DRAGON HUNTERS
3 out of 5 stars

well…HAPPY LUNAR NEW YEAR!!! i watched this a few weeks back, but decided to write a post/review about it since it features this year’s chinese zodiac animal: the RABBIT! :D



derived from the french animation series of the same name… dragon hunters is about a couple of chinese con artists named lian-chu (voiced by forest whitaker) and gwizdo (voiced by rob paulsen who does a lot of character voices), who get word that lord arnold is giving a hefty bounty/reward to the person who slays the infamous dragon called the world gobbler! it’s too bad that lord arnold is blind as a bat because upon feeling lian-chu’s ginormous size, he thinks lian-chu IS a real dragon hunter… teamed up with motor mouth gwizdo, hector the little blue mutant doggie who looks a look like stitch, and lord arnold’s adventurous niece zoe, they embark on a journey to take on the world gobbler, along with some other nasty creatures that seem to get in the way…


the animation in this is GORGEOUS, and i enjoyed this a lot due to the lush colors and contrast between when the world was a dark hellhole and the difference you see when the world is full of beauty and light. the characters are really funny and well developed, however i would have liked to have to had a more fleshed-out script. (the speaking is very minimal and it’s all about the animation in this one) i really liked that blue haired dog esp. his interactions with zoe! lian-chu is a gentle giant, and his back story is told very well…to the point of tears. it’s a sweet story about how an imaginative little girl still believes in heroes even in a dark foreboding world, and heroes can come in all different sizes and shapes! even hector is a hero! so, go ahead and watch this on netflix instant now with your favorite chinese dish…mine happens to be hot & sour soup with shrimp szechuan. ;)