Dragon Hunters (2008)

In a fairyland where everything seemed to float in the air, Lian-Chu saves a runaway girl (Zoe) from imminent danger and finds out from her uncle that a giant dragon is going to wake up and bring chaos and destruction to their world. He hires Lian-Chu to kill this dragon promising him and his friends a lot of gold. Together with Zoe, Gwizdo and their awkward dog, Lian, set out to accomplish his almost impossible task.It's a story which starts with a stupid idea and ends disappointingly. I mean, Lian-Chu is hired as a dragon hunter to save the world without any kind of test. Just because he had muscles and the stature of a warrior was enough for the great uncle to hire him. And his great plan? To kill a great an powerful dragon (from which his brave and noble nights didn't even return) while it was still asleep! Brilliant! Furthermore, Lian's friends are utterly useless all the way. The don't do anything to help him, just some "moral support" from time to time...Not to say that the way the all feared dragon was killed is simply stupid...why was it so scary if it had such a weakness? All knights were so stupid that they couldn't figure it out for themselves? The ending is so disappointing...no fame, no money, no recognition, no nothing. Saving the world for what? You get the idea, the whole plot is simply rubbish and the characters are mostly annoying managing to make the film boring most of the time. On the upside, I liked how it looked and how it was animated, making that world pleasant and enjoyable. It also had some nice action sequences which I liked. Overall it's an average movie, and that's a big word. If it wasn't for Lian-Chu's character and the animations, it would have been simply pointless.

This one had been languishing on my netflix queue for the longest time for reasons that I never could quite pin down. It's not Pixar. It's not Disney. It's not anime.And the story seemed so simple. A lot of people seemed to comment on that. Just the same, I didn't erase it from the queue.So finally, I clicked on it.Just the opening Graphics alone held me spellbound. A world of floating islands, drifting ruins, flying forests, castles high in the sky with darkling clouds below. . .and a dragon. A hero and his friend, a spunky Princess and. . .a very strange dog.The story is straightforward-- a standard Slay-the-dragon quest with the usual lessons about Responsibility, Friendship and Bravery. We've all seen it done many times. But this one has a soulful elegance to it.The big shouldered Hero warrior has simple lines, but the expressions on his face speak volumes about honesty and gravitas especially when he remembers his childhood.His friend Gwizdo is the perfect fulcrum of adult humor, sarcasm and Guilty Conscience. His laugh inducing lines were never out of place.And the Princess is just adorable.I loved this as an adult. And its simplicity speaks with wordless directness to children.To call the storyline 'simple' is unfair: Call it 'Uncluttered'. And the visual vistas are simply astounding in their detail and majesty.Whether you have Children or Not--Just Watch it.

I have been a big fan of animation for as long as I can remember. Dragon Hunters is not among the best I've seen, that said I have seen much worse. The film does have a lot of cuteness and charm particularly in the animation, characters and voice work. The story though is very simplistic and never really seems to rise above average, the characters do have personality but not development and the script has some fun and poignant moments but some of the comedic elements could've done with being more focused. However, the voice acting is solid across the board and the music compliments the film very well. The best asset is the animation, which is simply gorgeous, especially in the backgrounds where attention to detail is clearly evident and the colours are plentiful. One or two of the character designs are on the blocky side, but most are fine. In conclusion, nothing particularly special but it is cute and the visuals really make it work. 6.5/10 Bethany Cox

Many reviews of this film seem to weigh the mass of content and the quality of the animation.A better way to evaluate this movie is to consider the quality and purpose of the story elements and characterization, and the artistic vision and mood of the story and its environment.What is different about the story and characterization of this movie, is not that it tells a tale that is thoroughly unique and surprising, but is rather that a classic and simple quest tale is executed in what you could call an artistically minimalist fashion.Many animated films aimed at the family market are operating like a three-ring circus, containing a story for the children, veritably bulging with overripe characterization to distract us from the boring or poorly plotted story, and last, but certainly not least, containing a never-ending series of distractions for parents and adults who desperately do not want to be watching the film.The mass of all this material can give such a film a cluttered appearance, and the swarm of pop-culture references stuffed in the film as jokes are doubly anachronistic, not fitting with the content of the film, and serving as a subtle irritation by constituting either yet another reference to tabloid-not news, or if the film is old enough, being simply altogether out of date.Dragon Hunters is very different. You have to be able to appreciate a fairy tale; this film will not give you a variety show to go along with the fairy tale that you do not really want to see, but that story is beautifully and cleanly laid out.In many cases, when evaluating an animated film; the latest Pixar release for example, we marvel, or at least listen to other people marvel, at the quality and sophistication of the animation.What stands out about Dragon Hunters is not that film looks like it could only be made in a top-secret laboratory on the world's largest computer. This is not to say that the animation is backward either; the film is up-to-date, but what stands out about Dragon hunters is how well the tools of computer animation are used for artistic effect.The overall look of the picture for example, is very well done, providing plenty of detail, yet lending a somewhat dreamlike quality to the movie that is very appropriate to a fairy tale. Having done a good job, the filmmakers also take their achievement in stride, and do not hobble the production with scenes that only serve to celebrate their own achievement.Finally, I would note how this production stands out not so much in introducing a brand-new special effect, but rather in that the tools, the 'brushes' as it were, of computer animation, are wielded with verve and to artistic effect. All animated shows are affected by the fact that the characters in their world move in a particular way, which does not wholly conform to reality. In the Dragon Hunters, you feel more like you are watching a skilled marionettist, and less like you are seeing a great special effect that wasn't quite good enough.So to sum up, Dragon Hunters is a minimalist story, and is a great one as long as you are able to accept that choice. The animation is of good quality, but more importantly, is artistically done within the level of technology in use. Like the Disney film "Snow White" Dragon Hunters is likely to retain its value after technology permits more spectacular effects, unlike say "King Kong" which can only be appreciated if much is ignored. The result, is a classic and timeless movie.