lang film based on the Teutonic legend. Lang directs with an epic visual majesty that rivals today’s Lord of the Rings films