The Films With Dragons subgenre resides within the Fantasy genre and often intersects with Films About Mythology, Fairy Tale Films, Epic Fantasy, Films Set During the Medieval Era and Sword and Sorcery Films subgenres. Dragons have come in various iterations in film but the typical Dragon flies, breathes fire, has armor and is quite destructive.
Dragon Films have been defined by one author and one franchise in particular – J.R.R. Tolkein’s The Hobbit. The Hobbit popularized Smaug as the definition of a Dragon and characteristics that are used in many Fantasy Films. Smaug the Dragon had appearances in all three Hobbit films – The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012), The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013) and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014). Smaug was also popularized as an animated Dragon in The Hobbit (1977).
In the 1970’s, At the Earth’s Core (1976) and Pete’s Dragon (1977) featured more family-friendly Dragons. It wasn’t until the 1980’s that Films about Dragons became more popular as Sword and Sorcery Films and Films Set During the Medieval Era also increased in popularity. Dragonslayer (1981), Q (1982) and The NeverEnding Story (1984) all featured variations of good and evil Dragons.
The 1990’s saw the continuation of the NeverEnding Story franchise and continued to feature family-friendly Dragons for younger audiences. DragonHeart (1996) also was released in the 1990’s and included a variation of the Dragon theme with a Dragon bonded telepathically to a human. DragonHeart would prove to be a popular film as it spawned a franchise with the sequel Dragonheart: A New Beginning (2000) and prequels Dragonheart 3: The Sorcerer’s Curse (2015), Dragonheart: Battle for the Heartfire (2017) and Dragonheart: Vengeance (2020).
In the 2000’s, Dragons in Films continued to be popular in films such as Reign of Fire (2002), George and the Dragon (2004), Eragon (2006), The Mummy: Tomb of the Emperor (2008) and Fire and Ice: The Dragon Chronicles (2008).
As The Hobbit and Smaug the Dragon ruled the theatrical box office in the 2010’s, it was Game of Thrones (2011 -2019) that was the most popular television series of the decade and raised the bar with how Dragons were represented on screen. The decade also saw additional Films with Dragons with Maleficent (2014), The Christmas Dragon (2014), Seventh Son (2014), Pete’s Dragon (2016) and The Kid Who Would Be King (2019).
Our Films With Dragons list includes over 27+ films from 1976 – 2020. Most of these films are Fantasy-based and show the various incarnations of Dragons over the years. For our list of Top Films With Dragons You Haven’t Seen, we had to leave a few films of the list. The Christmas Dragon (2014) is not a great film but is a Christmas and Fantasy-themed film that kids will enjoy. And Pete’s Dragon (1977) while being a popular Disney film in the 1970’s, has been overshadowed by it’s remake from 2016. However, the original is still the better version and will likely be enjoyed by most children.
Note: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Here is our list of Top Films With Dragons You Haven’t Seen:
#10
Q
Plot: Giant lizard dragon terrorizes New York City as an ex-con finds its nest.
KBZ’s Take: One of the better Larry Cohen films and a surprisingly good B-movie. Though the entire ‘Quetzalcoatl sun god as a dragon’ backstory is a bit hard to swallow, the film has some good suspense as Quinn (Michael Moriarty) finds Q’s nest and eventually has to confront Q ‘the dragon’. The CGI was subpar in 1982 and even more dated now, but if you can look past that, it’s a taut thriller that every fan of the subgenre should check out.
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3jb8Uxr
Plot: A knight must find the King’s missing daughter but is drawn into a battle with the last surviving dragon.
KBZ’s Take: This is a film geared towards kids that most adults might find hard to finish. Though it stars James Purefoy, Piper Perabo, Michael Clarke Duncan and Patrick Swayze, it’s more a comedy fantasy film than a thriller film set in the Medieval Era. However, it does have some funny moments that kids will enjoy and some surprising suspenseful moments.
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/40dBZZw
#8
Eragon
Plot: A farm boy finds a dragon’s egg and discovers he’s the one person that can defend his home against the evil king.
KBZ’s Take: This film received negative reviews as it wasn’t a fantasy epic on the scale or quality of The Hobbit or Lord of the Rings. However, it’s not a bad film and kids will enjoy it. Yes, the dialogue is hokey and some of the acting is laughable, but it has some fantastic CGI – especially with the Dragon Saphira. Jeremy Irons, Robert Carlyle and Rachel Weisz (as the voice of Saphira) all anchor the film with their usual great performances.
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3jd0rd8
#7
Seventh Son
Plot: Local protector of evil takes on an apprentice.
KBZ’s Take: Another fantasy film epic that bombed with critics and barely broke even at the box office. Like Eragon, it was a fantasy film criticized for its meandering and confusing plot and some questionable acting performances. And like Eragon, it’s a decent film if you don’t go in with high expectations. Unlike Eragon, this film isn’t geared towards kids – it’s PG-13 but much more violent than its rating suggests. It’s still a quality film with some unique Dragon designs that fan of the subgenre will enjoy.
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3XQbQyi
Plot: Twin grandchildren fight for battle of the throne but must come together when their bonded Dragon’s “Heartfire” is stolen.
KBZ’s Take: Outside of DragonHeart (1996), this film is the best of the four direct to video prequels and sequels of the original film. With a PG-13 rating, it’s geared towards a younger audience and features a surprisingly great CGI animation of the Dragon. With Patrick Stewart voicing Drago (the Dragon), it’s a film that younger kids will like as the Dragon is in almost the entire movie.
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/40iGHFI
#5
DragonHeart
Plot: A knight fighting against tyranny, finds that if he kills the king, he will also kill the last surviving Dragon.
KBZ’s Take: This is one of the best films of the Fantasy genre and Films with Dragons subgenre. Starring Dennis Quaid, Pete Postlethwaite, David Thewlis, Jason Isaacs and Sean Connery (as voice of Draco the Dragon), it’s a well-made film with some of the best action-adventure fantasy elements of any like genre film. Though it was popular during the 1990’s, we wanted to include this film so fans of the subgenre don’t miss out on this classic subgenre film.
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3wELd3t
Plot: In modern London, young Alex stumbles upon the sword, Excalibur, and must join forces with Merlin to save mankind from the wicked enchantress, Morgana.
KBZ’s Take: We’ll start off by saying, of all the Dragon films on this list, this film has the least number of actual Dragons in the film. There’s a brief scene in the first act depicting a Dragon raining fire down on modern London and there’s a Dragon-like creature at the end that the kids must battle with. However, we’re listing this film so high because it’s a film that is just plain fun. Like The Goonies (1986), this film will have both children and adults enjoying a modern take of the Arthurian Legend.
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3XOmHZT
#3
Dragonslayer
Plot: Sorcerer’s apprentice has to kill an evil dragon before it feasts on the King’s daughter.
KBZ’s Take: This film is very dark for a PG-rated Disney film. The special effects make it worth watching as it takes quite a long time to get to our battle of Man vs. Dragon. The Dragon design was done by ILM and it’s amazing for its time. Kids might get bored of the plot, but they won’t be able to turn away when the Dragon appears.
Additional Lists: Top Sword and Sorcery Films You Haven’t Seen #9
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#2
The Hobbit
Plot: The Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, joins Gandalf the Wizard and a company of dwarves in a quest to retrieve gold taken by the evil Dragon Smaug.
KBZ’s Take: You can watch Peter Jackson’s 6-hour take on the Hobbit, or you can watch this streamlined 90-minute 1977 classic of the same novel. Rankin/ Bass created this tale (and the animated The Return of the King (1980)), and for kids, they’ll likely enjoy this version better. The animation is amazing, and you won’t soon forget John Huston’s voice (as Gandalf) or Richard Boone’s voice (as Smaug).
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3WPEEpm
Plot: In a post-apocalyptic England, an American and Brit must team up to fight off a brood of fire-breathing dragons.
KBZ’s Take: Of all the films made about Dragons, this post-Apocalyptic thriller is the most unique film of the subgenre. It’s also a film of the subgenre that’s popular and has probably been seen by most fans of the subgenre. Though it’s not for younger kids (it has a somewhat questionable PG-13 rating), it has some exciting action, great lead performances by Matthew McConaughey and Christian Bale, and has some of the best Dragon design and CGI in any film. It’s not a film that should be missed by either Films About Dragons or Post-Apocalypse subgenre fans.
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3WKgmwZ
