History OurDragonsAreDifferent / FIlm

[[quoteright:320:[[WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/How-to-Train-Your-Dragon-2_3414.jpg]]]]

[[OurDragonsAreDifferent Dragons]] are even cooler on the big screen.

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!!Films -- Animated

* In [[Disney/{{Fantasia}} ''Fantasia 2000'']], a dragon can be seen among the various mythical creatures (the others being a unicorn and a gryphon) that were mocking the animals that were boarding [[Literature/TheBible Noah's Ark]], and is presumably drowned in the flood.
* In ''Anime/FinalFantasyVIIAdventChildren'', Kadaj manages to use Yuffie's Materia to summon a Bahamut, Bahanut SIN. A wicked, twisted looking Western dragon with ram's horns on its head and the ability to blast blue fire/plasma bolts.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheFlightOfDragons'' is a generic fantasy stored InspiredBy the art book The Flight of Dragons by Peter Dickinson (described on the [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/OurDragonsAreDifferent/Literature Literature]] page). The dragons are able to fly despite their large size because they generate hydrogen gas within their bodies, and breathe fire when they exhale said gas. Most of the dragons pictured are Western-style and have extremely varied coloration and horn combinations, although one Eastern-style dragon does appear.
* ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon'' is a master of this trope. It has a bewildering variety of dragons: the Night Fury pictured here (very fast, with a BreathWeapon like a [[WaveMotionGun turbolaser]]), the Monstrous Nightmare (can [[WreathedInFlames emit flame from its entire skin]]), the Gronkle (looks like a huge, [[StoneWall armored bumblebee]]), the Zippleback (one head breathes gas, the other head lights it), the Nadder (can shoot spikes out of its tail), the Terrible Terror (is [[KillerRabbit pretty dangerous despite its small size]]) and [[spoiler: the [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Green Death]] ([[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever big enough to chew up a longboat]], club tail, [[RedRightHand six eyes]], firepower enough to blow away the entire grounded fleet with one burn, kept ALL the other dragons [[SlaveMooks in thrall]])]], and many more given a passing mention in The Dragon Manual (dragonslayers' textbook). All of these are [[DragonRider trainable]] [[spoiler:(except for the Green Death)]] and at least semisentient. [[spoiler: They aren't bright enough to have a 'side', though, which makes Stoick's [[MistakenForCheating accusation]] that "you've [[HeelFaceTurn thrown your lot in]] with ''them!''" seem kinda silly.]]
** ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon2'' adds more, the most notable of these being the absolutely gigantic (bigger than anything we've seen before) ice-breathing sea dragons called "Bewilderbeasts," and the Stormcutter, a slightly owl-like dragon with four wings that form an X shape when it flies when viewed from the front.
* Mushu in ''Disney/{{Mulan}}'' is an Eastern dragon reduced to being a PluckyComicRelief EmpathyPet. His lack of powers may be due to his being demoted after failing as a family guardian. He claims that his small stature is intentional ("I'm travel-sized for your convenience"), but is most likely a bluff. He can breathe fire (a little) and fly (with help), which comes in handy later on.
* The huge dragon from ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}'' at first appears to be an old-fashioned monstrous Western Dragon, but is soon revealed to be [[ItCanThink surprisingly intelligent]]. And [[SamusIsAGirl female]]. [[SpeechImpairedAnimal Although she isn't capable of human speech]] ''per se'', she's capable of grunts, growls, and other sounds that work as a language well enough for Donkey, at least, to understand. [[HilarityEnsues Hilarity]], and {{squick}} if you recall the end of the second movie, ensue. HotSkittyOnWailordAction ensues, is more like it.
* [[OneWingedAngel Dragon]] [[ScaledUp Maleficent]] from Disney's ''Disney/SleepingBeauty''.
* The dragons in ''Animation/SonOfTheWhiteHorse'' are, well...the Three Headed Dragon is made of rock, the Seven Headed Dragon looks like a tank bristling with cannons, and the Twelve Headed Dragon is blocky beast with electronic faces.
* In ''Disney/TheSwordInTheStone'', Merlin objects to Madame Mim's turning into a dragon. Mim retorts that she didn't say anything about purple dragons, [[LoopholeAbuse only pink ones]].
%%* Elliot from ''Film/PetesDragon1977''.
%%* ''Disney/TheReluctantDragon''.
%%* Figment from the Ride/DisneyThemeParks.

!!Films -- Live-Action
* The great flying creatures in ''Film/{{Avatar}}'' are typically referred to as 'dragons' by fans who've forgotten their canon names. And they do look much like dragons combined with fish. They are given the names Mountain Banshee for the smaller animals and Great Leonopteryx for the larger of the two. They're [[DragonRider used as mounts]] thanks to a [[BondCreatures neural link]], although there's a particularly big and nasty variant that it takes a great hero to tame. The native Na'vi call them Ikran and Toruk, the latter of which means [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast "Last Shadow"]]. (last one you'll ever see) It's much like the Pandora version of an Eagle, an aerial apex predator. The only difference is that their [[GiantFlyer wingspan can exceed 30 meters]]. Unlike their smaller cousins, they have two tails, fully developed legs, vicious claws, and an axe-shaped crest on their heads.
* The dragons in ''Film/DWar'' follow traditional Korean depictions of the creatures.
* ''Film/{{Dragonheart}}'' features a very classic dragon in the modern, post-''Dungeons and Dragons'' tradition. Draco is intelligent, well-spoken, huge, fire-breathing, and has four legs in addition to his wings. He also has specific magical properties that are vital to the plot.
** And he is [[RuleOfSeanConnery Sean Connery]]
** In the sequel, an eastern style dragon is introduced, although he is evil and seems to have the same abilities as the western dragons (he does turn human, but that was forced on him rather than being a power). A young dragon is also introduced with ice breath in addition to fire.
* The [[Creator/{{Syfy}} Sci Fi Channel]] gives us "Dragon Fighter" where dragons are portrayed (almost refreshingly) as unintelligent, non-kaiju-sized descendants of dinosaurs. The CGI model for the beast looks like an ash-colored megalosaurus with bat wings and a ring of spikes around its neck. The flames apparently allow it to "kill much more quickly". No explanation is offered as to how it resolves the issue of incinerating half the edible meat of its prey.
* ''Film/{{Dragonslayer}}'' features a dragon called Vermithrax Pejorative, who fulfills many old-school dragon traditions. Vermithrax is a satanic force on the world, feeding on virgins and living in a cave under a lake of fire. She cannot speak and does not seem to be particularly intelligent. Physically she lacks forelimbs and walks on the ground like a giant bat. The film portrayed the creature using "go-motion," which was fairly high-tech back then and still looks pretty darn good.
* ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'':
** King Ghidorah is loosely based on the Yamata-No-Orochi (A dragon of Japanese folkore), albeit one with only three-heads instead of eight (This is [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in ''[[Film/GodzillaMothraKingGhidorahGiantMonstersAllOutAttack GMK]]'' which explains that Ghidorah isn't fully mature enough to have grown all eight heads). Another inspiration is the Greek Hydra (spelled "Hidora" in Japan). Ghidorah has three heads, spits lightning-like "gravity beams", and its backstory has been everything from a planet-killing space monster to a genetically engineered amalgam creature created by time travelers, to being the Orochi.
*** Later Toho films have introduced two "relatives"; Desghidorah, and Keizer Ghidorah. Unlike King Ghidorah, Desghidorah and Keizer Ghidorah are quadrupedal in addition to their wings. Des can breathe fire, and Keizer is the OneWingedAngel form of Monster X.
** Likewise, [[Film/{{Atragon}} Manda]] is loosely based upon a typical Eastern dragon.
** While technically a [[SeaMonster mutated sea monster that spews radiation instead of fire]], Godzilla bears some traits similar to that of Japanese Dragons (e.g. living under the ocean and wreaking havoc if disturbed or enraged). For the record, it should be pointed out that Godzilla has always been a mutated animal according to WordOfGod, and that he has more in common with ''Film/TheBeastFromTwentyThousandFathoms'' than with Japanese mythology.
* ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' films envisioned the Fell Beasts (the Nazgûls' flying mounts) as a type of wyvern (one pair of legs, one set of wings, no BreathWeapon). They are depicted with serpentine bodies and a wingspan greater than their own length.
** And of course, Smaug from ''Film/TheHobbit''. His design is closer to the 'wyvern' shape with two sets of wing-forelimbs and tiny legs. But according to the production staff he also has certain elements of Eastern Dragons mixed in, as evidenced by his long, serpentine body shape and slithering movements. He resembles the dragon Vermithrax in a lot of ways, only being a ''lot'' [[GiantFlyer bigger]]. The featurettes say they were trying to depict a dragon that could actually fly without violating the laws of physics, hence a wingspan "bigger than a 747 jumbo" and a total body length of 131 meters. He's also fully sentient, FauxAffablyEvil, plays with his food, ''terrifyingly'' intelligent, vain, greedy, and cruel.
* Falkor from the ''Film/TheNeverEndingStory'', very different.
* The 2016 reboot of Disney's ''Pete's Dragon'' drops Elliot's original, more reptilian appearance in favor of a look that is much more mammalian and canine due to the more grounded and down-to-Earth nature that this new version of the movie has.
* The dragons in ''Film/ReignOfFire'' are pretty standard dragons without forelimbs. The same studio also made ''Dragonslayer'', so Disney must like Wyverns as villains. Their dragonbreath is [[AppliedPhlebotinum scienced away]] by asserting that they spit out two reactive chemicals (if you look closely, their breath comes from the corners of their mouths). The film claims that dragons are responsible for all mass extinctions on earth. After their food source dies off, they hibernate until awoken again. The only real distinguishing feature of the dragons in the film is that they only have a single male in the entire world, which is much larger than the females.
* ''Franchise/StarWars''
** From the beginning, the franchise has had the Krayt Dragons of Tatooine: giant, nonsentient carnivorous lizards and just about some of the nastiest critters in the entire galaxy far, far away. Obi-wan scared the Sandpeople away from Luke by imitating the Krayt mating call, and the skull and backbone behind C-3PO when he first sees the Jawa sandcrawler was that of a Greater Krayt. Krayt Dragons only appear directly in the ExpandedUniverse.
** In the Prequel Trilogy, the planet Utapau is home to a wide variety of dragonlike creatures used as mounts. Western-style winged dragons are seen in the background, and Obi-Wan Kenobi rides on an Eastern-style dragon, complete with lionlike mane of colorful feathers (in fact, several fans think that this creature is a smaller, friendlier variety of Krayt Dragon).
** Also from the ExpandedUniverse: the Duinuogwuin, or Star Dragons, are sentient and (mostly) peaceful. Their bodies are centipede-like, and they are capable of fire-breathing (allegedly powered by cold fusion) and unassisted interstellar travel. When they mate, there is a high chance that their offspring will be either ravening beasts or outright evil monsters that the parents will have to either destroy or abandon on a planet, which has led to numerous dragon-like species in the galaxy, such as the aforementioned Krayt dragons, arising from populations of abandoned monstrous Duinuogwuin offspring.
** The flying thing seen briefly on Kamino in a shot in episode 2 is technically a sort of flying fish/whale cross, but it looks enough like a dragon for this trope to apply.
** The Legends continuity had a great variety of non-sentient dragon-like animals, such as the likely extinct Arkanian dragons and the condor dragons of the mountains of the Moon of Endor.
* The Eborsisk from ''Film/{{Willow}}'' is described as a 'dragon', but bears almost no resemblence to your average dragon aside from the fact that it can breathe fire. The ting has two heads with bizarre stony growths, a pair of forelimbs and three pairs of vestigial hind legs.
* The dragons in ''Film/WizardsOfTheDemonSword'' are mundane animals who resemble dinosaurs.
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** And of course, Smaug from ''Film/TheHobbit''. His design is closer to the 'wyvern' shape with two sets of wing-forelimbs and tiny legs. But according to the production staff he also has certain elements of Eastern Dragons mixed in, as evidenced by his long, serpentine body shape and slithering movements. He resembles the dragon Vermithrax in a lot of ways, only being a ''lot'' [[GiantFlyer bigger]]. The featurettes say they were trying to depict a dragon that could actually fly without violating the laws of physics, hence a wingspan "bigger than a 747 jumbo" and a total body length of 131 meters. He's also fully sentient, FauxAffablyEvil, plays with his food, ''terrifyingly'' intelligent, GenreSavvy, vain, greedy, and cruel.

* The 2016 reboot of Disney's ''Pete's Dragon'' drops Elliot's original, more reptilian appearance in favor of a look that is much more mammalian and canine due to the more grounded and down-to-Earth nature that this new version of the movie has.