History Literature / TheLastDragonslayer

* ColorMotif: Mr. Zambini wears a smart three-piece burgundy suit. At the beginning of the film, he magics up a burgundy cape-coat for Jennifer to wear. She continues to wear it throughout the film, and the cloak even makes it into the branding on the tankards, commemorative shields, and cans of Fizzi-Pop with her face on it. When [[spoiler: Maltcassion needs to give Jennifer a reason to execute him for breaking the Dragonpact, he runs a claw through the fabric to fulfill the clause of "damaging human property." It's doubly meaningful, as Jennifer believes that slaying Maltcassion will put an end to magic and any chance she has of ever bringing Zambini back. Maltcassion seems to be unable to explain to her that slaying him will restore the balance of magic, so in damaging the cape (the visual link that ties her to Mr. Zambini), he's symbolically asking Jennifer to let go of Mr. Zambini.]]

* PowerLevels: A wizard's power of reflected by their status and accolade, both of which can change if/when the magic user's powers wax or wane. There's no official governing body that issues statuses or accolades to the wizards of the Ununited Kingdom and beyond. The very idea of wizards having a governing body is "wholly ridiculous once you get to know how scatty they can be," but practitioners of the magical arts are honorbound to a fault -- so titles that reflect their relative levels of wizidrical power and reliability are all self-conferred.

The first novel was adapted for television by Creator/SkyOne and broadcast on Christmas Day 2016.

** Jennifer was left in an orange Volkswagen Beetle outside the orphanage with a note describing that her parents had died in the Troll Wars.

** Spells are written in lines of code, much the same way computer programs are. "RUNIX" is one such spell language, a shout-out to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unix Unix]]. Another spell language is "ARAMAIC."

** The number of foundlings at the convent seems to fluctuate. In ''Literature/TheLastDragonslayer1'', Jennifer says that Mother Zenobia "had hundreds of foundlings ready to take up servitude" - and that number would only have included those of working age, presumably older than 10 or 12. In ''Literature/TheSongOfTheQuarkbeast'', Jennifer mentions that she had to fight "all forty" other girls at the convent to use the single handkerchief, while in ''Literature/TheEyeOfZoltar'' she mentions sleeping in a dormitory with "sixty other girls", and in ''Literature/TheGreatTrollWar'' she says she slept in a room "forty" other girls. Later she says that Tiger still hasn't acclimated to having his own room after spending his whole life sleeping in a dormitory with "eighty other boys."
** In Book 1, it's mentioned that when Shandar built his palace he included a zoo with magically-created animals no one had ever seen before, and this is how the Quarkbeast came to be. Mother Zenobia helpfully gives the date of June 1591 for the creation of the castle, zoo, and Quarkbeasts. In Book 2, Jennifer states that the Mighty Shandar created Quarkbeasts to win a bet in 1783.

---> "The fields we drove past contained cultivated almond tree groves, from which refined marzoleum was derived; the syrupy oil was used for fondant icing, sunblock, window putty, aviation spirit, and pretty much anythng in between.

** Spells are written in lines of code, much the same way computer programs are. "RUNIX" is one such spell language, a shout-out to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unix Unix]]. Another spell lanuage is "ARAMAIC."

** The number of foundlings at the convent seems to fluctuate. In ''Literature/TheLastDragonslayer1'', Jennifer says that Mother Zenobia "had hundreds of foundlings ready to take up servitude" - and that number would only have included those of working age, presumably older than 10 or 12. In ''Literature/TheSongOfTheQuarkbeast'', Jennifer mentions that she had to fight "all forty" other girls at the convent to use the single handkerchief, while in ''Literature/TheEyeOfZoltar'' she mentions sleeping in a dormitory with "sixty other girls". Later she says that Tiger still hasn't acclimated to having his own room after spending his whole life sleeping in a dormitory with "eighty other boys."

* AdaptationalVillainy: [[spoiler: In the film, Sir Matt Grifflon wants to ururp King Snodd. He views the position of Dragonslayer as a stepping stone to taking over the kingdom, whereas in the book he was just the King's right hand man.]]

* BalefulPolymorph: In the film's opening, Mr. Zambini transforms the antagonistic Mr. Brittles first into a polar bear, then into a fur shawl, and then into a fabric cape. In the books, turning someone into an animal (usually a newt, hence the phrase "I'll newt you") is irreversible and explicitly described as tantamount to murder.

* TankGoodness: Cranked UpToEleven with King Snodd IV's "landships": five story-high, diesel-powered siege engines on treads.[[spoiler: {{Averted}} in that for all their destructive capability, they're not terribly effective.]]

** There are only two wizards at Kazam instead of the 40+ sorcerers (and the cook) who live and work at Kazam in the book -- the Wizard Moobin and Venerable Lady Mawgan are the only ones to make the cut. Since Kevin Zipp isn't a character in the film, Moobin is the one who has a vision of the last Dragon's death.

* TheFashionista: Hermione Twizzle (the reporter who provides live updates from the Dragonlands and springs a surprise interview on Jennifer) seems to care much more about fashion than about actual news. When she's first introduced she's wearing a bright orange kimono mini-dress (complete with Geisha-inspired up-do) and bright pink heels. Her first interview question for Jennifer is what she's going to wear to slay the dragon, and follows it up with a question on how Jennifer is going to accessorize to match her sword. On "Slay-Day" Hermione goes all out in a bright green "dragon" costume with a scale-pattern dress and chiffon wings.

** Vintage automobiles in varying states of repair exist alongside horse-drawn carts and pedal-powered cabs. The Dragonslayer's armored midcentury car and Sir Griffolon's sporty, early 20th century roadster stand in contrast to Mr. Zambini's modified volkswagen chassis, which is pulled by horses.

* AdaptationOriginConnection: When Jennifer asks if she knows Gordon (who is applying for the position of assistant Dragonslayer), he reveals that he was also a ward of the orphanage where Jennifer and Tiger were raised (the one Mr. Brittles roused to ask who ate the cakes). He tells Jennifer he was taken into indentured servitude at [=StuffCo=] and that the president took him under her wing, just like how Mr. Zambini took Jennifer under his wing. [[spoiler: While Gordon ''was'' a fellow orphan, how much of his story about being taken under the [=StuffCo=] president's wing was true or was a lie to get Jennifer to let her guard down is unclear]].

* SkunkStripe: Mr. Zambini has dark brown hair, but with a pale blonde streak just over his left eye.

* BeingTheChosenOneSucks: When Jennifer discovers that Mr. Zambini visited Brian Spalding to learn the identity of the next Dragonslayer, she starts to question whether he ever truly cared for her or if he only took her on as an indentured servant/ assistant in order to convince her not to kill Matlcassion. She never wanted the LegacyOfTheChosenOne, and now that she has it she wonders if it invalidates the relationship she had built up with her ParentalSubstitute, or if that relationship was built on a lie.

* LegacyOfTheChosen: {{Downplayed}}/{{Exploited}}. In the books Jennifer's role as the Last Dragonslayer is known only to Brian Spalding the 2nd-to-last Dragonslayer, the Dragonslayers that came before him, and the Mighty Shandar (who wrote all their names on the sword Exhorbitus, most before they were even born). In the film, Mr. Zambini visits Brian Spalding to learn the name of the next Dragonslayer so that he can persuade them not to harm the dragons. When he finds out that the next Dragonslayer is the orphaned Jennifer Strange, Zambini specifically seeks her out and takes her into his home as an indentured servant. He also takes her under his wing, hoping to instill love and respect for dragons in her before she learns she's meant to slay the last of their kind. This causes Jennifer [[BeingTheChosenOneSucks no small degree of angst]] when she learns that Mr. Zambini knew she was destined to be the last Dragonslayer, wondering if Zambini was only ever kind to her because he was trying to shape her worldview.

* HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood: Jennifer and Tiger are both foundlings who were raised in an OrphanageOfFear, but they treat the experience as something that made them tougher and more mature than their civilian peers.

* OrphanageOfFear: PlayedForLaughs - the convent where Jennifer and Tiger were raised, the Convent of the Blessed Ladies of the Lobster, is housed in a dreary, medieval castle next to a firing range/ military installation where the Armed Forces of Hereford routinely shoot live munitions across the border into the Duchy of Brecon. The foundlings live a life of deprivation, eating gruel that is somehow thinner than water and lacking basic necessities like bedding and changes of clothing. The children have no rights to citizenship, and once the reach the age of 12 or so they're rented out as indentured servants until they turn 18. It sounds horrific, but Jennifer and Tiger both treat it as a HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood that made them tough and resourceful.

* BachelorAuction: ZigZagged -- King Snodd offers Jennifer a date with number one knight and pop star of Hereford, Sir Matt Grifflon, if she agrees to slay the dragon Maltcassion and take Grifflon as her official Assistant Dragonslayer.

%%* BeingTheChosenOneSucks:

** The Wizard Bloacklock, who tries on two occasions two assassinate Jennifer. [[spoiler: Turns out he was just trying to stop her from killing Maltcassion -- he also believes dragons are the source of all magic, and set out to stop her when it was announced that she was the last Dragonslayer. Once she explains that she doesn't want to kill Maltcassion, he becomes one of her staunchest allies]]

* LegacyOfTheChosen: {{Downplayed}}, but in the books Jennifer's role as the Last Dragonslayer is known only to Brian Spalding the 2nd-to-last Dragonslayer, the Dragonslayers that came before him, and the Mighty Shandar (who wrote all their names on the sword Exhorbitus, most before they were even born). In the film, Mr. Zambini visits Brian Spalding to learn the name of the next Dragonslayer so that he can persuade them not to harm the dragons. When he finds out that the next Dragonslayer is an orphan, Zambini specifically seeks out Jennifer and takes her into his home as an indentured servant. He also takes her under his wing, hoping to instill love and respect for dragons in her before she learns she's meant to slay the last of their kind. This causes Jennifer no small degree of angst when she learns that Mr. Zambini knew she was destined to be the last Dragonslayer, wondering if Zambini was only ever kind to her because he was trying to shape her worldview.

%%[[quoteright:310:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/The-Last-Dragonslayer-by-Jasper-Fforde_5331.jpg]]
%%[[caption-width-right:310:That's her on the hilltop.]]

%%* CrystalDragonJesus: The Mighty Shandar is regarded this way; Heaven, at least for dragonslayers, is referred to as the Palace of Shandar.

%%* GoodTimesMontage: Overlaps with TrainingMontage.

%%* TakeMeInstead:

%%* TrainingMontage: Overlaps with GoodTimesMontage.

!!''The Last Dragonslayer'' Series Contains Examples Of:

%%folder control FOLDER CONTROL folder control FOLDER CONTROL
%%[[folder:Tropes in the Book Series]]

%%[[folder:Tropes in the Film Adaptation]]
%%* ActionizedAdaptation: Downplayed, but the film adaptation adds a fraught battle between Jennifer and an assassin at the Dragonslayer HQ, and later a car chase between Jennifer and some of King Snodd's landships -- neither of which existed in the source material.
%%* AdaptationOriginConnection: Jennifer's assistant Dragonslayer, Gordon, was another orphan at the same orphanage (the one Mr. Brittles roused to ask who ate the cakes). He mentions that he was a bit older and shyer than Jennifer and Tiger.
%%* AdaptationalVillainy: [[spoiler: In the film, Sir Matt Grifflon wants to ururp King Snodd. He views the position of Dragonslayer as a stepping stone to taking over the kingdom, whereas in the book he was just the King's right hand man.]]
%%* AdaptedOut: The sub-plot about Jennifer's [[spoiler: status as a berserker]] is left out of the film.
%%* AgeLift:
%%** In the book, penultimate Dragonslayer Brian Spalding is described as an elderly man, looking about 90 and still in good health despite being 150 years old (at least before he [[spoiler: succumbs to RapidAging after appointing Jennifer his successor]]). In the film, Dragonslayer Brian is played by a fresh-faced Creator/NickMohammed, who would have been in his 30's at the time of filming. He admits to being [[OlderThanTheyLook older than he looks]] -- 153, exactly.
%%** Likewise, Mother Xenobia (who in the books is over a hundred years old and blind) is played by Creator/NinaWadia, who would have been in her 40's at the time of filming.
%%* AlcoholHic: When Tiger accidentally gets drunk after eating a concoction of tea, gin, and crushed up biscuits, he has the hiccups by the time Jennifer tucks him into a hammock to sleep it off.
%%* TheAllegedCar: Mr. Zambini drives a horse-drawn Volkswagen -- a beetle chassis outfitted with a settee up top for the driver, a yoke in front for the horses, and lanterns to illuminate the way. The brake lights still work, but nothing else seems to.
%%* ArtShift: The exposition dump about the history of the dragonslayer, the Mighty Shandar, the Dragonpact, and the Dragonlands is shown via a sepia-toned animated film that Brian Spalding plays for Jennifer when she first shows up at the Dragonslayer HQ. At the end of the film, he reveals that he was the one who animated it and asks her to clap.
%%* BachelorAuction: ZigZagged -- King Snodd offers Jennifer a date with number one knight and pop star of Hereford, Sir Matt Grifflon, if she agrees to slay the dragon Maltcassion and take Grifflon as her official Assistant Dragonslayer.
%%* BagOfKidnapping: Discussed. The soldiers sent to bring the Dragonslayer to King Snodd throw a bag over Jennifer's head the moment she leaves Dragonslayer HQ and throw her into a cage. They drag her before the king, still in a bag.
%%-->'''King Snodd''': Ah, Jennifer Strange. Thank you for accepting my invitation.
%%-->'''Jennifer''': They stuffed me in a sack.
%%-->'''King Snodd''': A forced invitation is still an invitation.
%%* BalefulPolymorph: In the film's opening, Mr. Zambini transforms the antagonistic Mr. Brittles first into a polar bear, then into a fur shawl, and then into a fabric cape. In the books, turning someone into an animal (usually a newt, hence the phrase "I'll newt you") is irreversible and explicitly described as tantamount to murder.

%%* BigDamnHeroes:
%%** In the first scene nonetheless! Mr. Zambini appears in a swirl of smoke and snow to save the young orphan Jennifer from being dragged off to the Troll Wars.
%%** Later in the film, Bloacklock [[spoiler: saves Jennifer from getting blasted with a cannonball from the landship Sir Matt Grifflon is commanding by swooping her up on the flying carpet/ fur rug from the Dragonslayer HQ]].
%%* BowAndSwordInAccord:
%%** The assassin who goes after Jennifer uses a sword and a bow from which he fires magically-created arrows.
%%** Sir Matt Grifflon wields both a crossbow and a sword.
%%* CanonForeigner:
%%** The Wizard Bloacklock, who tries on two occasions two assassinate Jennifer. [[spoiler: Turns out he was just trying to stop her from killing Maltcassion -- he also believes dragons are the source of all magic, and set out to stop her when it was announced that she was the last Dragonslayer.]]
%%** The president of [=StuffCo=], who purchases the rights to franchise Jennifer's image on limited edition cans of Fizzi-Pop.
%%* ChestOfMedals: King Snodd's royal robes have a dozen or more medals pinned to the lapels.
%%* ChildhoodFriends: The film changes things so that Jennifer and Tiger were friends back at the orphanage, before Mr. Zambini showed up to take Jennifer into indentured servitude -- in fact, Jennifer was the one to save Tiger from getting sent to the Troll War.
%%* ChildSoldiers: As the film opens, ornery soldier Mr. Brittles shows up at the Orphanage where Jennifer and Tiger live to pull recruits for the Troll Wars, on the grounds that one of the orphans "ate cake that didn't belong to them" and thus needs punishment. He threatens to take ''all'' the orphans if he can't discern who broke the rules. Later in the film Mother Xenobia tells Jennifer that if she can't get a placement for Tiger before nightfall, he'll be shipped off to the Troll Wars -- guilting Jennifer into taking him to Zambini Towers after his TV Station placement falls through.
%%* CoincidentalBroadcast: The TV set at Zambini Towers just so happens to broadcast Hermione's interview with Gordon (in which he calls Jennifer a coward, admits he's been working for [=StuffCo=] all along, and tells the adoring crowd that he's off to slay the dragon in Jennifer's stead) as Jennifer and Lady Mawgon finish an emotional conversation.
%%* ColorMotif: Mr. Zambini wears a smart three-piece burgundy suit. At the beginning of the film, he magics up a burgundy cape-coat for Jennifer to wear. She continues to wear it throughout the film, and the cloak even makes it onto the tankards, commemorative shields, and cans of Fizzi-Pop with her face on it. When [[spoiler: Maltcassion needs to give Jennifer a reason to execute him for breaking the Dragonpact, he runs a claw through the fabric to fulfill the clause of "damaging human property." It's doubly meaningful, as Jennifer believes that slaying Maltcassion will put an end to magic and any chance she has of ever bringing Zambini back. Maltcassion seems to be unable to explain to her that slaying him will restore the balance of magic, so in damaging the cape (the visual link that ties her to Mr. Zambini), he's symbolically asking Jennifer to let go of Mr. Zambini.]]
%%* CompositeCharacter: The cast of characters is greatly reduced for the film:
%%** There are only two wizards at Kazam instead of the 40+ sorcerers and cook who live and work at Kazam in the book -- the Wizard Moobin and Venerable Lady Mawgan are the only ones to make the cut. Since Kevin Zipp isn't a character in the film, Moobin is the one who has a vision of the last Dragon's death.
%%** Gordon replaces Perkins as Jennifer's love interest.
%%* CrypticConversation: When Jennifer first speaks with Maltcassion, she tells him she won't fight him on Sunday -- she believes that dragons are "the soul of magic," and that to kill him would be to bring about magic's end. He gives her a cryptic warning in response:
%%-->'''Maltcassion''': You will face me on Sunday.
%%-->'''Jennifer''': No. I would never end magic!
%%-->'''Maltcassion''': If you fail to face me, Dragonslayer, then magic will ''destroy'' the kingdom! Everyone you love will perish! That is the truth.

%%* DiesWideOpen: [[spoiler: The Wizard Bloacklock takes an arrow in the back that was meant for Jennifer, and dies with his eyes open after begging her to save magic. She tearfully closes his eyes before charging off to stop Gordon from slaying Maltcassion.]]
%%* TheFashionista: Hermione Twizzle, the reporter who provides live updates from the Dragonlands and springs a surprise interview on Jennifer. She gets two costumes and seems to care much more about fashion than about actual news. When she's first introduced she's wearing a bright orange kimono mini-dress (complete with Geisha-inspired up-do) and bright pink heels. Her first interview question for Jennifer is what she's going to wear to slay the dragon, and follows it up with how she's going to accessorize to match her sword. On "Slay-Day" Hermione goes all out in a bright green "dragon" costume with a scale-pattern dress and chiffon wings.
%%-->'''Jennifer''': I'm not going to kill the dragon. Not unless it violates the pact, which looks ''very'' unlikely.
%%-->'''Hermione''': But Sunday is "Slay-Day"! We've all made costumes?

%%* GroupieBrigade: Sir Matt Grifflon is introduced as "the king's top knight and pop star," with a crowd of screaming women clamoring for his autograph in the background.
%%* HeroicSacrifice:
%%* InformedSpecies: Inverted -- the Quarkbeast is played by a regular dog, aside from some special effects sequences where it turns into a ball of glowing smoke. In the books, the Quarkbeast is described as having leathery scales, an armored tail, and rows and rows of teeth.
%%* LegacyOfTheChosen: {{Downplayed}}, but plays a bigger part than it did in the books where Jennifer's role as the Last Dragonslayer is known only to Brian Spalding the 2nd-to-last Dragonslayer, the Dragonslayers that came before him, and the Mighty Shandar (who wrote all their names on the sword Exhorbitus, most before they were even born). In the film, Mr. Zambini visits Brian Spalding to learn the name of the next Dragonslayer. Zambini then seeks out Jennifer and takes her under his wing, hoping to instill love and respect for dragons in her before she learns she's meant to slay the last of their kind. This causes Jennifer no small degree of angst, wondering if Zambini was only ever kind to her because he was trying to shape her worldview.
%%* NoBodyLeftBehind: [[spoiler: When Gordon shoots and kills the Quarkbeast, the body dissolves into smoke -- of course, only after Jennifer has had time to cry over it.]]
%%* OffOnATechnicality: Inverted -- Jennifer tells Maltcassion she won't kill him because the Dragonpact hasn't been violated. [[spoiler: She figured out that because he can't leave the Dragonlands]], he ''can't'' violate pact by harming another human or destroying human property. In response he tears the fabric of her signature cloak and technically "damaging human property" -- giving her [[spoiler: a crime to punish him for]].
%%* OlderThanTheyLook: Brian Spalding looks to be about 30-40, but admits to Jennifer that he's much older than that. See AgeLift above for details.
%%* PinnedToTheWall: The Wizard Bloacklock fires an arrow that catches the hood of Jennifer's cloak, pinning her to a crate.
%%* PlotHole: Jennifer passes an armored skeleton in the dragonlands -- the dragonlands that no man save the Dragonslayer or their apprentice would have been able to enter for hundreds of years.
%%* PowerFloats: The Wizard Moobin begins to float as he experiences a vision of Maltcassion's death. The same happens to the King's Seer when he receives an identical vision.
%%* ReadingsBlewUpTheScale: [[spoiler: ]]

%%* RibcageRidge: When Jennifer first explores the Dragonlands to find Maltcassion, she walks past a massive, moss-encrusted Dragon skull. Strangely enough, the rest of the bones seem to be missing.
%%* SchizoTech: Exaggerated all over the place:
%%** Vintage automobiles in varying states of repair exist alongside horse-drawn carts and pedal-powered cabs. The Dragonslayer's armored midcentury car and Sir Griffolon's sporty, early 20th century roadster stand in contrast to Mr. Zambini's modified volkswagen chassis, which is pulled by horses.
%%** Sir Grifflon wields a crossbow and a sword, while Gordon uses a shotgun and a pistol.
%%** There are bulky cathode-ray televsion sets in several scenes, including a Storefront Display across the street from a stall hawking "the latest gramophones."
%%* ShoehornedAcronym: [[spoiler: Jennifer figures out that the Mighty Shandar owns [=StuffCo=] when Tiger inadvertently stands in front of a copy of Shadar's trading charter, blocking out everything except the first letter of the words of "'''S'''handar '''T'''rading '''U'''tilities '''F'''ranchising & '''F'''inance '''Co'''mpany".]]
%%* SkunkStripe: Mr. Zambini has dark brown hair, but with a pale blonde streak just over his left eye.
%%* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Mother Zenobia's name, spelled with a "Z" in the books, is spelled "Xenobia" in the credits.
%%* StorefrontTelevisionDisplay:
%%** Jennifer, Mother Xenobia, and Tiger call their for their cab to stop just as they pass a window display of TVs broadcasting the "Hereford News", showing footage of Jennifer being dragged off to the king and announcing that she's the official Dragonslayer.
%%** A crowd of people can be seen watching Jennifer's interview on the same storefront display.
%%* StringTheory:
%%** When Mr. Zambini goes missing, Jennifer puts together a board with newspaper clippings, photographs, maps, string, and pushpins to try and gain insight into his whereabouts.
%%** After Jennifer and Tiger are able to gain access to Mr. Zambini's study, they find a similar conspiracy board on his walls -- Zambini's concerns the dragonlands, Shandar, and [[spoiler: [=StuffCo=]]].

%%* ThreateningShark: As magic near the Dragonlands starts to go haywire, a stray bolt strikes the earth [[spoiler; beneath the King's Seer's feet and transforms the ground]] into a massive shark that swallows him whole. The shark then swims through the dirt to menace other campers.
%%* TimePassesMontage: After Mr. Zambini disappears, Lady Mawgon puts up a "Missing" flyer in town. The camera slowly zooms in on the flyer as the weather changes, from day to night and from clear weather to rain, until the poster eventually falls.

%%* WitchClassic: Lady Mawgon wears a pointed witch's hat to complete her outfit. In the books, she's described as wearing black crinoline gowns, but no hat.

%%* BowAndSwordInAccord: The assassin who goes after Jennifer uses a sword and a bow from which he fires magically-created arrows.
%%* CanonForeigner: The Wizard Bloacklock, who tries on two occasions two assassinate Jennifer. [[spoiler: Turns out he was just trying to stop her from killing Maltcassion -- he also believes dragons are the source of all magic, and set out to stop her when it was announced that she was the last Dragonslayer.]]

%%* ColorMotif: Mr. Zambini wears a burgundy suit. At the beginning of the film, he magics up a burgundy cape-coat for Jennifer to wear. She continues to wear it throughout the film. When [[spoiler: Maltcassion needs to give Jennifer a reason to execute him for breaking the Dragonpact, he runs a claw through the fabric to fulfill the clause of "damaging human property." It's doubly meaningful, as Jennifer believes that slaying Maltcassion will put an end to magic and any chance she has of ever bringing Zambini back. Maltcassion seems to be unable to explain to her that slaying him will restore the balance of magic, so in damaging the cape (the visual link that ties her to Mr. Zambini), he's symbolically asking Jennifer to let go of Mr. Zambini.]]

%%* TheFashionista: Hermione Twizzle, the reporter who provides live updates from the Dragonlands and springs a surprise interview on Jennifer, has several exciting costume changes. When she's first introduced she's wearing a bright orange kimono mini-dress (complete with Geisha-inspired up-do) and bright pink heels; on "Slay-Day" she goes all out with a bright green "dragon" costume with a scale-pattern dress and chiffon wings.

%%* InformedSpecies: Inverted -- the Quarkbeast is played by a regular dog, aside from some special effects sequences where it turns into a ball of smoke and devours metal. In the books, the Quarkbeast is described as having leathery scales, an armored tail, and rows and rows of teeth.

%%** Vintage automobiles in varying states of repair exist alongside horse-drawn carts and pedal-powered cabs. The Dragonslayer's armored car and Sir Griffolon's sporty little roadster stand in contrast to Mr. Zambini's modified volkswagen, which has a settee bolted to the top.
%%* Sir Grifflon wields a crossbow and a sword, while Gordon uses a shotgun and a pistol.

%%* ThreateningShark: As magic near the Dragonlands starts to go haywire, a stray bolt strikes the earth [[spoiler; beneath the Royal Seer's feet and transforms the ground]] into a massive shark that swallows him whole. The shark then swims through the dirt to menace other campers.

** Seers like Kevin Zipp, Randolph the 14th Earl of Pembridge, and Sage O'Neil appear to have their own set of accolades, including "Inconsistent", "Remarkable", and "Blistering."

%%* StringTheory: =

%%* BigDamnHeroes: In the first scene nonetheless! Mr. Zambini appears in a swirl of smoke and snow to save the young orphan Jennifer from being dragged off to the Troll Wars.

%%* ChildSoldiers: As the film opens, ornery soldier Mr. Brittles shows up at the Orphanage where Jennifer and Tiger live to pull recruits for the Troll Wars, on the grounds that one of the orphans "ate cake that didn't belong to them" and thus needs punishment. He threatens to take ''all'' the orphans if he can't discern who broke the rules.

%%* OlderThanTheyLook: Brian Spalding looks to be about 30-40, but admits to Jennifer that he's much older than that.

%%* ChildhoodFriends: The film changes several relationships between characters:
%%** Jennifer and Tiger were friends back at the orphanage, before Mr. Zambini showed up to take Jennifer into indentured servitude -- in fact, Jennifer was the one to save Tiger from getting sent to the Troll War.
%%** Jennifer's assistant Dragonslayer, Gordon, was another orphan at the same orphanage (the one Mr. Brittles roused to ask who ate the cakes). He mentions that he was a bit older and shyer than Jennifer and Tiger.

%%* CompositeCharacter: The cast of characters is greatly reduced for the film, with only two wizards at Kazam (instead of the 40+ sorcerers and cook who live and work at Kazam in the book) -- the Wizard Moobin and Venerable Lady Mawgan are the only ones to make the cut. Since Kevin Zipp isn't a character in the film, Moobin is the one who has a vision of the last Dragon's death.

%%* TheFashionista: Hermione Twizzle, the reporter who provides live updates from the Dragonlands and springs a surprise interview on Jennifer, has several exciting costume changes. When she's first introduced she's wearing a bright orange kimono mini-dress (complete with Geisha-inspired up-do) and bright pink heels; on "Slay-Day" she goes all out with a bright green "dragon" costume with chiffon wings.

%%* StringTheory: When Mr. Zambini goes missing, Jennifer puts together a board with newspaper clippings, photographs, maps, string, and pushpins to try and gain insight into his whereabouts.