Dragon's Lair (Video Game 1983)

The first laserdisc game and the first to use regular cell animation for the graphics. In this game, you play Dirk the Daring, a knight who must rescue a princess by exploring a castle ... See full summary »

Director:

Don Bluth

Writer:

Rick Dyer (concept)

Stars:

Dan Molina, Vera Pacheco, Michael Rye

Cast

Credited cast:
Dan Molina	...	Dirk the Daring (voice)
Vera Pacheco	...	Princess Daphne (voice) (as Vera Lanpher)
Michael Rye	...	Narrator (voice)
Dave Spafford	...	Lizard King (voice)

Storyline

The first laserdisc game and the first to use regular cell animation for the graphics. In this game, you play Dirk the Daring, a knight who must rescue a princess by exploring a castle filled with deadly dangers which require quick wits and precise timing to overcome.

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Plot Keywords:

castle | rescue | princess | knight | danger | 

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Taglines:

Light years ahead of its time... Lase disc animation now.

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Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Fantasy

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Certificate:

E

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 June 1983 (USA)

Also Known As:

Doragonzurea

Box Office

Budget:

$1,300,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Don Bluth Productions, Magicom

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

A scene cut from the game would've involved Dirk fighting a series of Gargoyles who would throw spears at him, as he navigated through some stepping stones and would finally find an exit inside a treasure chest. It got as far as pencil tests, and could've been remastered for the home video releases, but the scene just wasn't fun to play and remained cut.

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Goofs

When the player dies in the room with the collapsible stairway, Dirk has a large, bulbous nose as he slides down.

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Quotes

Princess Daphne: Please save me. The cage is locked, with a key. The dragon keeps it around his neck. To slay the dragon, use the magic sword.

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Connections

Featured in The Angry Video Game Nerd: Dragon's Lair (2007)

User Reviews

Incredible animation, amazing game for it's time.

Dragon's Lair is, IMO, Don Bluth's greatest work. The forefather of all interactive cinematic games, Dragon's Lair was, in it's day, astounding. The animation is beautiful, and for the first time, the player was able to "control" a cartoon. Most people either love or hate the gameplay. Rote memorisation was the key to finishing this game and in effect, seeing the entire movie. Even I'll admit that the gameplay isn't all that exciting on it's own. But, it's the animation that made you want to keep playing, and made the game extremely addicting. The "save the princess from the Dragon" plot is pretty cliche, but as a game, it doesn't try to fill in the missing details. Everything else is left to the players' imaginations, and that is the key to the fascination many fans continue to have with Dragon's Lair. If you really want to experience the game, track down an original arcade machine or use an emulator. The home versions don't give it justice.