Dragons: Fire & Ice

I caught this movie on Cartoon Network one night 6 years ago, when I was 12 years old, and was hooked. I had always been a huge fan of dragons and could not take my eyes off the screen for 5 seconds, even through commercial breaks. Unfortunately I was called away to dinner just as the plot really picked up. I never got to see the movie to the end. So later I found it at blockbuster and purchased it instantly. That was money well spent.

Now, at 18 years old, I still enjoy this movie. The length is good enough to keep a child's attention and still serve the story with good pacing. The animation has a simple, unique 3D cell-shading style. The action scenes were very well animated, and not overly violent. All kids can enjoy a small dose of "Lord of the Rings" every now and then. Even though the whole animation looks a bit stiff sometimes it's not that important. I try not to let technical flaws like continuity or stiff motion gte in the way of the actual movie.

The acting is nothing Oscar-worthy. But at least its better than some other kids movies and TV shows out there with appalling acting (i.e. Care Bears, Nick Jr. shows...). There are some serious moments, but not that serious. There's is a good blend of comedy even during the action.

Mark Hildreth (Prince Dev) does a pretty good job of making a strong-hearted, yet impulsive, warrior with a smooth blend of some comic relief to brighten up the mood.

Chiara Zanni (Princess Kyra) is pretty much Mark's polar opposite. She has the same desires for peace but she has a more spicy attitude. Both their fathers do there parts well as the old "wise" veterans.

Mark Oliver (Xenos) plays the dragon ambassador between the two warring kingdoms. He does a good job at being a wise wizard of sorts while keeping certain secrets.

Some say the characters were predictable. Maybe the heroes but not the villain. Considering the audience, I don't think kids would pick up on the villain's hints of evil. As a kid when I say it for the first time I had no idea of the big plot twist in the middle. So for the sake of the plot, the acting is well served.

The concept of of two "rebellious teens" from warring factions seeking peace or unity has always intrigued me. The "Romeo and Juliet" style plot is always good to watch. It shows how people must stop looking at petty differences between cultures and unite together to defeat evil. Today that may never happen but I always keep hoping.

On the whole this is a good movie for kids, a very good movie for dragon fans, and a decent movie for everyone else.

Despite the cheap and stiff CG, slightly predictable characters and villains, this really wasn't all that bad. What really stuck out to me was the music, which made the whole thing seem rather epic. I liked the dragons quite a bit, and the thing about Fire, Wind, and Earth was pretty interesting, so overall it wasn't the worst way to spend an hour and a half. Better villains and less predictable heroes is really what this show needs, but seeing as the western world seems to concentrate so much on flashy graphics, maybe a nice dose of traditional animation would have made this one a little more bearable.

The CG isn't that bad either, in fact far better overall than most CG TV shows/kids movies, but unless you're prepared to spend quite a bit on making everything look as it should, please, stick with traditional animation methods.

A friend got this for me, so I wasn't sure what to expect, he just knows I like dragons. Actually, I thought this was pretty cool. The animation is a C/G, but its well planned. The music is awesome, really nice job, it reminded me of the old "Dungeons and Dragons" cartoon. The best thing though, to my surprise, this is based on a line of toys after all, was the story.

The thousand year war between the Draigar and Norvagen was a great, epic, starting point, straight out of the best anime. The characters of Kyra and Dev were well thought out and well voiced. The villain, Xenos, was terrific. The idea of the crystal and the elemental powers was cool.

This clocked in at about 74 minutes, but they put a great story to work and it was awesome. Well recommended for children, though I would rate this "PG" for violence. My only complaint would be that the film could have used a little more humor, that said, it was great.