Are you looking for a show with representation? Heartfelt emotions? Intriguing relationships? Funny moments? Amazing fantasy world-building and lore?
Well, I’ve got the show for you.
First, let’s deal with the obvious -- the show I’m about to discuss is animated and aimed at children/preteens. However, neither of those aspects takes away from the greatness that is:
NETFLIX’S THE DRAGON PRINCE.
I believe animation (for all ages) is a worthy form of media, and I also think media aimed at different age groups can also have value if the writing is strong enough. If you agree with these things, please read on …
I’ve been vaguely aware of The Dragon Prince for a number of months now. I often watch ‘children’s’ shows and Ghibli films on Netflix when I need something light and comforting to relax and destress.
Two things instantly caught my eye. 1. Dragons. Anything with dragons in it is usually a winner for me. 2. An elf character with long, white hair and purple eyes. My A Song of Ice and Fire-loving self was intrigued.
Last week while on ‘Staycation’ I was looking for something new to watch, and through, why not give ‘The Dragon Prince’ a try?
By the end of the opening prologue, I was hooked.
Here’s the basic premise/ background from Wikipedia:
The continent of Xadia is rich in magic derived from six primal sources: the Moon, Sky, Sun, Earth, Ocean, and the Stars. The dragons, elves, and humans of Xadia once lived in peace until the humans, unable to utilize primal magic naturally, began to practice dark magic.
This newfound power was gifted to them by the ancient Startouch Elf Aaravos, which allowed them to draw in and utilize the life essence from magical creatures to manifest their spells at the cost of their spirit being corrupted. As a consequence, they were driven away to the western half of Xadia by the dragons and elves, and the continent was split in two.
Seven centuries later, Aaravos' machinations to cause further conflict between dragons and elves are exposed, resulting in his incarceration under the supervision of the King of the Dragons and Archdragon of the Sky, Avizandum, through an enchanted mirror.
Three centuries later, the human King Harrow of Katolis and his advisor, the dark mage Lord Viren, kill Avizandum. Viren then steals the egg of his unborn heir, the Dragon Prince; however, the world comes to believe that the egg was destroyed.
The show picks up the story some years into King Harrow’s reign as king and follows his two sons Callum and Ezran. It’s quickly discovered that in retaliation for Avizandum's death, Moonshadow Elf assassins have entered Katolis in an attempt to assassinate Harrow and his sons.
The story moves quickly from there, taking viewers to parts of Katolis and later Xadia, as an epic journey unfolds.
One thing I wasn’t expecting when I watched the prologue was for the show to have so many shades of grey. I thought at first “The humans killed magical creatures and practised dark magic, they’re bad,” but this couldn’t be further from the truth.
Callum and Ezran are good kids, and not responsible for the crimes of their father or ancestors. Likewise, while the elves, dragons and magical creatures of Xadia have indeed been oppressed and hunted, as the show goes on, it becomes clear not everyone from Xadia is a good person.
Another thing I wasn’t expecting was the representation. Maybe I’m used to Disney shows, only portraying CIS, Het, able-bodied characters and relationships. Instead, race (in the sense of people of colour) isn’t really a thing. Harrow is a man of colour, and Ezran is of mixed race. There’s a whole tribe of darker-skinned sun elves. There are characters with disabilities which don’t prevent them from being awesome warriors. There are multiple LGBTQA couples, and in season four a trans character is introduced.
I was pleasantly delighted with the representation.
In a similar vein, tough issues like mental health, trauma, grief, generational trauma, and racism are heavily featured in the show. I especially loved a storyline featuring the sun elves co-habiting with humans, and the humans not taking the sun elves’ mourning rituals seriously. It really highlights how important it is to respect other cultures, even when their practices are different from your own.
The fantasy world-building and lore are exceptional, with in-depth explorations of different types of magic, and different races -- there aren’t just ‘elves’ there are a number of different elves, such as the aforementioned sun elves, each with their own unique appearance, cultures and abilities -- magical creatures and planets.
Both Xadia and Katolis feel alive, and well-thought-out, with distinct differences from region to region.
One of the show’s biggest strengths is character development, and even side characters have complete arcs with challenges to overcome and room for growth. As proof of how good the character development is, there’s a character from season one who I disliked but is now one of my favourites. There’s also careful attention to continuity, with recurring minor characters throughout the six seasons.
The animation is rich and gorgeous, with of course the dragons being one of my favourite aspects. But I also love how the show represents each character and their distinct personalities through their clothing and accessories.
I’m no expert on voice acting, but nothing stood out to me as bad, and as far as I’m aware, the voice cast is just as diverse as the characters.
Of course, this is a kid’s show, and there is some immature humour including fart and poop jokes in season four. But on the whole, it wasn’t annoyingly childlike, with some parts I actually laughed out loud at.
The story is thought-provoking and engaging, with mysteries, twists and turns. There’s a clear arc for seasons 1-3, and then a two-year time jump when season 4 starts. Season four is the beginning of a second arc which was hinted at in the first seasons, and spans seasons 4-7. Sadly, season seven hasn’t aired on Netflix yet, so I don’t know how the story concludes.
I’ve read that there is a possibility of more seasons and additional arcs, and I really hope so. The world is so vast and rich that I could think of countless stories to tell in Xadia, Katolis and the surrounding kingdoms.
Each episode is only thirty minutes long, and each season is only nine episodes, so it’s super easy to binge-watch. I binge-watched the whole six seasons in a week. And now I have to wait until December for season seven. :( lol
The Dragon Prince has won two awards and has been nominated for several others, and it’s easy to understand why. The show is amazing.
If anyone is looking for a fun, fantasy story, with hidden depths, I suggest checking it out.
