Dragons and humans were once friends, but in ancient China, these imperial dragons were hunted for their powers. A young orphaned servant girl, Ping (Mayalinee Griffiths) discovers that their survival will come to depend on her, when she is tasked with feeding the ‘honoured guests’.  Must she fulfil her fate as it was laid out for her, or can she change it? As she grows in understanding, growing up she realizes she must choose her true destiny, regardless of the risks.  

Diao

This is an action- packed, highly entertaining film. Catalan director Salvador Simó is a supreme creative. He won many awards with his last film. “Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles” (2018) and has been the layout artist and conceptual artist behind many live-action films as well. These include “The Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No tales”, Skyfall (with Daniel Craig as James Bond), The Wolfman (with Benicio del Toro) as well as having a long CV of working with Disney in Paris and Barcelona, having studied animation in Los Angeles and worked with Bill Melendez there.

The film is set in ancient China with a Forbidden City for the dying emperor who is seeking the Pearl of Longevity to cure his ills. Meanwhile, Master Diao (a necromancer on the quiet, played by Antony Howell) also seeks to obtain it, in his attempts become immortal. Having earlier failed to save his frail mother, despite trying to obtain Dragon parts to cure her, he now seeks it entirely for himself hoping to become immortal.

There may be no Kung Fu in this movie, instead, we have the magical power of Chi, that powerfully resides within Ping, the little servant girl. Powers she was born with, but had only ever dreamed of, quite literally, and has no idea how to control.  This charming tale is quite dark but all is redeemed in the end.  Carole Wilkinson worked on the screenplay with Spaniards Pablo Castrillo, Ignacio Ferreras, Rosana Checchini and Wang Xianping.  Most of the characters are well-rounded, and there is much humour, as the story bounces along at a mad pace.  

 Personally, I have never been a fan of having a mouse as a mate, no matter how cute, but Hua Hua (voiced by Jonathan David Mellors), the dormouse, manages to carry it off, despite being a gimmick I don’t always find it successful. The relationships between Ping and dragon Danzi, as well as with the treacherous Wan Chao, are more rewarding and interesting.

This a story for all lovers of animation, mystery and drama. The backgrounds convey the vastness of the landscapes and the huge castle fort, but the real magic comes to life in the underground cave scenes, darker in colour and tone, these sequences shine. The artists have done a fine job with the lighting effects and luminosity of the Pearl of Longevity’ which turns out to be none other than an embryonic dragon egg.

The music that sounds totally Chinese in feel turns out to be composed by Arturo Cardelús. The main theme is catchy and the music is beautifully woven into the story, enhancing without interfering as is so often the case in these days.

The introduction gives us the background to the story, set in Imperial China when magic still existed, “No one remembers the dark times, when the threat of necromancers loomed over the world and humanity was on the verge of perishing. The emperor then turned to the only force capable of saving us. A sacred bond was formed between the dragons and a select few of pure heart who learned the secrets of their wisdom.” So why then get to the point where the few remaining dragons are kept in chains? 

The English version of the film cast boasts top celebrities like Bill Nighy as Danzi, and Bill Bailey as Wang Chao, two key characters. Ping is beautifully voiced by Mayalinee Griffiths, who is not much older than the character in the film and could be said to look like her too! A young talent, I am sure, of whom we will hear a great deal more

The animation is stunning (supervised by Animation Leads: Alex Angelis, Carlos Álvarez Zambello and Nacho Peña). The list of animators is vast including workers from China whose contribution is also significant.

It is a complex story with many layers and a small child might miss some of the subplots, but Ping’s fight to save the dragons leads the way without fault, with her magic powers, skill and big heart above all. It calls for a sequel, and given that Carole Wilkinson has now written six books on the theme, I would not be surprised if one comes along.

As Ping says at the end:

“I am a dragon keeper and you [Danzi] taught me that I am free, so I will change my destiny”

‘DRAGONKEEPER’ will come to Uk and Irish Cinemas from September 27th

Director: Salvador Simó and Jianping Li / Screenwriters: Pablo Castrillo / Ignacio Ferreras / Carole Wilkinson/ Rosana Checchini and Wang Xianping/ Production: Larry Levene, Fu Ruoqing / Pedro Pérez / Music: Arturo Cardelús / Editor: José Manuel Jiménez / Animation Lead: Alex Angelis, Carlos Álvarez Zambelli, Nacho Peña / Senior animator: Anthony Daniel/

English Cast:  Bill Nighy, Mayalinee Griffiths, Anthony Howell, Jonathan David Mellors, Bill Bailey, Guy Hedgecoe, Tony Jayawardena