Okay, I’m not going to lie.

I downloaded this little gem illegally.

But..

My downloading it, has led to quite a bit of good.

Several people will be going to the cinema to see this beautiful piece of work on the big screen (if and when it reaches it) and at least four people will be purchasing the DVD. Two more people will be getting the DVD as a present. These are all people who would not being doing either were it not for my showing them the film. Also, without seeing it the way I did, I would not be able to write this review. Granted, I still feel just a little bit guilty, if only because ‘Dragon Hunters’ just is that good and I really wouldn’t want to damage the potential for more of the same from its studio.

I didn’t know what to expect and if I’m honest, I wasn’t expecting much. I hadn’t even looked at the IMDB entry until about thirty seconds before watching the film. Maybe that is for the best, because in not knowing, it will just blow you away even more.

Originally, ‘Dragon Hunters’ was a cartoon series created by Arthur Qwak with the French company Futurikon. I’ve tried to find information about the man and there is little on the Internet. Which seems a shame, as just from watching the film of ‘Dragon Hunters’, here seems a talent and eye for detail that could rightly give Pixar a run for its money.

Set in a dreamlike world of gently floating landmasses and giant lily pads, to say that ‘Dragon Hunters’ is lush and sumptuous is something of an understatement. There is something old school about ‘Dragon Hunters’, something that reminds me of the older great artists like Moebius or near forgotten works of art like Tezuka’s ‘Space Firebird’.

For a children’s animated film, there is an attention to detail rarely seen, which helps to make the film feel like it is more than just a cartoon. It seems like there is always something going on in the background, just like a real film. If distant small field covered globes aren’t spinning gently on their access, the sheep are doing something, or Hector is picking his nose and wiping it on someone. Okay, well the last one isn’t really in the background, but I had to include that somewhere. It is really refreshing to find directors, writers and animators who haven’t forgotten what children find funny.

Snot, farts, poo and people falling down in new and painful ways. The core building blocks of golden comedy.

The story centers around Gwizdo and Lian-Chu, two ragged would be knights who have forged a career in hunting and slaying dragons for the small townships and villages that litter the hundreds of floating worlds that make up their reality. Raffish, while they succeed in their tasks, they have an air of ‘Steptoe & Son’ as they never seem to make any money. A classic pairing that reminds of Devito and Schwarzenegger, Gwizdo is the fast talking schemer and Lian-Chu is the big-hearted warrior who as a stroke of genius also happens to be an avid knitter. They also have a purple pet rabbit-dog-dragon-thing called Hector who provides most of the comic relief.

The other central character is Zoë, a niece to old world Lord Arnode, an old Dragon Hunter, sat now waiting for the end in his fortress. Zoë is a little girl wrapped up in fairytales about dragon hunters and one day hopes to be one herself. It is Zoë that enlists the help of Gwizdo and Lian-Chu to hunt down and destroy the dreaded ‘World Gobbler’. The biggest dragon in the world that returns every twenty years to wreck destruction on the floating worlds of ‘Dragon Hunters’.

While the detail, scenery and characters alone make this a captivating film. The range of monsters and dragons push it over the edge. Then there’s the comedy, some of which is just perfect genius. In particular, a scene involving a fleeing Knight, which would not be out of place from a Monty Python, Peter Sellers or Peter Cook feature. The soundtrack is also top notch and features an original ‘Cure’ track. I think I’m going to have to buy that as well, it seems to accompany everything – from writing to sitting in an isolation pod forgetting the world.

I hope this is the start of a franchise. I look forward to seeing the differences between the film and TV series when I order from Amazon. It really is good to see the market widening both in choice and talent. Even if you don’t have children, this is still a perfect movie for chilling out to on a lazy Sunday afternoon.