Dragonslayer (1981)
Dragonslayer (1981)
Plot.
Where to Watch.
Currently Dragonslayer is available for streaming online, rent, buy or watch for free on: Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, CBS, Vudu, DIRECTV, Pluto TV, Kanopy
Streaming in:🇺🇸 United States
Cast & Crew.
Peter MacNicol
Galen
Caitlin Clarke
Valerian
Ralph Richardson
Ulrich
John Hallam
Tyrian
Peter Eyre
Casiodorus Rex
Albert Salmi
Greil
Sydney Bromley
Hodge
Chloe Salaman
Princess Elspeth
Emrys James
Valerian's Father
Roger Kemp
Horsrik
Ian McDiarmid
Brother Jacopus
Matthew Robbins
Director
Ken Shorter
Henchman
Yolande Palfrey
Victim
Hal Barwood
Writer
Douglas Cooper
Urlander
Jason White
Henchman
Walter Murch
Sound Recordist
Alex North
Composer
Derek Vanlint
Cinematographer
Tony Lawson
Editor
Howard W. Koch
Executive Producer
Dennis Muren
Visual Effects Supervisor
Deborah Brown
CastingDirector
Debbie McWilliams
CastingDirector
Elliot Scott
ProductionDesigner
E.E.C. Scott
ProductionDesigner
Phil Tippett
Visual Effects
Anthony Mendleson
Costume Design
Nick Dudman
Makeup Artist
Eric Rattray
Associate Producer
Alan Cassie
Art Direction
Media.
Details.
Release DateJune 26, 1981
StatusReleased
Running Time1h 48m
Content RatingPG
Budget$18,000,000
Box Office$14,110,013
Filming LocationsPinewood Studios, United Kingdom
Genres
Wiki.
Dragonslayer is a 1981 American dark fantasy film directed by Matthew Robbins from a screenplay he co-wrote with Hal Barwood. It stars Peter MacNicol, Ralph Richardson, John Hallam, and Caitlin Clarke. It was a co-production between Paramount Pictures and Walt Disney Productions, where Paramount handled North American distribution and Disney's Buena Vista International handled international distribution. The story is set in a fictional medieval kingdom where a young wizard encounters challenges as he hunts a dragon, Vermithrax Pejorative.
It is the second joint production between Paramount and Disney, after Popeye (1980), and is more mature than most contemporary Disney films. Because the audience expected the Disney name to be solely children's entertainment, the film's violence, adult themes and brief nudity were somewhat controversial, though Disney did not hold the North American distribution rights. The film was rated PG in the U.S.
The special effects were created at Industrial Light and Magic, the first use of ILM outside of a Lucasfilm production. Phil Tippett had co-developed an animation technique there for The Empire Strikes Back (1980) called go motion, a variation on stop motion. This led to the film's nomination for the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, but it lost to Raiders of the Lost Ark, the only other visual effects nominee that year, whose special effects were also provided by ILM. Including the hydraulic 40-foot (12 m) model, the dragon consists of 16 puppets dedicated to flying, crawling, or breathing fire.The film received generally positive reviews from critics, but it performed poorly at the box office, grossing $14.1 million worldwide against a production budget of $18 million. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score, which went to Chariots of Fire. It was nominated for a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, again given to Raiders of the Lost Ark. On October 21, 2003, Dragonslayer was released on DVD in the U.S. by Paramount Home Entertainment. The film was re-released in remastered format on Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD on March 21, 2023, in the U.S. by Paramount Home Entertainment.