The Dragon Trilogy (2010, 2014, 2019)

The Dragon movies are one of those rare things, a film trilogy that doesn’t disappoint. In fact, they get better with each viewing. At first glance they are stories that take place in a hugely satisfying imaginary world with exciting flight sequences, beautiful art and visuals, and great characters. But they also tackle important messages like fear of “the other,” cross-cultural understanding, the evils of war, the need to fight for what’s right etc.

The stakes are huge and the stories far more grown-up than you get from a lot of animated films. They are perfectly aimed at our day. The first film wonderfully tackles the way fear and misinformation cause people to embrace evil lies. The second goes a step further and shows what can happen when people exploit those fears to manipulate people. The third film tackles the even harder thought that, knowing the world is broken isn’t enough to fix it. Sometimes, doing what is right involves doing so within the confines of brokenness.

One thing I knew all along with the Dragon films was that they have some great scores. The themes and leitmotifs are amazing. But after seeing the third one today, I think I’ve decided they are right up there with the greatest in film history.