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Welcome to Webmaster Templates
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Dragon
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A dragon is a mythological creature,
typically depicted as a large and powerful
serpent or other reptile, with magical
or spiritual qualities.
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Dragon Videos
Videos and movies that star dragons.
Pete's Dragon
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Pete's Dragon
Disney loved to mix live action with animation (Mary Poppins, Bedknobs and Broomsticks), but this 1977 effort falls on its face. The turn-of-the-century story concerns an orphaned boy whose only friend is a cartoon monster. While the latter is entertainingly rendered, the rest of the film strains to be enchanting and the cast overreaches in a big way. Not for anybody over the age of ten. --Tom Keogh
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Pete's Dragon (Restored Edition)
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Pete's Dragon (Restored Edition)
This story of a winsome orphan and his guardian dragon features an Academy Award-nominated score and song, Helen Reddy's "Candle on the Water." The combination of a live-action story with an animated figure was innovative in 1977, and the green dragon with pink wings will still charm youngsters today. However, its plot has the boy running from a nasty family to whom he's been sold into slavery, as well as an evil magician who tries to steal the dragon for his parts. These dark story lines may scare or bore younger children, who only want to see Elliot the dragon belch fire and give Pete rides on his back. And older children who might appreciate the plot may scoff at the relatively crude animation. This leaves a rather narrow audience window of about ages 3 to 7. A cast of veterans includes Shelley Winters, Mickey Rooney, and Red Buttons, who all turn in the hammiest of performances. Acting newcomer Reddy demonstrates both why her acting career never took off and why her singing career did. (Lines like "You're a bunch of superstitious ding-dongs" don't give her much help.) However, her sometimes awkward performance as the lonely lighthouse keeper who gives the boy a home provides the film with its heart. Bottom line: it's a keeper for diehard Disney fans, dragon lovers, and those who remember this movie fondly from their childhood. --Kimberly Heinrichs
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Dragon Tales - Let's All Share
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Dragon Tales - Let's All Share
From the makers of Sesame Street comes a trio of animated cartoons that creatively impart life lessons to the preschool set through fantasy stories and catchy music. Each 12-minute tale, based on the popular television series, transports Emmy and her brother, Max, to Dragon Land. There a community of dragons (who come in all the colors of bubble gum) helps them tackle common sibling conundrums. Today's lesson on sharing is a difficult one for oversized Ord, a lovable dragon who learns that being selfish results in a one-way ticket to loneliness. Kiki, the baby of the dragon clan, gives her friends an opportunity to share their sleepy-time talents when her naptime routine is disrupted. And when Cassie, the pretty-in-pink dragon, meets a talking crayon, she discovers that holding on tight to possessions takes all the fun out of owning them. Couched in sunny humor, Dragon Tales forgoes preaching but offers messages that empower kids to become problem solvers. Best of all, following each episode is a 60-second song to reinforce the theme while inspiring a few wiggles. --Lynn Gibson
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Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
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Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Hong Kong wuxia films, or martial arts fantasies, traditionally squeeze poor acting, slapstick humor, and silly story lines between elaborate fight scenes in which characters can literally fly. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon has no shortage of breathtaking battles, but it also has the dramatic soul of a Greek tragedy and the sweep of an epic romance. This is the work of director Ang Lee, who fell in love with movies while watching wuxia films as a youngster and made Crouching Tiger as a tribute to the form. To elevate the genre above its B-movie roots and broaden its appeal, Lee did two important things. First, he assembled an all-star lineup of talent, joining the famous Asian actors Chow Yun-fat and Michelle Yeoh with the striking, charismatic newcomer Zhang Ziyi. Behind the scenes, Lee called upon cinematographer Peter Pau (The Killer, The Bride with White Hair) and legendary fight choreographer Yuen Wo-ping, best known outside Asia for his work on The Matrix. Second, in adapting the story from a Chinese pulp-fiction novel written by Wang Du Lu, Lee focused not on the pursuit of a legendary sword known as "The Green Destiny," but instead on the struggles of his female leads against social obligation. In his hands, the requisite fight scenes become another means of expressing the individual spirits of his characters and their conflicts with society and each other. The filming required an immense effort from all involved. Chow and Yeoh had to learn to speak Mandarin, which Lee insisted on using instead of Cantonese to achieve a more classic, lyrical feel. The astonishing battles between Jen (Zhang) and Yu Shu Lien (Yeoh) on the rooftops and Jen and Li Mu Bai (Chow) atop the branches of bamboo trees required weeks of excruciating wire and harness work (which in turn required meticulous "digital wire removal"). But the result is a seamless blend of action, romance, and social commentary in a populist film that, like its young star Zhang, soars with balletic grace and dignity. --Eugene Wei
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Dragon Tales - Let's Play Together
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Dragon Tales - Let's Play Together
The "Roller Coaster Dragon" has come to Dragonland, and Emmy, Max, and their dragon friends can't wait for a ride. When they're forced to wait in line for an agonizing 10 minutes, Wheezie's impatience is almost unbearable. Can the group help Wheezie learn to wait patiently? Max's anger is out of control in "The Fury Is Out on This One"--it's so hard being young and outmatched in every Dragonland game. In his rage, Max accidentally releases a fury, a little monster that feeds on anger and can only be kept in control by taming one's temper. Quetzal, Emmy, and Zak offer helpful suggestions on anger management, but only Max can put them into practice. "Quetzal's Magic Pop-Up Book" opens the gateway to a world where imagination magically becomes reality. Emmy, Max, and the dragons are enthusiastic participants, but the group soon finds that its impetuous imaginings lead straight to chaos. A little plot planning and turn taking results in a more ordered story that satisfies everyone. Two fun dragon tunes separate the three episodes: "Pretend" stresses the strength of imagination and pretending, and "Zoo" encourages lots of active animal impersonations. What a great way to teach kids ages 3 to 7 about imagination, patience, anger management, and cooperation. --Tami Horiuchi
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Dragon Tales - Let's Start a Band
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Dragon Tales - Let's Start a Band
"Let's Start a Band" is not a regular episode of Dragon Tales. Instead, it is a conglomeration of Dragon Tales music videos thematically woven together by a story featuring real-life children. When Sam and Jennifer move to a new home, their babysitter introduces them to the neighborhood kids. Thanks to a common love of Dragon Tales and the universal appeal of music, the group is soon hard at work creating their own improvisational band and becoming great friends in the process. Imagine the kids' surprise when the whole Dragon Tales gang joins them in a musical finale. Real-life musicians Dan Zanes and Erykah Badu make brief appearances and 15 Dragon Tales music videos (including "Doodli-Do" and "Clap") are featured in their animated entirety. The DVD includes English subtitles and five sing-along songs with on-screen lyrics, but no Spanish audio or subtitles. (Ages 2-6) --Tami Horiuchi
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