We are on a quest. Until two months ago, neither of us had ever met another person who knew of the movie “The Flight of Dragons.” This brilliant mixture of song, story and animation has somehow been lost in antiquity. But when we discovered our common bond, it inspired us to find others in need of consolation. So please, feel free to send us an e-mail if you can relate to anything that is going on in the rest of this article.
For the unenlightened, “The Flight of Dragons” was made in 1982 and is based on a Peter Dickinson book of the same name. Funny, that’s the name of the main character in the movie, who is also writing a book called “The Flight of Dragons.” Damn egotistical authors!

Mason — Yeah, who would ever do something so self-serving?
Dave — Gee, Mason, I have no idea.
Mason — Are you trying to say something, Dave?
Dave — No Mason, you just keep writing your terrific articles.
At least Dickinson doesn’t do his own voice — he leaves that to John Ritter of “Three’s Company.” Other famous voice talents includes James Earl Jones as the evil red wizard, Ommadon. He really doesn’t sound like himself because he screams a lot, and really, when do you ever hear James Earl Jones scream?
Dave — Actually, I can’t picture him saying anything other than, “This is CNN.”
Mason — Huh?
Dave — He’s the voice for the CNN commercials. It’s true!
So the plot goes: The modern world values logic more than magic, and the four wizards (blue, yellow, red and green) gather and pro
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pose to build a magic realm where all will be protected from evil logic. But Ommadon doesn’t go in for this cowardly retreat. He vows to use his black magic to make humans build weapons of war, ultimately leading to their destruction.
The three other wizards aren’t too keen on this plan, but for some reason they can’t do anything directly to stop him. It says so in the law of antiquity … somewhere in the small print. So, Carolinus, the green wizard, enlists the help of Dickinson to lead a magic quest to steal Ommadon’s red crown, the source of all his power.
Dickenson is descended from Peter the Great, the man who tamed the dragons and taught them to speak. But this Peter is a man of science. This is important for that whole “magic versus logic” thing that the movie is about.
Jon — This movie sounds dumb.
Mason — This is one of our photographers, Jon. And he’s wrong.
And here’s why: “The Flight of Dragons” is a step above your average kiddie flick because of the mature plot. There is actually some seriously suggestive stuff that goes on between the knight and the attractive archer girl. And we think that we caught a pot reference in there. You decide:
“I’m trying to dope out how they breathe fire.” — Peter
Whoa man, that’s trippin’ us out. But there are more quotes you should read, just so you don’t get a false impression.
“Release some gas, young fellow, at once.” — Smrgol, the old dragon
“Logic is so … logical.” — The yellow wizard
“I’m one of the four magic brothers! I should know a limpid pool of time when I see one!” — Carolinus
“By the beards of antiquity!” — Carolinus
“To fly, you need gemstones. To get gemstones, you rob dwarf mines.” — Smrgol
“I made a vow to fall in love with Melisande … when she was old enough, of course.” — Sir Orin Neville Smythe
“Well it seemed a shame to die for an egg, but I had made the challenge … laws of chivalry and all that.” — Sir Orin Neville Smythe
“Not magic, gashead! Mathematics.” — Peter
If you aren’t confused enough to rent the movie just to get some peace of mind, get this: The title song is sung by Don McLean, the singer of “American Pie.” The theme song isn’t even the best music in the movie, which uses some wonderful classically arranged pieces during key scenes that are of a quality foreign to most children’s movies.
The visual aspect is almost identical to “The Hobbit.” This may have something to do with the fact that they were directed by the same people. We wouldn’t go so far as to say “The Flight of Dragons” is better than “The Hobbit,” but for fans of the Tolkien movie, it is an excellent companion piece. We give it four whoppin’ stars.