After success with TV projects The Hobbit and Return of the King, Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin Jr. tried their hands with Flight of Dragons. Though finished in 1982, it wasn't until 1986 when aired as an ABC Movie of the Week, that I ever heard of this project.

The world of magic is dying as man is yielding to logic and losing inspiration from the fantastical realm. The movie introduces 4 wizards: Carolinus, the Green wizard governs the earth, Lo Tae Shao the Yellow wizard governs light, Solarius the Blue governs the skies and oceans, and Ommadon (voiced by Vader/Mufasa) the Red governs the underworld. Carolinus wants to get the others' help to create a last realm of magic that will allow magic to continue after humans become overly scientific. Mr.'s Yellow and Blue agree, but Ommadon wants instead to dominate and destroy mankind. Thus, the three plan a quest to capture Ommadon's red crown (the source of his power). But before the quest can begin, they need a leader.

Peter Dickinson is a 20th century scientist / inventor who is trying to make a living by selling a game based on the characters we have already met. Turns out he is the descendant of an ancient hero. He is recruited, falls in love with Carolinus' foster daughter, and gets his mind trapped inside of the dragon Gorbash... all before bedtime. The quest begins, several other heroes join up, and Peter uses his knowledge of "ologies" to take on the superstitious Red Wizard.

One odd thing is that Peter Dickinson was a real person who actually wrote the book The Flight of Dragons. But, as far as I can tell, that book was more of a scientific book ala Darwin's The Origin of the Species and did not much resemble this film. The book, was a speculative scientific look at how dragons may have been real creatures. It is this real life Peter on which the character Peter in the film is based. Its an interesting, though somewhat confusing, idea for a story.

Another nice part of the film is the title song by Don McLean of American Pie (the song, not the movie) fame. In all, the music of this production is a nice fit reminiscent of the score for The Hobbit.

So, Flight of Dragons is a pretty good lesser known flick with so-so animation worthy of a solid B.

This movie is simply beyond fantastic. It starts off with heartwarming theme song and moves into thought-provoking realms, the issue of magic versus science. The characters are brilliant, especially the villain, Ommadon. Even though this is rated G, like The Secret on Nimh, it sometimes dips into the terrifying. The animation is a bit awkward. Even during the 80s, Rankin-Bass just can't keep up with The Fox and the Hound or The Secret of Nimh. However the artwork is wonderful. This movie also features some brilliant voice acting and intelligent dialogue. This movie is also influenced by the book "Flight of Dragons" in that it tries to explain how dragons logically work. Very intelligent, this movie is. The relationship between Peter and Melisande is also worth noting. Peter is a man of science but is also still fascinated by magic and dragons. However during the climax, he must make a choice between science and magic, and thus between his love for Melisande and his connection to the "real world", in order to defeat Ommadon. And in the end, Melisande must make a choice as well, to stay or go, and this affects her father Carolinus. Truly heartwarming and heartbreaking stuff.