Chasseurs de dragons

I really liked the art style and concept in the movie. But as far as the story goes, it's not very engaging. It lacks the polish that the visuals have. The character art reminds me of the game "Mark of Kri". And the floating lands in which the story takes place is breathtaking.

But the story is just too simple. They try to build it up by making the characters fight bigger dragons each time, but this only works if the fight choreography was actually good or if the characters' dragon fighting skill improves over time, but neither of it was the case.

They tried to make it about character development at times but it was too brief and shallow to have any impact.

Then there's the case of the relationships between the characters. There just isn't enough back story to get the viewer into them. But the little girl's character, Zoe, was too cute not to like. Without her character, the movie wild been much worse.

So overall, the art and the Zoe character was reason enough to see this movie. Kids might not mind the simplistic story, because they are young and haven't watched enough movies to see it as a cliché.

FIRST: Let us FOCUS on the Title´s Content and Context

...2,000 Characters??? Not nearly enough to do this film justice. In a perfect world, all CGI animated movies would be of this caliber. Also, we wouldn't be limited to only 2K characters to discuss a cinematic marvel. I'll call this a Pre(re)view of my complete review (More info later)

1st, to clarify: The real title is "Chasseurs de Dragon". Don't confuse this with another 2008 release, "Dragon Hunter". Name any specific area for evaluating or critiquing a CGI film and "Hunters" is flawlessly top-notch. Every frame is, quite literally, a work of art! Immediately after viewing my NF copy, I ran out & bought my own. In areas such as creative/artistic design and rendering, conceptualization, technical precision and execution, music soundtrack, and sound engineering "Dragon Hunters" sets a new CGI standard, & should serve as the yardstick by which all future CGI endeavors are measured.

In fact, at times, remarkably, I felt it was too good! The unparalleled meticulous detail was almost distracting at times. One example: The nerdy little side-kick/manager character had faint acne scars on his face! Can you believe that? After experiencing this surreal French production I'm prompted to issue this warning: Pixar & Dreamworks, you'd best stand up and take notice!

"Dragon Hunters" from an artistic viewpoint, has great highbrow appeal. If Salvador Dali had dreams at age 10, I'm sure they were reminiscent of "Hunters". Yet, there is something in "Hunters" for everyone. The acting, by the way, was delightful. Forrest Whitaker gave a firm but nuanced performance!...6******

ENJOY! / DISFRUTELA!

Wow, how I absolutely love this film. I've seen it a few times and every time I pick up on something new, or simply admire the completely unique animation. I love the characters and it has a great story, too. This is funny, action-packed and adventurous.

This is unlike any other animated film, and wonderfully imaginative. The sheep are simply adorable! The film also sends out a strong message about loyalty, trust and friendship. Love it!

Have you heard the story about the reluctant heroes who were hired by a King to slay a dragon? Oh, you have? Was it set in a world entirely composed of small islands floating above clouds, and did the heroes have to make dangerous leaps from one island to the next on their journey? Did water flow upwards and remnants of great cities levitate on the horizon? I didn't think so.

I stumbled onto this movie by accident and I'm really glad that I did! It's one of the most beautiful movies I've ever seen. Much like the Pixar movies, it's a piece of computer animated art that could only be possible in today's world. The animators have invested thought into almost everything that appears on the screen, and this attention to detail is staggering (the scene where the mushrooms in the foreground belch green smoke whilst the characters walk obliviously in the background is one of my favourites). The monsters are also fully realised and wonderful to watch in action.

Although the plot may not be entirely unique, the movie has enough charm to make sure you keep watching. Our protagonists are likable and interesting, ensuring the audience is behind their almost impossible quest to reach the end of the world and destroy the dragon which might otherwise devour everything in its path. Of course, Hector is the character most will fall in love with. A small blue creature with a crazy grin and a tendency to speak a mixture of nonsense and English, Hector provides comedy relief in a way Jar Jar Binks could only dream of.

In summary, I'd recommend watching The Dragon Hunters if you get the opportunity. Watch it for the incredible animation, the breath-taking battle scenes and for a glimpse into a world that's unlike anything else you've seen on a cinema or television screen. At the very least, it's a fun way to spend an hour and a half - no matter if you're nine or twenty-nine (which, in fact, I am)!

My first impression would be this is Beowulf only with all the good bits of fighting Grendel and dragons intact, making it one thrill ride from start to end. Written by Frederic Lanoir and Arthur Qwak, the two of them had created a fantastical landscape that becomes a character in itself within their story, with its ever changing environment made up of small spheres of land floating around, which can either be wastelands, or globes of greenery.

The story's a simple one, which tells of a land which is cowering in the expectation of a mighty dragon's unwanted visit to plunder and destroy, and the resident knights have all but been annihilated. Enter the king's granddaughter Zoe (Marie Drion) who gathers Lian-Chu (Vincent Lindon), a huge brute with immense strength but truly a gentle giant, and his partner-in-arms Gwizdo (Patrick Timsit), who balances the partnership with his cunning brain. Lian-Chu and Gwizdo (together with their pet creature which too proudly spews incipient fires) share a common dream of owning a farm land and spending idyllic days tending to their farm animals in retirement, but in order to do that comes the requirement of being financially free, hence their career in monster-extermination which doesn't exactly pay off.

That's basically the whole gist of it, but what makes this film a spectacle, is its CG graphics, which is solidly rich, detailed, and an eye-popping marvel to behold. It has some wonderfully crafted set action pieces that were painstakingly designed to draw you into the thick of the action,, and during those fight sequences, there's nary a boring moment. Photo-realistic moments of non-existent landscapes make you put aside the fantasy of make-belief, and it's easy to be in awe of the landscape which goes beyond the usual three-suns and a kaleidoscope of flying thingamajigs (here's having at you George!) And I couldn't get enough of the finale battle as well, though the usual brick-bats will find some fault at the indestructibility of the principle characters.

I guess this film had opened my eyes that there are many more computer-animated companies out there around the world that have quality in their product to match that of Pixar's. And this is definitely a movie that the local filmmakers of Zodiac: The Race Begins and Legend of the Sea can learn from – to keep the story effectively simple, and let your moving artwork do all the talking. Definitely highly recommended!