Dragonkeeper
I'm not a huge fan of sci-fi's but due to how enchanting the blurb of this animated film was, I decided to give it a go. It is based on a novel of the same name and directed by Salvador Simo and Li Jianping. I honestly don't know if it's the traditional setting that mostly got my attention or the fact that the fate of the dragon's lied in the hands of a little servant girl.
Synopsis(possible spoilers)
In ancient China, a war happened between necromancers, humans and dragons but the dragons and humans fought side by side. The dragon king was mortally wounded but luckily he was flown across the ocean to the waters of life while the rest of the dragons fought on.
Humans being humans, snitched on the dragons after the war and locked them up in a cage, monetizing their magic. Slowly, the dragons were dying out and going extinct as just two were left in the cage. Lu Yu, a female dragon, had an egg and that egg, called Kai, was the son of the last imperial dragon. Someone needed to save him from the greedy hands of humans; one who had a pure heart.
A little servant girl, Ping, was chosen by Lu Yu to keep the egg safe but Ping didn't understand the job description as the power vested on her seemed to happen in her dreams until she met with the dragons, Lu Yu and Danzi, when she jumped into their chambers to get her pet rat.
The emperor is interested in the egg as he thinks it could somehow forever heal him of his sickness but he's got competition and his competition is a member of his cabinet, Master Diao. Diao badly wants the egg to carry out his plan of becoming immortal and defeating the emperor whom he was tired of answering to.
To get his plan to fruition, he uses Lu Yu's former keeper, Wang Chao, to manipulate Ping and Danzi into believing he was with them so they could get the egg from the emperor and deliver it into the hands of his master, Diao. Wang Chao thought that after doing all of this for Diao he was going to gain his freedom.
As part of the plan, he teaches Ping to use her chi and also informs her on how to get the egg from the emperor. When Ping is able to focus on her chi, Wang Chao, makes her light up a key, probably one that would awaken the necromancers and set things in place for Diao.
To Wang Chao’s surprise, after Diao got the egg, he casted some bees on him to feast on him till he was too weak to lift a finger. But Ping, believing there was a little good left in him, helped him to his feet so in return he could use his chi to help get the egg back.
Again, the emperor's soldiers now knowing of Diao’s plan, stands with Ping and Danzi, to get the egg back so it can be taken to the birth pool before it's too late and all dragons completely wiped out.
My Review and Rating
As earlier mentioned, I was especially interested in this film because of its traditional setting. After a very hectic day, I needed something thrilling and adventurous to get my mind away from reality.
I love Ping. Despite being a child, she didn't shy away from the heavy responsibility placed on her by Lu Yu to become a dragon keeper. Even though she got confused and pissed off for being chosen to be the keeper, she still wanted to help out in any little way she could. This is evident when she revealed how eager she was to learn how to use her chi, after meeting Wang Chao. She called him teacher and thanked him profusely for being of great help. She's also pure in heart and weeps when Danzi was at the verge of joining Lu Yu in the sky.
She depicts strength and resilience even in the face of danger and that's a story good enough to be seen or told to anyone for the purpose of motivation.
The film is entertaining, thrilling, suspenseful, a little humorous, adventurous, with vivid imagery and soundtrack that syncs with the actions.
The only thing I didn't really like about it was the looks of the characters. Their looks gave a three-year old’s toy vibe which contradicted the subject matter suitable for a nine-year olds and above. I'll rate it a 4.5/5 regardless.