11 colorful cartoons about dragons for fantasy lovers.

Classic hand-drawn animation, modern 3D graphics and exciting multi-part projects await you.

The best full-length cartoons about dragons

1. The Hobbit

The Hobbit

• USA, Japan, 1977.
• Adventure, fantasy.
• Duration: 77 minutes.
• IMDb: 6.8.

The hobbit Bilbo Baggins, in the company of the wizard Gandalf and the dwarves, sets out on a journey to return the treasures of the Undermountain Kingdom, which were captured by the treacherous dragon Smaug.

The rustic visual style of this cartoon, directed by Arthur Rankin and Jules Bass, is as far removed from Disney's grace as possible, and even has a clear influence of the graphics of J. R. R. Tolkien himself. In addition, the manner of drawing, as well as the appearance of some of the characters, are a bit reminiscent of classic Japanese anime. This is because the artists worked under the guidance of Hayao Miyazaki himself .

2. Flight of dragons

The Flight of Dragons

• USA, UK, Japan, 1982.
• Adventure, fantasy.
• Duration: 95 minutes.
• IMDb: 7.7.

Through the efforts of the sorcerer Carolinus, inventor Peter Dickinson finds himself in a fairyland where good wizards and dragons live. The hero will have to defeat the evil magician Omaddan. The only trouble is that Peter accidentally turns into a dragon.

Having cut their teeth on film adaptations of J. R. R. Tolkien, Rankin and Bass shot another joint work, but using different literary material. This time it was based on the fantasy novel “The Dragon and George” and the book on speculative zoology “The Flight of Dragons” by Peter Dickinson, which combined scientific fact and imagination.

3. Mulan

Mulan

• USA, 1998.
• Musical, adventure.
• Duration: 88 minutes.
• IMDb: 7.6.

Mulan's parents expect their daughter to become a worthy bride, but the girl fails to impress the stern matchmaker, despite all her efforts. Suddenly it turns out that every family is obliged to send one man to war. Then Mulan, without telling her family, goes there instead of her old and sick father. Only in China women are prohibited from serving in the army. Therefore, the heroine pretends to be a young man, but at any moment she can be discovered and severely punished.

The cartoon is based on the medieval Chinese ballad "The Song of Mulan". This is a very serious work, but in the interpretation of the Walt Disney studio it has become much more fun and simpler. The creators also added new characters to the plot, among which the most memorable was the silly dragon Mushu, voiced by comedian Eddie Murphy.

Watch on iTunes →
Watch on Google Play →

4. Magic Sword: Camelot Rescue

Quest for Camelot

• USA, 1998.
• Adventure, fantasy.
• Duration: 86 minutes.
• IMDb: 6.3.

The girl Kylie dreams of joining the ranks of the Knights of the Round Table, but when the scoundrel Rubert kills her father, the noble Sir Lionel, the heroine has to flee. Years later, it turns out that the villain is again planning evil and is going to enslave the whole world with the help of dark magic. Then Kylie goes on a journey to stop Rubert, and her new friends help her in this - the blind hermit Garrett, his falcon Aiden and a funny two-headed dragon.

Spectators will get a lot of laughs from the dragon heads of Devon and Cornwall, named after neighboring English counties. These two cannot stand each other, they constantly argue and swear, but in the end they still come to the conclusion that they need to live together.

5. Shrek

Shrek

• USA, 2001.
• Adventure, fantasy.
• Duration: 90 minutes.
• IMDb: 7.8.

A huge green ogre named Shrek is completely content with his bachelor life in the swamp. But one day his idyll is disrupted by fairy-tale creatures expelled from the kingdom by order of the evil Lord Farquaad. To get peace and quiet back, the hero must free Princess Fiona. She is imprisoned in a tower guarded by a fire-breathing dragon. The annoying talking Donkey will help the ogre.

The peculiarity of the cartoon is that the characters of classic fairy tales appear in unexpected, but always very funny images. For example, a dragon who at first seems very dangerous turns out to be a female yearning for a romantic relationship.

Watch on iTunes →
Watch on Google Play →

6. Spirited Away

Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi

• Japan, 2001.
• Adventure, fantasy.
• Duration: 125 minutes.
• IMDb: 8.6.

While moving to a new house, the girl Chihiro and her mom and dad got lost and wandered into a strange empty city. After having a snack there, the parents turn into pigs and, together with their daughter, find themselves in a world of ghosts and demons, ruled by the sorceress Yubaba. Now Chihiro needs to serve the witch and come up with a plan to save her family.

Almost all of Studio Ghibli's cartoons have become cult classics, but Spirited Away is especially great. After all, this is at the same time a fairy tale, an exciting adventure, and an instructive parable. Separately, it is necessary to mention the unusual characters generated by the imagination of Hayao Miyazaki: they make the picture even better. Among them are the vagabond god Faceless, the terrifying but kind grandfather Kamaji, the boy Haku in the guise of a water dragon, and more.

7. Dragon Hunters

Chasseurs de dragons

• Germany, France, Luxembourg, 2008.
• Adventure, fantasy.
• Duration: 78 minutes.
• IMDb: 6.6.

The girl Zoe meets the brave dragon slayers Gvizdo and Lin-Chu and brings them to her uncle. He invites his friends to perform a feat and kill the most terrible monster that has ever existed in the world. The company plans to quietly escape with the advance, but Zoe's enthusiasm stops them, so the team really goes on a very dangerous journey .

The full-length “Dragon Hunters” grew out of the animated series of the same name, which will be discussed below. The plot of the film is extremely straightforward and simple, so adults will most likely find it boring. But children will surely enjoy this simple tale.

8. How to Train Your Dragon

How to Train Your Dragon

• USA, 2010.
• Adventure, fantasy.
• Duration: 98 minutes.
• IMDb: 8.1.

The stern Vikings were accustomed to not giving in to the dragons that terrorized them. But one day there is a boy among the islanders who realizes that these animals are not at all as dangerous as is commonly believed.

The cartoon about the touching relationship between a young Viking and his pet Toothless is rightfully considered an animation classic. In total, three full-length parts of the franchise were released. In them, the hero manages to grow up, reveal the secret of his origin, start his own family and, of course, experience many adventures related to dragons.

Watch on iTunes →
Watch on Google Play →

The best animated series about dragons

1. Dragon Hunters

Chasseurs de dragons

• France, China, 2006–2010.
• Adventure, fantasy.
• Duration: 2 seasons.
• IMDb: 7.6.

In the story, friends Lin-Chu and Gvizdo earn their living by hunting dragons. At the same time, the heroes constantly find themselves in difficult or comical stories.

The most interesting thing is that the animated series is not at all pretentious, which is often the fault of works in the fantasy genre. In general, there is an unusual amount of realism here: the heroes often suffer financial failures or find themselves in situations of difficult moral choice.

10. Dragons and Riders of Berk

Dragons: Riders of Berk

• USA, 2012–2014.
• Adventure, fantasy.
• Duration: 2 seasons.
• IMDb: 8.0.

The series continues the events of the full-length cartoon “How to Train Your Dragon.” It tells about the further adventures of Hiccup, who at the end of the first part reconciled his people with the dragons. But not everything goes smoothly, especially since the heroes will meet new types of these creatures.

Starting from the third season, the cartoon moved to Netflix and acquired a new name - “Dragons: Race to the Edge.” In the new episodes, the now matured Hiccup, together with his friends, discovers uncharted lands and also faces new dangerous enemies.

11. Prince of Dragons

The Dragon Prince

• USA, 2018 - present.
• Adventure, fantasy.
• Duration: 3 seasons.
• IMDb: 8.4.

Two young princes embark on a journey to return the dragon egg to the elven capital and thereby prevent the coming war. Along the way, the guys continually find themselves in dangerous or surprising situations. Meanwhile, intrigues are being woven at court due to the absence of a king on the throne.

The cartoon script was written by one of the creators of the beloved “The Legend of Aang.” But you shouldn’t raise your expectations too high, so as not to spoil the pleasure of watching: after all, the young studio Wonderstorm was not able to get closer to the level of “Avatar”. Nevertheless, the project turned out to be very cute, despite the minimal character detail and low frame rate.

Tell us, which of these cartoons have you watched? And what would you like to add to our list?