Whenever anyone asks me about my favorite animal, I usually say dragons, and I’m only sort of kidding. The jury’s still out on whether they truly existed, but in my heart and mind, no other animal can rival their majesty.
As a Rankin/Bass fangirl with lots of cartoon hand-me-downs from my older brothers, I came into contact with dragons early on—perhaps too early? Upon rewatching the The Hobbit as an adult, I realized that shit is terrifying. Nevertheless, Smaug cemented my respect and admiration for the creatures, and ever since, I’ve gravitated toward movies where they take a front seat in the plot (or at least ride dirty in a sidecar).
All’s to say, I’m extremely qualified to write this Official Movie Dragon Ranking, according to myself. And I’m prepared to defend my choices to the death. My DMs are open; @ me if you must. You may protest the inclusion of some of the live-action films on this list. But it’s my list, and I’ll do what I want. Practically, all movie dragons are animated anyway.
Before we dive into the picks, I wanted to give a short preface on my rigorously scientific methodology.
The dragons:
They’re from some of my favorite movies, and I left out anything that sucks. (Cough, Beowulf.)
For movies with multiple versions, I chose the original because, let’s face it, it’s almost always better.
The categories (scored from 1 to 5):
Temperament: Basically, are they gonna to eat me? Or give me sage advice? I, personally, would prefer to have an enlightening conversation with a mythical creature, rather than have to fight for my life, but to each their own.
Fire power: We’re talkin’ flame hang time and sheer destructive force, baby.
Aesthetic: This is largely about wings but size and scales also factor in.
Miscellaneous: Every ranking needs the equivalent of that one kitchen drawer with the loose rubber bands, birthday candles, and Taco Bell hot sauce packets.
(For transparency’s sake, here’s my raw data.)
15. Devon and Cornwall from Quest for Camelot (4/20)
I could write an entire article about how this two-headed idiot is a disgrace to the entire race of dragons. They’re annoying, incompetent, and completely lopsided. I’m truly unclear how they remain upright during the movie, which is also not amazing.
14. The Dragon from BBC’s Merlin (8/20)
Low marks for burning Nimue and allowing mere vines conjured by Merlin to best him. It’s shameful.
13. The Eborisk from Willow (9/20)
This dragon has meager fire power (despite having two heads) and a real foul personality. We can’t expect much of a creature that evolved from trolls though.
12. Eustace Clarence Scrubb from The Chronicles of Narnia (11/20)
Although a bit of a sod as a human boy, he’s got a cool name, looks fine, and can breath fire. Check, check, check.
11. Elliott from Pete’s Dragon (12/20)
He’s more like a puppy than a dragon, and despite being a little flat aesthetically, he gets points for a strong jaw.
10. Mushu from Mulan (12/20)
Mushu is a solid mixture of funny, loyal, and unintentionally wise. But he loses some points for being very small and lacking fire power.
9. Dragon, Donkey’s beloved, from Shrek (13/20)
I like that she’s pink and thinks Donkey is a snack (at first literally and later romantically).
8. Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty (13/20)
A purple dragon with green fire who lives in a castle surrounded by thorns is a pretty dope visual concept. And she is a human, after all, with complex emotions, so I wanted to give her a small break on temperament.
7. The mother dragon in Sucker Punch (14/20)
Besting this beauty is one of the most thrilling and creative adventures the characters embark on in the film, partly because of her massive fire power. Her baby, who has a magical crystal lodged in its gullet, also makes a cameo.
6. Saphira from Eragon (15/20)
A solid specimen aesthetically and temperamentally, what’s really remarkable about Saphira is her backstory. She’s thought, at least initially, to be one of the last remaining dragons in the land and hatches from a gorgeous blue egg.
5. All the dragons in The Flight of Dragons (16/20)
I couldn’t pick just one dragon from this incredible 1982 Rankin/Bass cartoon, so I mashed them together.
A perfect score in the miscellaneous category comes from this genius explanation of how dragons’ affinity for sparkly stuff, flight, and fire are all interconnected.
4. Haku from Spirited Away (16/20)
Another swoon-worthy dragon on the list, Haku would have earned a perfect score if he could only breathe substantial fire. I get that he’s a water dragon and all, but to me, a dragon without fire power is like New York City without the weirdos: perhaps less dangerous but also just sadder.
3. Smaug from Rankin/Bass’ The Hobbit (17/20)
Despite being an excellent conversationalist and riddle extraordinaire, Smaug does eventually turn on Bilbo to protect his stash of gold (as any good dragon would do, to be fair).
He got full marks for fire power, but he is one ugly dragon. His scales are the color of baby food, and he’s missing a crucial one over his heart, which ultimately leaves him vulnerable to defeat.
2. Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon (18/20)
How could this cutie not make an appearance high on the list? Bonus points for being the only dragon to ever make me ugly cry.
1. Draco from Dragonheart (20/20)
Draco, voiced by the mellifluous Sean Connery, gets a perfect score. I mean, he gives HALF OF HIS HEART to a human in the hopes that he will one day become a kind and benevolent king. Unfortunately, that kid turned out to be a real asshole.
At one point during the 1996 flick, Draco even lights an entire field on fire—but only after he makes sure that the villagers have moved out of harm’s way.
Complete with eyebrows and lips that move in a convincingly emotional way, Draco was also a feat for CGI at the time. And he’s kinda hot. (Hey, it’s a thing.)*
* Eds. note: Christina notably did not include any of the Dragon Ball dragons, Vermithrax Pejorative from Dragonslayer, or any of the dragons in Reign of Fire. Moreover, this is a Movie Dragons ranking, and so Azymondias from The Dragon Prince and the ICONIC dragon Peepers from Dexter’s Laboratory did not qualify for it, as glorious as they are. We remain in awe of their splendor.
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