[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dragon_ball_magic_begins.jpg]]

''Dragon Ball: The Magic Begins'' (七龍球　神龍的傳説 ''Qi long qiu Shen long de chuan shuo'', "New Dragon Ball: The Legend of Shenlong") is an unofficial 1991 Taiwanese movie about the ''Franchise/DragonBall'' franchise, with a few differences.

Okay, make that ''a [[AdaptationDeviation lot]]'' of differences. The movie actually is something of an adaptation of the ''Dragon Ball'' franchise, but using different names for the characters, but otherwise is at least [[PragmaticAdaptation somewhat faithful]], even if the story is more based around the ''[[Anime/DragonBallCurseOfTheBloodRubies Curse of the Blood Rubies]]'' movie.

An Ultimate Edition version was released in 2007, with remastered picture and sound, as well as new computer effects.

Compare with ''Film/DragonBallFightForVictorySonGoku'', a more faithful unofficial Korean live-action adaptation, and ''Film/DragonballEvolution'', the 2009 American live-action adaptation which received ''massive'' negative reviews.
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!! Tropes demonstrated in this movie:
* AdaptationNameChange: All over the place; Bulma becomes Seeto, Oolong becomes Piggy, Yamcha becomes La Ping/Westwood, and Grandpa Gohan is renamed, of all things, Sparkle. Oh, and despite what the title would have you believe, everyone's after the Dragon ''Pearls'', not Balls.
* AdaptationSpeciesChange: Piggy is a human described as a "pig-fairy", whereas Oolong is a pure pig. Likewise, Westwood's companion is not a cat, but a (non-shapeshifting) bird.
* CruelAndUnusualDeath: King Horn is defeated [[spoiler:by being fed all seven Dragon Pearls, prompting him to explode as Shenron appears]].
* DubNameChange:
** Sun Wukong and La Ping are renamed Monkey Boy and Westwood in the English dub.
** Averted somewhat in the Latin American Spanish dub, when Goku and Master Roshi retain their names, but anyone else still got their names from the original Chinese version.
* {{Expy}}: Most of the characters in the film, heck, Goku even ''[[LogicalExtreme becomes]]'' the character of legend he was based upon, [[Literature/JourneyToTheWest Sun Wukong]], the {{Monkey King|Lite}}!
* LetsGetDangerous: In the final battle against [[BigBad King Horn]] and his soldiers, the protagonists shows exactly how much asskicking they can deliver when they want to. But the prize goes to [[CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass Piggy]], who at first comes as a pervert shapeshifter, then develops to a LovableCoward, to becoming a ShoutOut of Franchise/{{Rambo}} more than capable to slaughter dozens of soldiers TheDragon of the movie with a machine gun and a few grenades.
* RelatedInTheAdaptation: Apparently Monkey Boy and Sparkle are related. Also, Monkey Boy and Piggy are descendants of the Monkey King and Pigsy from the legends.
* {{Mooks}}: King Horn's soldiers.
* SparedByTheAdaptation: Whereas Grandpa Gohan dies before the events of the story happen, here his counterpart Sparkle is merely captured and rescued at the end.
* StuffBlowingUp: Whenever King Horn and his soldiers are present, expect the dreams of Creator/MichaelBay to be shown onscreen in all their volatile glory.
* WireFu: It happens a lot, usually when Monkey Boy is flying around, and it's almost always noticeable.
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