The Year of the Dragon is upon us. While China and Taiwan have formally used the more widespread Gregorian calendar for over a century, the traditional lunisolar calendar is still important in terms of culture and astrology. Typically referred to as the Lunar or Chinese New Year (although it’s celebrated in several Asian countries, including Korea and Vietnam), it kicks off on Saturday, Feb. 10 this year, with Chinese celebrations concluding with the Lantern Festival on the 24th. Each year is represented by the transition from one animal to the next, with 12 in total, and an overlapping run of five elements. 2024 is, therefore, not just the Dragon year, but it’s also a year of wood; one is associated with power and ambition, the other harmony and balance.
In celebration of this momentous, and hopefully not horrible, new lunar year, we’ll take a look at dragons in film. Though often associated with China and East Asia, dragons come in a variety of international flavors and alignments, being formidable allies and/or fearful enemies. Like the new year itself, approach with care.
Falkor in The NeverEnding Story (1984)
A classic of ’80s fantasy and childhood trauma (RIP Artax), The NeverEnding Story brought to life the Glücksdrache (Luck Dragon) Falkor, introduced in German author Michael Ende’s 1979 novel. On the page and onscreen, bullied 10-year-old Bastian Bux is led to the titular novel, which transports him to the world of Fantasia and places him in the role of warrior Atreyu, tasked with finding a cure for the wasting illness of The Childlike Empress and saving the land from “The Nothing.” In the sometimes-astonishing, sometimes-terrifying world, dragon Falkor is a consistently hopeful presence. Lacking a dragon’s typical fearfulness (he looks something like an elongated Great Pyrenees, and enjoys nothing more than a scritch behind the ears), Falkor is possessed of tremendous good fortune, but also a jovial sense of humor and a positive attitude. He’s performed by the great Alan Oppenheimer (perhaps best known for voicing Skeletor, among many others), and you could do a lot worse than to have him as an ally and companion.
Where to stream: Hoopla
The Great Protector in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
A stand-out in Marvel’s increasingly spotty slate over the past couple of years, Shang-Chi finds “Shaun” working as a parking valet, scrupulously dodging his past as heir to the criminal empire known as The Ten Rings. Naturally, his past catches up with him as he’s lead to the mystical realm of Tan Lo, in danger of attack from Shang-Chi’s mostly evil father, and the soul-consuming demon, the Dweller-in-Darkness. Rising from the water to aid them, at the climax, is The Great Protector, who gifts him with some of her power.
Where to stream: Disney+
Sisu in Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)
In the same year she was playing a dragon-adjacent sidekick in Shang-Chi, Awkwafina was voicing Sisu, the titular last dragon, in this animated stunner from Disney. Set in the land of Kumandra, Raya tells of a world where dragons and humans once lived as allies, before dark forces lead the dragons to sacrifice themselves, with last survivor Sisu concentrating her power into a gem that could protect the people. Over time, that gem became the subject of a power struggle that divided humanity into conflicting tribes—at least until warrior princess Raya goes on a quest to find the sweet, mostly gentle Sisu once again.
Where to stream: Disney+
Vermithrax Pejorative in Dragonslayer (1981)
About a quarter of Dragonslayer’s budget went into the construction of 400-year-old antagonist Vermithrax Pejorative, an impressive creation with an even cooler name. In the somewhat forgotten but very entertaining adventure, apprentice wizard Galen (Peter MacNichol!) is forced to step up to help fight the dragon in an early-Middle-Ages-esque Britain. Vermithrax Pejorative is unquestionably the antagonist here, but he’s not Galen’s only enemy: His powers are in question, and corrupt rulers complicate the fight to save the land and its people—a heavily rigged virgin lottery has been keeping the dragon at bay, but only peasants seem to draw the short straws. The lizard-like enemy here is a great example of the medieval dragons that western audiences tend to picture.
Where to stream: Kanopy, Pluto
King Ghidorah in Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1965)
While Godzilla and his various co-kaiju tend to shift their alignments from movie to movie (Godzilla himself dexterously veers from pure evil, to mostly good, to force-of-nature-neutral with ease), King Ghidorah is pretty much always the meanest, nastiest monster of them all. So nasty, in fact, that he takes over the title for Godzilla’s fifth movie. Here, a prophet from Venus warns that the three-headed space dragon that destroyed her entire civilization is on its way to Earth to wreak similar havoc. Kindly Mothra tries to recruit Godzilla and Rodan to the planet’s defense, but she’s only able to convince them to join in when they see her nobly, futilely battling Ghidorah on her own. It could have been worse, though: Director Ishirō Honda based Ghidorah on mythological Japanese dragon Yamata-no-orochi, who had eight heads.
Where to stream: Max
Haku in Spirited Away (2001)
Hayao Miyazaki’s stunning (and aren’t they all?) film finds 10-year-old Chihiro Ogino moving to a new home with her parents, who are promptly seduced by the allure of an abandoned amusement park, and turned into pigs by the witch Yubaba. Chichiro gets some sound advice on getting the hell out of there from a boy named Haku, advice she promptly ignores, instead taking a job at a bathhouse and gradually losing her identity. Their bond grows deeper over the course of the movie, until it’s revealed that Haku, too, has lost essential knowledge of himself and his essential dragon nature.
Where to stream: Max
Elliot in Pete’s Dragon (2016)
The 1977 movie (also streaming on Disney) is a bona fide classic, but writer/director David Lowery’s 2016 remake is pretty darned delightful, as well, and maybe even outshines its predecessor in emotional stakes. Here, forest ranger Bryce Dallas Howard comes across a feral boy, having lived on his own (it seems) in the woods for six years. As it happens, he might have had some help from a compassionate, if decidedly beastly, fuzzy dragon friend.
Where to stream: Disney+
Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty (1959)
Disney was not messing around in the climax of Sleeping Beauty; it remains as thrilling (and harrowing) now as it was over six decades ago. Prince Phillip is off to save Aurora from her sleeping curse but, of course, he won’t accomplish his goal without opposition from self-proclaimed “Mistress of All Evil” Maleficent (Eleanor Audley). During the final, ultimately bloody, battle, she transforms herself into a giant dragon of black and purple, spitting acid instead of fire and wielding “all the powers of hell.” Angelina Jolie could never.
Where to stream: Disney+
Mushu in Mulan (1998)
Still in Disney territory, but moving from fearsome to friendly, Mushu is one of the inevitable, frequently sassy, animal sidekicks. Thus, this particularly diminutive dragon—a one-time guardian of the Fa family demoted in the ancestral past for his failure to prevent a death. Now, in spite of his impulsiveness, he’s determined to protect Mulan and regain his once lofty status. Roughly inspired by Chinese religion and mythology, Mushu is voiced by the definitely not-Chinese Eddie Murphy—but who’s to say what a guardian dragon spirit might sound like, anyway? He’s cute.
Where to stream: Disney+
Draco in Dragonheart (1996)
Recognize that voice? Why, it’s Sean Connery—as solid a choice to play a medieval Europe-style dragon as anyone this side of Benedict Cumberbatch (to whom we’ll return). This adventure fantasy, set in England of the 10th century (or so) is almost entirely kids’ stuff, which is all to the good. Draco is the last surviving dragon, having given up a portion of his soul in the hope of changing the heart of cruel king-to-be Einon (David Thewlis). It failed. Knight Sir Bowen (Dennis Quaid) is determined to slay the dragon, before realizing that the true enemy isn’t his scaly new ally.
Where to stream: Digital rental
Toothless in How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
The Viking village of Berk is under attack from dragons who steal livestock for food, and begins a training program for those who want to hunt and kill the invaders. Awkward Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III is seen as far too weak to ever fight a dragon, but devises a machine that brings down one of the creatures: Toothless, whom he can’t bring himself to kill. Hiccup soon realizes that Toothless and his fellow dragons are in their own fight for survival, and that maybe they don’t all need to be enemies. There’s a whole franchise here, including three largely standalone, and successful, streaming shows; How to Train Your Dragon, as a film series, represents something even rarer than dragons: a trilogy that maintains a consistently high quality, and that sticks the landing with its 2019 concluding chapter. There’s a live-action reboot coming in 2025, but the saga, at least as it stands now, feels like a very satisfying whole.
Where to stream: Freevee
Themberchaud in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)
We meet a very different type of dragon in this rather shockingly entertaining D&D film. With a consistently spry sense of humor, and, just as importantly, an awful lot of heart, the movie manages to pay tribute to the role-playing game without ever feeling like an ad. Our primary dragon here, Themberchaud, comes right out of the D&D sourcebooks—the red dragon is fearsome, sure, and a deadly enemy—but also pretty damn chonky (all dragon bodies being valid, of course). He rolls more gracefully than he walks, and flying is almost entirely out of the question. Still, very much not to be messed with.
Where to stream: Paramount+, Prime Video
Peter in The Flight of Dragons (1982)
There are some intriguingly ambitious philosophical discussions going on in the margins of this Rankin and Bass classic, largely having to do with the conflict between the worlds of imaginative magic and logic, and the dangers of total reliance on one or the other. In a medieval fantasy world, good wizards notice that magic has begun fading from the world in favor of science, while evil forces hope to exploit the change—understanding that science, tethered to greed, could lead humans to destroy ourselves. The team of heroes require knowledge of science in order to defeat the enemy, using magic to conjure a leader: Peter Dickinson (John Ritter), a former scientist and current board-game designer from 1,000 years in the future (~1982). He’s going to need all of his skills when he finds himself trapped in the body of a dragon.
Yeah, there’s a lot going on here, but it’s a lot of fun.
Where to stream: Digital rental
Smaug in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy is an uneasy blend of elements that really work, and others that really don’t. But the trilogy’s Smaug is a triumph, and Benedict Cumberbatch does excellent work voicing the dragon: he’s equally bestial and stentorian, conveying power, rage, and wit with a silky smooth, charming delivery. Nor does the design let the character down, with a look straight out of the pages of Tolkien.
Where to stream: Max, Prime Video
The Dragon in The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad (1958)
Reptiles were a clear inspiration for the unnamed dragon that plays a prominent role in this stop-motion-animated classic, one that has an advantage over almost any other cinematic dragon: Ray Harryhausen, animator and special effects master. His first color film finds the title’s Sinbad and crew landing on the island of Colossa where they encounter Sokurah the magician, who tricks them all into returning to the monster-infested island even after an escape. Sokurah’s dragon friend takes on all comers, memorably defeating a giant cyclops before coming for Sinbad himself.
Where to stream: Tubi
Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon (1973)
OK, there’s no literal dragon here—but Bruce Lee fits the description rather nicely. Born in San Francisco to Chinese parents, Lee’s birth was particularly auspicious per the traditional Chinese calendar: lunar 1940, as in 2024, was a dragon year; he was born in the hour of the dragon (about 7 to 9 am), as well. In China, his screen name was frequently 李小龍 (Lee Siu-lung, meaning something like “Little Dragon Lee”). The point being: This counts. Enter the Dragon, co-starring John Saxon and Jim Kelly, is a U.S.-Hong Kong co-production and, thus, perhaps not the purest entry point into the world of Chinese martial arts films, but it’s nevertheless an excellent one, full of brilliant fight choreography and a spy-thriller plot that very nearly makes sense. Look out for Jackie Chan as a henchman in one of his very first onscreen appearances.
Where to stream: Digital rental