Dragon's Lair (TV series)
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Article ImagesDragon's Lair is a television animated series by Ruby-Spears Productions based on the 1983 video game of the same name.[1] Thirteen half-hour episodes were produced and aired from September 8, 1984, to April 20, 1985, on ABC.[2]
Dragon's Lair | |
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Genre | Fantasy Animation Action Adventure Sword and sorcery |
Based on | |
Developed by | Ruby-Spears Productions |
Written by | Michael Charles Hill |
Voices of | Bob Sarlatte Ellen Gerstell Fred Travalena Michael Mish Arthur Burghardt Peter Cullen |
Narrated by | Clive Revill |
Composer | John Debney |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 13 |
Production | |
Running time | 30 minutes (including commercials) |
Production company | Ruby-Spears Productions |
Original release | |
Network | ABC |
Release | September 8 – December 1, 1984 |
Related | |
The series chronicles the adventures of Dirk the Daring, who is the best knight in the kingdom of King Ethelred. Dirk performs all sorts of great deeds while protecting the kingdom and his love Princess Daphne from the forces of the evil dragon Singe. In his adventures there are several original characters like his stallion Bertram, his squire Timothy, and arrogant knight Sir Hubert Blunt who is Dirk the Daring's rival.
Before each commercial break, Dirk the Daring faces a cliffhanger situation. In keeping with the spirit of the game, the storyteller narrates Dirk's options and asks the viewer "What would you do?" After the commercial break, the outcomes of the various choices were shown before Dirk acts on the correct idea (with the occasional exception) to advance the story.
Several enemies from the original game also make their appearance as adversaries: the Lizard King, the Phantom Knight, the Smithee, the Giddy Goons, and the Mudmen. In the episode "The Legend of the Giant's Name", an Ardu giant awakened by Singe forces Dirk to find his way out of an enchanted cave, which gradually transforms him into a skeleton, much like the death animations of the game.
Principal voice actors
- Bob Sarlatte as Dirk the Daring
- Ellen Gerstell as Princess Daphne
- Fred Travalena as King Ethelred
- Michael Mish as Timothy
- Arthur Burghardt as Singe the Dragon
- Peter Cullen as Bertram the Horse, Sir Hubert Blunt
- Clive Revill as Storyteller
- Marilyn Schreffler
- Michael Sheehan
- Alan Dinehart - Voice Director
- Howard Morris - Voice Director
On September 20, 2011, Warner Bros. released Dragon's Lair: The Complete Series on DVD in region 1 via their Warner Archive Collection. This is a Manufacture-on-Demand (MOD) release, available exclusively through Warner's online store and only in the US.[3]
- ^ Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 165. ISBN 978-1538103739.
- ^ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. p. 287. ISBN 978-1476665993.
- ^ "Wbshop.com". Archived from the original on 2020-06-27. Retrieved 2020-12-24.
- Dragon's Lair at IMDb
- Episode guide at the Big Cartoon DataBase