Top Ten Cinematic Dragons
There are large ones and there are small ones. Some are cute, while others, not so much. Some are friendly protectors and some serve as a sheer force of nature, existing only to deal out death, destruction and in some cases, enjoy obscene amounts of stolen gold. I speak of that awesome mythological creature known as the dragon. Over the years, there have been many that have graced the silver screen and as Toothless the dragon prepares to make his return for another adventure in Dreamworks'
How To Train Your Dragon 2, we here at the Fuse take a look at ten other dragons that have captivated us.
10. Mushu (Mulan, 1998) 
Kicking things off light, we have Mushu. After The Great Stone Dragon failed to come to life, it fell to Mushu to act as a guide and protector of Mulan on her dangerous journey. Mushu also serves as comic relief. Due to his diminutive size, he's hardly a dragon you would expect to destroy your village. Maybe he'd shoot fire at your feet if you upset him, but that's about it.
9. Dragon (Shrek, 2001) 
This terrifying guard has killed many knights who hoped to rescue Princess Fiona. When Shrek and Donkey first confront Dragon, they are next on her list. Dragon is a ferocious force to be reckoned with, however she also has a soft spot for Donkey after he sweet-talks his way out of being burned alive.
8. Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty, 1959) 
Now we take a dip into slightly more threatening territory with Maleficent in her dragon form. Forget what you may now know from the recently released
Maleficent film for a moment. This is the Maleficent most of us remember from childhood and boy, was she a serious piece of work. As large and as threatening as they come, Maleficent certainly gave Prince Phillip a run for his money. Attempting to slay this dragon required skill, determination and every ounce of luck he could muster.
7. Falkor (The Neverending Story, 1984) 
Speaking of luck, who wouldn't love to have one of those luckdragons around? Falkor is one such luckdragon who looks more like a kind of dog than a conventional dragon. He falls into the category of friend and protector as he assists Atreyu in finding a cure for the Empress. Falkor does not possess incredible strength or magical powers like some other dragons, but he can breathe fire and luck almost always seems to be on his side. That luck could be on your side too if Falkor is your friend.
6. King Ghidorah (Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, 1964) 
We hit Kaiju status now with King Ghidorah, the three headed dragon. Massive and mean, he comes to earth in a magnetic meteorite and lays waste to Japan until none other than Godzilla appears to remind him who the king of the monsters really is. As bad as Godzilla is, he couldn't do it alone. Two other Kaiju, Rodan and Mothra, make appearances to assist in taking down Ghidorah.
5. Draco (Dragonheart, 1996) 
As the last of his kind, Draco convinces the dragon-slayer Bowen not to kill him. In order for Bowen to continue being a dragon-slayer and for Draco to stay alive, the two form a partnership in order to trick the local villagers into believing they are seeing multiple dragon-slayings. Draco and Bowen enjoyed a friendship that hadn't been seen since before vengeance was sworn on all dragons.
4. The Hungarian Horntail (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, 2005) 
Fourteen year old Harry's first task in the Triwizard Tournament is to claim the golden egg from the fearsome Hungarian Horntail dragon. Failure would mean certain death. Luckily for us and for the Wizarding world, Harry just barely survives to claim the egg, thanks to his superior flying skills.
3. Toothless (How to Train Your Dragon, 2010) 
The elusive and mysterious dragon known as the Night Fury, a.k.a. Toothless, takes our number 3 spot on this list. Sleek, stealthy and surgically precise with fire blasts, Toothless is a former enemy of the Vikings turned best friend and partner in crime of Hiccup. The two literally complete each other to form one of the more charming cinematic teams.
2. Vermithrax Pejorative (Dragonslayer, 1981) 
Here we are in the thick of tight territory for the top spots. One of the greatest looking dragons of its time and as nasty as any evil dragon might be, Vermithrax is not a joke. I'll say also that yes, as many have noted, Vermithrax Pejorative is probably the coolest dragon name. Right up there with Night Fury.
1. Smaug (The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, 2013) 
And here we are at the top spot on the list. After we got teased with mere suggestions and scenes of destruction in
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, we finally get to see Smaug the Terrible in all his beauty and anger. Smaug is probably the best looking dragon I've seen in a long while, both before and after he is badly burned by molten gold.
So there it is, folks. What have you to say about this list? Agree? Disagree? Which dragons have we left out? Let us know your thoughts!
How to Train Your Dragon 2 opens Friday, June 13, 2014.
Kicking things off light, we have Mushu. After The Great Stone Dragon failed to come to life, it fell to Mushu to act as a guide and protector of Mulan on her dangerous journey. Mushu also serves as comic relief. Due to his diminutive size, he's hardly a dragon you would expect to destroy your village. Maybe he'd shoot fire at your feet if you upset him, but that's about it.
9. Dragon (Shrek, 2001) 
This terrifying guard has killed many knights who hoped to rescue Princess Fiona. When Shrek and Donkey first confront Dragon, they are next on her list. Dragon is a ferocious force to be reckoned with, however she also has a soft spot for Donkey after he sweet-talks his way out of being burned alive.
8. Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty, 1959) 
Now we take a dip into slightly more threatening territory with Maleficent in her dragon form. Forget what you may now know from the recently released Maleficent film for a moment. This is the Maleficent most of us remember from childhood and boy, was she a serious piece of work. As large and as threatening as they come, Maleficent certainly gave Prince Phillip a run for his money. Attempting to slay this dragon required skill, determination and every ounce of luck he could muster.
7. Falkor (The Neverending Story, 1984) 
Speaking of luck, who wouldn't love to have one of those luckdragons around? Falkor is one such luckdragon who looks more like a kind of dog than a conventional dragon. He falls into the category of friend and protector as he assists Atreyu in finding a cure for the Empress. Falkor does not possess incredible strength or magical powers like some other dragons, but he can breathe fire and luck almost always seems to be on his side. That luck could be on your side too if Falkor is your friend.
6. King Ghidorah (Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, 1964) 
We hit Kaiju status now with King Ghidorah, the three headed dragon. Massive and mean, he comes to earth in a magnetic meteorite and lays waste to Japan until none other than Godzilla appears to remind him who the king of the monsters really is. As bad as Godzilla is, he couldn't do it alone. Two other Kaiju, Rodan and Mothra, make appearances to assist in taking down Ghidorah.
5. Draco (Dragonheart, 1996) 
As the last of his kind, Draco convinces the dragon-slayer Bowen not to kill him. In order for Bowen to continue being a dragon-slayer and for Draco to stay alive, the two form a partnership in order to trick the local villagers into believing they are seeing multiple dragon-slayings. Draco and Bowen enjoyed a friendship that hadn't been seen since before vengeance was sworn on all dragons.
4. The Hungarian Horntail (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, 2005) 
The elusive and mysterious dragon known as the Night Fury, a.k.a. Toothless, takes our number 3 spot on this list. Sleek, stealthy and surgically precise with fire blasts, Toothless is a former enemy of the Vikings turned best friend and partner in crime of Hiccup. The two literally complete each other to form one of the more charming cinematic teams.
2. Vermithrax Pejorative (Dragonslayer, 1981) 
Here we are in the thick of tight territory for the top spots. One of the greatest looking dragons of its time and as nasty as any evil dragon might be, Vermithrax is not a joke. I'll say also that yes, as many have noted, Vermithrax Pejorative is probably the coolest dragon name. Right up there with Night Fury.
1. Smaug (The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, 2013) 
