Newly restored in eye-popping 4K Ultra HD under the supervision of director/co-writer Matthew Robbins, the fan-favorite classic DRAGONSLAYER arrives for the first time ever on 4K Ultra HD, in a Limited Edition Collector’s 4K Ultra HD SteelBook, and on Blu-ray March 21, 2023 from Paramount Home Entertainment.
An essential cinematic adventure with groundbreaking and Oscar®-nominated visual effects*, DRAGONSLAYER has been restored with exceptional picture and sound to bring the spectacular fantasy to life for a new generation. Legendary visual effects supervisor Phil Tippett (Star Wars, Jurassic Park) created the film’s special effects, pioneering a new technique called “go motion” that incorporates blurring into each frame for more realistic images. Vermithrax Pejorative, the fire-breathing creature at the center of the story, was created using a combination of go motion and 16 massive dragon puppets.
SPECIAL FEATURES
Step back in time with director/co-writer Matthew Robbins, dragon supervisor Phil Tippett, and ILM’s visual effects master Dennis Muren as they revisit DRAGONSLAYER. Their stories and memories take viewers deep into the dragon’s fiery lair as they recount the challenging journey from concept to screen.
A look back at the impact of Star Wars and its visual effects on Hollywood, the origin of DRAGONSLAYER and its screenplay, and the film’s casting.
Pre-production begins in England as the film takes shape. The young filmmakers seek gritty medieval realism through the production design, cinematography, and costumes.
The filmmakers take on the daunting task of bringing a dragon to life like never before, utilizing every ounce of movie magic available including Phil Tippett’s breakthrough go-motion animation, cutting-edge practical animatronics, visual effects, and compositing.
Production woes at every turn, horrific baby dragons, and the challenge of creating Vermithrax’s iconic lair plague the filmmakers. Phil Tippett offers a mini-masterclass on crafting powerful creature performance through detailed animation.
The team faces the unique challenges of the film’s stage-bound climax, filmed entirely against a blue screen. Director Matthew Robbins looks back on the incredible work done in the final stages of film editing, the beautifully dense sound design, and Alex North’s amazing score, which utilized pieces from his legendary unused 2001: A Space Odyssey score.
