''Blazing Dragons'' is an animated television series created by

Terry Jones Terence Graham Parry Jones (1 February 1942 – 21 January 2020) was a Welsh comedian, director, historian, actor, writer and member of the Monty Python comedy team. After graduating from Oxford University with a degree in English, Jones and ...

and

Gavin Scott Gavin Duncan Scott (born 1950) is an English novelist, broadcaster and writer of the Emmy-winning mini-series ''The Mists of Avalon'', '' Small Soldiers'', ''The Borrowers'' and ''Legend of Earthsea''. He spent ten years making films for British ...

, and produced by Nelvana and Ellipse Animation. A coinciding

graphic adventure An adventure game is a video game genre in which the player assumes the role of a protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and/or puzzle-solving. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based m ...

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

was released for the original

PlayStation is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a divisi ...

and

Sega Saturn The is a home video game console developed by Sega and released on November 22, 1994, in Japan, May 11, 1995, in North America, and July 8, 1995, in Europe. Part of the fifth generation of video game consoles, it was the successor to the succ ...

in 1996 by

Crystal Dynamics Crystal Dynamics, Inc. is an American video game developer based in San Mateo, California and part of Embracer Group. The studio developed the '' Gex'', ''Legacy of Kain'', and ''Tomb Raider'' series. Founded in 1992 by Madeline Canepa, Judy L ...

. The video game features the voice talents of several celebrities. The series'

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...

s are

anthropomorphic Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics t ...

dragons A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...

who are beset by evil humans, reversing a common story convention. The series parodies that of the

King Arthur King Arthur ( cy, Brenin Arthur, kw, Arthur Gernow, br, Roue Arzhur) is a legendary king of Britain, and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In the earliest traditions, Arthur appears as a ...

Tales as well as the periods of the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

. From 1996 to 1998, ''Blazing Dragons'' was produced by

Nelvana Nelvana Enterprises, Inc. (; previously known as Nelvana Limited, sometimes known as Nelvana Animation and simply Nelvana or Nelvana Communications) is a Canadian animation studio and entertainment company owned by Corus Entertainment. Founded ...

in Canada and

Ellipse Programme Ellipsanime (formerly known as Le Studio Ellipse, Ellipse Programme and Ellipse Animation) is a French animation studio that produces television programs. It was founded in 1987. In February 2000 it merged with Expand SA; Expand sold the company t ...

in France. In the series, King Allfire and his Knights of the Square Table fight against the evil Count Geoffrey and his inept minions. It ran for two seasons consisting of 26 episodes in total. The cartoon episodes that ran in the United States, namely

Toon Disney Toon Disney was an American multinational pay television channel owned by Disney Channels Worldwide, a subsidiary of Disney-ABC Television Group. The channel's target audience was children ages 2–11, and children ages 6–13 during the Jetix ...

, were

bowdlerised Expurgation, also known as bowdlerization, is a form of censorship that involves purging anything deemed noxious or offensive from an artistic work or other type of writing or media. The term ''bowdlerization'' is a pejorative term for the practi ...

. Parts of episodes considered too overt, such as the implied homosexuality of an

effeminate Effeminacy is the embodiment of traits and/or expressions in those who are not of the female sex (e.g. boys and men) that are often associated with what is generally perceived to be feminine behaviours, mannerisms, styles, or gender roles, rath ...

character named Sir Blaze, and minor swearing, were cut for the American release, as such matters were deemed

taboo A taboo or tabu is a social group's ban, prohibition, or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, sacred, or allowed only for certain persons.''Encyclopædia Britannica ...

to American children's programming at the time. Although the voice actors are of Canadian and American nationality in real life, they voiced some of the characters with British accents (mainly the dragons were given that aforementioned accent), while some characters, such as Count Geoffrey, had Canadian accents, and Merle the Wizard has an American accent.

Characters

Dragons

* Squire Flicker: The main character of the series, a

squire In the Middle Ages, a squire was the shield- or armour-bearer of a knight. Use of the term evolved over time. Initially, a squire served as a knight's apprentice. Later, a village leader or a lord of the manor might come to be known as a " ...

under Sir Loungelot, he happily accepts any task his master gives him. Flicker longs for the day he'll become a Dragon Knight himself, yet it seems the only reason he's not is that Loungelot typically takes credit for Flicker's heroic deeds. He is secretly in love with Princess Flame though he is very shy about showing it. Flicker is generally smarter and more competent than the Knights, and is a Machinist far ahead of his time even though his inventions do not always go well as he planned. In Season 2, he is also deemed as a fellow knight aside from being a squire. * Princess Flame: The daughter of King Allfire and stepsister of Blaze. Like Flicker, she also appears to be smarter and more competent than the Knights, though on a lesser scale. She is somewhat of a

tomboy A tomboy is a term for a girl or a young woman with masculine qualities. It can include wearing androgynous or unfeminine clothing and actively engage in physical sports or other activities and behaviors usually associated with boys or men. W ...

and will go through great lengths to save herself, the knights and/or the kingdom such as fighting in a tournament. She has a deep crush on Flicker. In season one, Flame was purple-haired (although often concealed by a

veil A veil is an article of clothing or hanging cloth that is intended to cover some part of the head or face, or an object of some significance. Veiling has a long history in European, Asian, and African societies. The practice has been prominent ...

), but in season two, she became a blonde. Her role seemed to diminish in season two. * King Allfire: King Allfire is the king of Camelhot, the head of the Knights of the Square Table, and married to Queen Griddle. King Allfire is also wielder of the legendary sword Excaliburn, but rarely uses it since he is semi-retired from fighting. * Queen Griddle: The second wife of King Allfire. She is the daughter of the gigantic Queen Mum, and is infatuated with Sir Loungelot. Griddle is also very short-tempered, and tends to get violent when angry. Due to her robustness, she is often the butt of many fat jokes. * Sir Loungelot: Head Knight of the Square Table, but as his name implies, is an incredibly lazy knight. Loungelot loves gambling, sleeping, and most of all food, especially pastries (such as biscuits, which he calls "bickies"). Loungelot rarely proves to be a useful companion in quests (though he is sometimes shown to be a good fighter) and often tries to get out of them except if it involves rescuing a

damsel in distress The damsel in distress is a recurring narrative device in which one or more men must rescue a woman who has either been kidnapped or placed in general peril. Kinship, love, or lust (or a combination of those) gives the male protagonist the motiv ...

or if threatened/forced by King Allfire. Despite these shortcomings, Loungelot is the favourite knight of the King and especially Queen Griddle. This is because he kisses up to her and invariably takes credit for Flicker's successes. The King and Queen, however, seem to be oblivious to Flicker's actions and often credit Lougelot for the work. Flicker is his squire, though he treats him more like a

servant A domestic worker or domestic servant is a person who works within the scope of a residence. The term "domestic service" applies to the equivalent occupational category. In traditional English contexts, such a person was said to be "in service ...

than a knight in training. Loungelot is the son of the Lady of the Lake (something he is not proud of since she nags him constantly and talks about his choir boy brother who is a

monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

). Loungelot is usually the cause of much of the knight's trouble due to his crass and selfish nature. His hair highly resembles that of

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

. * Sir Blaze: Sir Blaze, "The Smartly Dressed and Fashionably Late", is the flamboyant and

son of Queen Griddle and the stepbrother of Princess Flame. Blaze is unusually energetic and is described as having amazing

panache Panache () is a word of French origin that carries the connotation of flamboyant manner and reckless courage, derived from the helmet-plume worn by cavalrymen in the Early Modern period. The literal translation is a plume, such as is worn on a h ...

. Like Loungelot, he doesn't seem to be enthusiastic about participating in quests, preferring to work on "home" activities such as dressing the castle walls. He is one of the only three knights (the others Loungelot and Burnevere) who stays throughout the series. It is implied that he is homosexual. Unlike the other dragons in the series (with the exception of Flame), Blaze has long-limbered legs like a human rather than short stubby ones. in season 1, Sir Blaze's quote; "Oh me oh my oh oh gracious." * Sir Burnevere: Sir Burnevere, "The Overly Educated", is a plucky hero with a Scottish accent and a tendency to use large words none of the other knights understand. Burnevere appears to be the oldest and wisest of the knights and often screams "Hoot McGregor!" when something bad happens to him. Burnevere is actually linked to the Scottish royal family, but turned down the throne at the thought of being surrounded by all his relatives. * Sir Galahot: Sir Galahot, "The Proper", is a large and imposing knight of the Square Table and the first knight to be introduced. He only appears in season one. * Sir Hotbreath: Sir Hotbreath, "The Not So Proper", is a short knight who has many ideas. Unfortunately, he often ends up torching everything near him due to uncontrollable outbursts of fire-breathing burps. Like Sir Galahot he only appears in season one. * The Wandering Minstrel: In season one, the Minstrel introduced and closed out most episodes with a short verse or song related to the content of the episode. While breaking the

fourth wall The fourth wall is a performance convention in which an invisible, imaginary wall separates actors from the audience. While the audience can see through this ''wall'', the convention assumes the actors act as if they cannot. From the 16th cen ...

in "Knights and Knightresses", Flicker remarks that he "''thought he was just a background character who served as mere bridges between the scenes''". In the second season, due to the shorter episode lengths, the Minstrel only appeared in the episode "Shamrocks and Shenanigans" as a secondary character, explaining that he was fired from Castle Camelhot. He speaks in a Liverpool accent. * Cinder and Clinker: A two-headed dragon

jester A jester, court jester, fool or joker was a member of the household of a nobleman or a monarch employed to entertain guests during the medieval and Renaissance eras. Jesters were also itinerant performers who entertained common folk at fairs and ...

. Cinder, the left-sided head, is upbeat and perpetually happy, whilst Clinker, the right-sided head, is always depressed and sullen. The duo serve as the comic relief in most episodes. Cinder's side of the body is a dark green, and Clinker's is a lighter shade. Cinder has light blue hair, and Clinker has brown hair. They both speak with Cockney accents.

Humans

* Count Geoffrey: The principal bad guy of the series, Geoffrey styles himself ''Dread

Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

Geoffrey de Bouillon, Oppressor Par Excellence of the Poor and Weak''. His appearance changed from a purple knight's armour and red hair in season one to silver knight's armour with a dragon skull helmet and black hair in season two. His personality in the 2nd season also changes to be darker and more serious in tone to reflect his new appearance. Owner of Threadbare Castle, Geoffrey is always coming up with sinister "plans" to relieve the Dragon Knights of Castle Camelhot. * Evil Spy: An agent of Count Geoffrey dressed up in a purple dragon costume to infiltrate the Dragon Knights. His presence within the Dragon Knight ranks, usually while sensitive strategy is being discussed, never seems to be questioned by the other dragons, even though the costume is quite conspicuous. There are actually two within the show; the first is eaten by crocodiles in the second episode when Geoffrey pushes him into the moat, and is replaced with an identical evil spy. * Merle the Wizard: Merle the Wizard is a short, wise-cracking female magician who fits the stereotype of a

witch Witchcraft traditionally means the use of Magic (supernatural), magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In Middle Ages, medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually ...

much more than that of a wizard. She speaks with an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

accent and often claims to have visited the future. When Count Geoffrey needs that extra edge in his fight against the Dragon Knights, Merle is often called upon and appears from a cloud of purple smoke. * Evil Knights No. 1, #2, and #3: The bumbling henchmen of Count Geoffrey. No. 1 is of medium height, fat, and has a bushy moustache. No. 2 is short and skinny with a long pointy nose, and speaks in an

Italian accent The phonology of Italian describes the sound system—the phonology and phonetics—of Standard Italian and its geographical variants. Consonants Notes: * Between two vowels, or between a vowel and an approximant () or a liquid (), co ...

. No. 3 is muscular, bald, and appears to be the stupidest of the three. It is possible the trio are brothers, since No. 3 mentioned his mother in the sense she was the mother of them all. * Peasants: Count Geoffrey is always exploiting the peasants of the village for either tax money or using them in some manner of

slave Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

labour such as catapult ammunition, or as human columns to hold up the ceiling of his crumbling castle.

Episodes

Season 1

*S01E01 - The Quest for the Holy Quail: written by Erika O’Reilly *S01E02 - A Gift for Griddle: written by Bob Ardiel *S01E03 - Tournament Day: written by

Dale Schott Dale Schott is a Canadian animator, writer and storyboard artist, best known for directing the 1986 animated film '' Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation''. Career Over the years, Schott has served on various productions as an "animator, oversea ...

*S01E04 - Excaliburn: written by

Peter Sauder Peter Sauder is a Canadian film and TV writer, television producer and animator best known for his contributions to Nelvana franchises such as ''Care Bears'' (whose three movies he wrote), ''Babar'', '' Strawberry Shortcake'' and '' Droids''. Pet ...

*S01E05 - Newt for a Day: written by Dale Schott *S01E06 - Knights & Knightresses: written by Erika O’Reilly *S01E07 - Merle's Mirror: written by Bob Ardiel *S01E08 - Renaissance Dragon: written by Peter Sauder *S01E09 - Robbing Hoodlum: written by Erika O’Reilly *S01E10 - The Stone of Wisdom: written by Bob Ardiel *S01E11 - Hermits & Heroes: written by Dale Schott and Erika O’Reilly *S01E12 - Sir Hare: written by Frank Diteljan *S01E13 - Bleepin' Beauty: written by Nadine Van der Velde

Season 2

*S02E01 - A Killer Makeover (written by Hugh Duffy) & The Age of Retention (written by Hugh Duffy) *S02E02 - The Lost Ruby Hat of Omar the Ham (written by Hugh Duffy) & Achy Breaky Mace (written by Ben Joseph) *S02E03 - Shamrocks and Shenanigans (written by Erika Strobel) & Three Dragons and a Baby (written by John May and Suzanne Bolch) *S02E04 - King for a Day (written by Ben Joseph) & Erik the Well-Read (written by Hugh Duffy) *S02E05 - Chain Mail Letter (written by John May and Suzanne Bolch) & You Dim Sum, You Lose Some (written by David Dias) *S02E06 - Excalibroke (written by Erika Strobel) & Infernal Flame (written by Hugh Duffy) *S02E07 - MacBreath (written by John Slamma) & Attila's Hot Buns (written by Erika Strobel) *S02E08 - The Isle of Dwight (written by Hugh Duffy) & Ice Try (written by David Dias) *S02E09 - Single Green Dragon (written by John May and Suzanne Bolch) & Sphinx Jinx (written by Ben Joseph) *S02E10 - Griddle's Sleepless Knights (written by Erika Strobel) & Whine & Roses (written by Bonnie Chung) *S02E11 - The Reign in Spain (written by Ben Joseph) & Geoffrey's Evil Pancakes (written by John Slamma) *S02E12 - The Golden Thimble of Theodora (written by Erika Strobel) & Seven Dragon Sins (written by Erika Strobel) *S02E13 - Quest to Success (written by Erika Strobel) & Slay the Dragon (written by David Dias)

Voice talent

Edward Glen Edward Glen (sometimes credited as Eddie Glen) is a Canadian actor, who has appeared in and provided voices in films, television shows and video games. He is best known for voicing Thomas the Tank Engine in the 2000 film '' Thomas and the Magic R ...

as Flicker *

Aron Tager Aron Tager (June 30, 1934 – February 28, 2019) was an American actor, poet, artist and sculptor. Career As an artist, Tager had numerous exhibitions of his work and has sculptures installed at the following locations: Mount Anthony Union Hi ...

as King Allfire *Suzanne Coy as Merle the Wizard *Steven Sutcliffe as Queen Griddle *John Koensgen as Count Geoffrey (season 1)/Evil Knight No. 1 * Cedric Smith as Count Geoffrey (season 2) * John Stocker as Sir Burnivere/Evil Knight No. 2 *

Dan Hennessey Dan Hennessey (born August 25)https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Dan-Hennessey/ is a Canadian voice director and voice actor who, early on in his career, performed with a children's comedy troupe The Zoo Factory (with John Stocker, Bruce Gord ...

as Sir Hotbreath/Evil Knight No. 3 *Richard Binsley as Sir Blaze/Minstrel *

Stephanie Morgenstern Stephanie Morgenstern is a Canadian actress, filmmaker, and screenwriter for television and film. She has worked extensively on stage, film, and television in both English and French. Her most widely seen feature film credits have been '' The S ...

as Princess Flame *

Scott Wentworth Scott Wentworth (born 1955) is an American actor and director who immigrated to Canada in 1986. Early life Wentworth was born in Baltimore, Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, in 1955. Career After starting his career in New York City, he began a ...

as Sir Loungelot (season 1) *

Juan Chioran Juan Chioran (born June 18, 1963) is an Argentine-born Canadian actor primarily associated with stage roles at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Canada. He is based in Stratford, Ontario. Chioran is also known for his voice acting roles, suc ...

as Sir Loungelot (season 2) *Rick Waugh as Cinder and Clinker/Sir Galahot

Legacy

The series has gained a loyal fan following and several fan-written continuations of the series have been published online. Fan endeavours have differed in scale and scope, the "Brother Mine" series of novellas on wattpad being one notable example. Since July 2016, a new project called #BDRevolution or #BlazingDragonsRevolution appeared, consisting of making the fanbase grow through fanwork and converting new fans, bringing back old fans, convincing people who worked on the franchise (game and show) to support it, to convince Gavin Scott or Terry Jones to give the franchise a new chance, through any forms such as a new broadcasting, DVDs, a third season, a movie, a second game, or comic books, and so on. The project is slowly growing and was co-created by a fan and former story editor of season 2 Erika Strobel. Currently the entire series is available for purchase (for streaming only) a
Amazon
No DVD set of the complete series is known to be produced as of June 2019, however an Australian DVD release with four episodes was released in 2005 by

Magna Pacific Magna Home Entertainment was an independent home entertainment distributor headquartered in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, operating within Australia and New Zealand. As of February 2009, Magna Home Entertainment became a fully owned subsidia ...

entitled ''Excaliburn''.

Video game

References

External links

* {{TV series based on Arthurian legends 1996 Canadian television series debuts 1998 Canadian television series endings 1990s Canadian animated television series 1996 French television series debuts 1998 French television series endings 1990s French animated television series Television series based on Arthurian legend Canadian children's animated adventure television series Canadian children's animated comedy television series Canadian children's animated fantasy television series French children's animated adventure television series French children's animated comedy television series French children's animated fantasy television series Television series by Nelvana ITV children's television shows Canal+ original programming Teletoon original programming Works by Terry Jones Carlton Television Television series by ITV Studios English-language television shows French-language television shows Animated television series about dragons