From live-action to animated movies, dragons have been one of the most enduring creatures in the cinematic universe, particularly for the fantasy genre. Among the most popular dragon movie of the decade is without a doubt DreamWorks' 2010 animated hit, "How To Train Your Dragon". Five years later, the beloved animated franchise makes it anticipated comeback with the sequel, "How To Train Your Dragon 2". This time, the film centres on Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel) and his pet dragon Toothless who get themselves caught in the middle of a battle when they discover a secret ice cave, which is actually home to hundreds of new wild dragons and the mysterious Dragon Rider. In conjunction with the release, we have listed our "5 Top Dragons In Cinema" that have entertained viewers everywhere throughout the decades:
If you were born in the '80s, you must have come across "The Neverending Story" at some point as a kid. One of the most beloved children's fantasy movies in the 1980s, "The Neverending Story" was a charming and visually delightful adventure. Among the chief success of the movie was the iconic creature design of Falkor. While Falkor hardly resembled a traditional dragon, this serpent-like white creature was cool enough to deserve a place as one of the top cinematic dragons in our list. Speaking of the word "cool", Falkor had this particular special ability for often being at the right place at the right time (hence his name as "luck dragon")!
An unusual blend of buddy comedy and lighthearted fantasy drama, "Dragonheart" was an entertaining cinematic experience, thanks to the winning duo of Dennis Quaid and Sean Connery. But it was the groundbreaking special effects work of Draco the dragon as well as Sean Connery's charismatic and distinctive voice acting that stole the show.
One of the best animated movies of the 2000s, "Shrek" was a fun and witty entertainment that cleverly parodied some of the classic fairy-tale storybooks such as "Pinocchio", "Robin Hood" and "The Gingerbread Man". Among the most beloved characters in "Shrek" was Dragon, who first appeared as a guard to prevent intruders from entering Princess Fiona's (voiced by Cameron Diaz) castle. But it was the bumbling Donkey (voiced by Eddie Murphy) who managed to smooth-talk his way and even managed to tame the once-fearsome Dragon until they became an unlikely couple.
The big screen adaptation of Christopher Paolini's acclaimed novel on "Eragon" may have been badly received by the critics and even tanked at the box office, but the near-photogenic visual creation of Saphira the dragon was undeniably well crafted to meticulous detail, together with its convincing moves and expressive look. The climactic air battle between Eragon (Ed Speleers) and Saphira against Durza (Robert Carlyle) and his black magic-created dragon was particularly the movie's action-packed highlight.
One of the most memorable appearances in "The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug" was the enormous fire-breathing dragon of Smaug. The computer-generated creation of Smaug was a technical marvel in special effects, but it was the chilling voice acting of Benedict Cumberbatch that made his Smaug character an effective scene-stealer.
"How To Train Your Dragon 2" opens in cinemas nationwide on 12 June.