Written by: Kevin Berge
10-year-old Kevin would tell you everything is better with dragons. 26-year-old Kevin would still agree. (Image Courtesy of: barnesandnoble.com)
Quick Take: The Dragon Prince Season 1 shows a surprising amount of empathy and depth that makes all of its main characters stand out in a story that feels far too short over its nine episodes. It is a fantastic introduction to a new show that is mainly let down by lazy animation and voice acting.
***This review will serve more as an introduction to The Dragon Prince rather than a focus on its events. There will not be spoilers beyond the set up in the debut episode.***
Over the past few years, I have found myself intensely seeking out TV shows that I would have loved as a kid, new and old. Being an adult can be frustrating and boring, so it's nice to escape to the adventure stories that I loved growing up.
Every generation has good TV shows of all varieties, but the modern era has a bigger bloat of options than any before due to the influx of streaming services. Suddenly, it is the options are so vast that it is difficult to pick out the right shows to watch.
The Dragon Prince almost went under the radar for me. Beyond a handful of good reviews and its running label as the "next" Avatar the Last Airbender (due to being co-created by Aaron Ehasz, head writer of Avatar) I had heard nothing about it as more than just some Netflix original animated series.
Luckily, it is exactly what I would have loved when I was younger. It is an adventure series that deserves better than just being directly compared to Avatar, one of the greatest animated series ever made, as it may never live up to that but is still worth investing in on its own merits.
Where The Dragon Prince works impressively well to start is introducing its world. Humans are the outliers, even the villains in this tale, as they turned to dark magic and were cast aside by elves and dragons. In retaliation, they killed the dragon king and his heir, the unborn prince.
For this act, the world is at the brink of war, and we are introduced to King Harrow's stepson Callum and young heir Ezran just as elven assassins are approaching the kingdom, seeking revenge by killing the king and his heir including a young talented assassin Rayla.
In simplest terms, The Dragon Prince is about race relations as fantasy often can be. It's about understanding that there is more to these people than whether they are human or elves but their background defines their personality and motivations.
Over the past few years, I have found myself intensely seeking out TV shows that I would have loved as a kid, new and old. Being an adult can be frustrating and boring, so it's nice to escape to the adventure stories that I loved growing up.
Every generation has good TV shows of all varieties, but the modern era has a bigger bloat of options than any before due to the influx of streaming services. Suddenly, it is the options are so vast that it is difficult to pick out the right shows to watch.
The Dragon Prince almost went under the radar for me. Beyond a handful of good reviews and its running label as the "next" Avatar the Last Airbender (due to being co-created by Aaron Ehasz, head writer of Avatar) I had heard nothing about it as more than just some Netflix original animated series.
Luckily, it is exactly what I would have loved when I was younger. It is an adventure series that deserves better than just being directly compared to Avatar, one of the greatest animated series ever made, as it may never live up to that but is still worth investing in on its own merits.
Where The Dragon Prince works impressively well to start is introducing its world. Humans are the outliers, even the villains in this tale, as they turned to dark magic and were cast aside by elves and dragons. In retaliation, they killed the dragon king and his heir, the unborn prince.
For this act, the world is at the brink of war, and we are introduced to King Harrow's stepson Callum and young heir Ezran just as elven assassins are approaching the kingdom, seeking revenge by killing the king and his heir including a young talented assassin Rayla.
In simplest terms, The Dragon Prince is about race relations as fantasy often can be. It's about understanding that there is more to these people than whether they are human or elves but their background defines their personality and motivations.
This show would be so much better if all the main characters were dragons instead of boring humans. (Image Courtesy of: slashfilm.com)
The young characters at the center are so well fleshed out quickly that it becomes easy to root for them. Rayla is the most engaging and complex character, but Callum's growth and Ezran's fearless heroics both give a drive to the story that makes basically everyone else feel like a threat even when they are trying to do right.
This is all despite the first season being only nine episodes long and the voice acting often being iffy. Jack DeSena (Avatar: The Last Airbender) far outshines his counterparts though Paula Burrows (The Dangers of Online Dating) is mainly let down by her inconsistent accent and does well in the role otherwise.
The writing simply far outshine everything else and makes this a tale that lives and breathes the emotional honesty needed in animated stories aimed at a younger audience. It is so well written that I think it has the type of universal effect other great kids shows also carry.
Its animation style is the primary quality holding it back. TV animation has grown shakier over the years as technology has advanced and allowed creators easier options that often get lazy. The Dragon Prince has a mix of quality over its run time with some genuinely beautiful uses of its CGI animation and some awkward attempts.
This does not make the show hard to watch at any point, but it does make it harder to get into at first and occasionally forces the viewer to forgive rougher scenes. I am willing to forgive and forget almost entirely as I genuinely consider this some of the most fun TV I have watched in a while.
At a short run time with a simple but effective story, The Dragon Prince is a breeze of a viewing experience that's first season can be watched entirely in one sitting without issue.
As I prepare to go forward into the second season, I also find myself already wanting to go back to rewatch the first. It feels like being a kid again, thinking about this show.
This is all despite the first season being only nine episodes long and the voice acting often being iffy. Jack DeSena (Avatar: The Last Airbender) far outshines his counterparts though Paula Burrows (The Dangers of Online Dating) is mainly let down by her inconsistent accent and does well in the role otherwise.
The writing simply far outshine everything else and makes this a tale that lives and breathes the emotional honesty needed in animated stories aimed at a younger audience. It is so well written that I think it has the type of universal effect other great kids shows also carry.
Its animation style is the primary quality holding it back. TV animation has grown shakier over the years as technology has advanced and allowed creators easier options that often get lazy. The Dragon Prince has a mix of quality over its run time with some genuinely beautiful uses of its CGI animation and some awkward attempts.
This does not make the show hard to watch at any point, but it does make it harder to get into at first and occasionally forces the viewer to forgive rougher scenes. I am willing to forgive and forget almost entirely as I genuinely consider this some of the most fun TV I have watched in a while.
At a short run time with a simple but effective story, The Dragon Prince is a breeze of a viewing experience that's first season can be watched entirely in one sitting without issue.
As I prepare to go forward into the second season, I also find myself already wanting to go back to rewatch the first. It feels like being a kid again, thinking about this show.