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| Dragon's Lair | |
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| First release | Dragon's Lair June 19, 1983 |
| Latest release | Dragon's Lair 3D: Return to the Lair November 18, 2002 |
Dragon's Lair is a video game franchise created byRick Dyer. The series is notable for its film-qualityanimation by ex-Disney animatorDon Bluth, and complex decades-long history of beingported to many platforms. It has also been adapted into television and comic books.
The first game in the series,Dragon's Lair, was originally released forarcades in 1983 byCinematronics.[1] It usedLaserDisc technology, offering greatly superior graphics compared to other contemporary video games.[2] While many home ports were released in the following years, developers often had to make severe compromises to make the game work on the target platforms of the era, such as splitting it intotwo halves.[3] A sequel,Dragon's Lair II: Time Warp, had started development as early as 1984, but would only see release in arcades in 1991. While its graphics were once again praised, its limited interactivity compared to the newer generation of arcade games was considered outdated, and kept it from reaching the same popularity of the original.[4]
The two first games in the series are considered gaming classics,[5] and are frequently re-released on each new generation of consoles, often bundled alongside the 1984 LaserDisc gameSpace Ace.[6]
The franchise has since expanded into other media, including ashort lived animated series that aired onABC in 1984 and a comic-book miniseries released in 2003. Plans for a feature-length film have existed since the 1980s and resurfaced in 2015, when Bluth launched two crowd-funding campaigns.[7] While theKickstarter campaign was unsuccessful,[8] theIndiegogo campaign reached its target in early 2016.[9]
Most games in theDragon's Lair series areinteractive films where the player controls Dirk the Daring, in a quest to save Princess Daphne. The game presents predetermined animated scenes, and the player must select a direction on the joystick or press the action button in order to clear eachquick time event, with differentfull motion video segments showing the outcome.[10] A perfect run of the 1983 arcade game with no deaths lasts no more than 12 minutes. In total, the game has 22 minutes or 50,000 frames of animated footage, including individual death scenes and game over screens.[11]
Dirk the Daring is the main protagonist of the first game and subsequent franchise. As a knight of the kingdom, Dirk was entrusted with the rescue of Princess Daphne from Mordroc and Singe because all other knights were killed. He becomes heir to the throne upon saving Princess Daphne; following her rescue, Dirk and Daphne are married. In both games, Dirk is voiced by sound editor Dan Molina.Retro Gamer included Dirk on their list of top 50 game characters in the category "Top Ten Forces of Good" and called him "without a doubt, the epitome of the heroic knight".[12]
| Princess Daphne | |
|---|---|
| Dragon's Lair character | |
| First appearance | Dragon's Lair (1983) |
| Created by | Rick Dyer |
| Designed by | Don Bluth |
| Voiced by | Vera Lanpher (Dragon's Lair,Dragon's Lair II) Ellen Gerstell (television series) Darcy Harvier (Dragon's Lair 3D) |
In the games, Princess Daphne is the beautiful daughter of King Aethelred and an unnamed queen. She serves as the series'damsel in distress. A beautiful maiden coveted by many princes and knights, her heart belongs to the kingdom's champion, Dirk the Daring.[13][14]
Princess Daphne was originally created by Rick Dyer's Advanced Microcomputer Systems (AMS, laterRDI Video Systems) team, then completely redesigned by the ex-Disney artist and animatorDon Bluth. Bluth took his inspiration from photographs from the producerGary Goldman's collection of old issues ofPlayboy magazine, ultimately putting Daphne "in a very-revealing one piece 'thong' bathing suit with a sheerveil that partially covered her".[15] Due to the limited budget's constraints, Daphne's in-game vocals were supplied by the head of AMS' Clean-up Department, Vera Lanpher.[16]
ForDragon's Lair II, where Daphne has experienced more than a dozen births, Bluth said "he thought it would be interesting if Daphne looked just as beautiful as ever; there's absolutely no sign she's been through anything".[17] Professional voice actressEllen Gerstell voiced the character in the cartoon, wherein her attire is a less-revealing dress.
Princess Daphne was met with mostly positive reception and greatly contributed to the success of the game, which was then ported to various home platforms and followed by several sequels, remakes and spin-offs. She has been cited by multiple publications as one of the most attractive characters in video game history.[18][19][20][21][22]UGO included her on their 2010 list of top 50 "video game hotties": "When the game was released, Daphne was the best-looking video game heroine around, so we still have a bit of a soft spot for her today".[23] Including her at the 14th place on a similar list in 2012, Larry Hester ofComplex opined Daphne "might be the finest damsel in distress ever. Sorry,Peach, Disney-style cel animation wins again".[24]
Back in 1983,JoyStik's Joe Mendsky wrote "Daphne may look like the closest thing to aporn star in the annals of the video game, but she's not dumb. She's seen the line of quarters across the floor at the Denver arcade".[25] Nearly three decades later,Complex said of her that there has "only ever really been one reason to playDragon's Lair",[26] and stated: "Never mind that the gameplay was nothing more than a quarter-sucking game of trial-and-error and memorization. And, oh, God: Princess Daphne and her little sheer black dress. Jesus Christ. She was way too sexy. Our little brains exploded".[27] Ranking her as the 14th "hottest video game girl of all time" in 2013, Steve Jenkins ofCheatCodes.com wrote: "Don Bluth's animated portrayal of Daphne, the princess who just can't seem to keep out of trouble, was the real attraction in this game… and attractive she was. (...) Princess Daphne's love of shear(sic!) clothing, plunging necklines, and her eternal 'damsel in distress' neediness made 50 cents a bargain to spend some quality time with her".[28] Writing about the reasonDragon's Lair became so popular, Nikola Suprak ofHardcore Gamer stated: "Years of playing video games has made me very familiar with the 'save the princess' motif, which makes me extremely suspicious about Daphne's princess credentials. There is a far greater chance that she is just a stripper with the stage name Princess than an actual princess, because if actual princesses dressed like she did the royal weddings wouldn't be so boring to watch".[29]
Jon M. Gibson ofGameSpy called Daphne "the epitome of adamsel in distress".[30] Rob Mead ofST Format wrote "Daphne has to be the dippiest woman on the planet. She's gone and got herself kidnapped again. Can you believe it? The woman is a victim. She might as well walk around with the words 'Kidnap me' tattooed on her forehead".[31] Charlie Barratt ofGamesRadar included her among the seven "damsels you DON'T want to save", arguing that "underneath the skimpy leotard and fluttering eyelashes, Daphne's no deeper than a cardboard cutout. No smarter than a blow-up doll bimbo. Nothing more than salacious and cynical bait for your hard-earned quarters (andDragon's Lair swallowed a LOT of quarters)".[32] Glamour model Tara Babcock ranked the "beyond beautiful" Daphne as the 16th "hottest video game" and wrote that "her half-naked, yet regal appearance, flowing blonde hair, big eyes with batting lashes and cute, ditzy appearance ... has been the subject of much controversy over 'sexism' in gaming!"[33]
Daphne's voice was described by Earl Green ofClassic Gamer Magazine as "a high pitched voice that could cause harm to small pets".[34] Green also wrote that "those of us who were entering adolescence at the time never quite forgave the TV show for covering Princess Daphne up, even though a vast improvement was made in giving her more personality and more intelligence, rather than the original game's helium-voiced ditzy blonde".[35] ReviewingDragon's Lair 3D in 2002,GameSpot's Ryan Davis wrote Daphne "sounds just as squeaky and ditzy as she did in 1983".[36] Kristan Reed ofEurogamer wrote it "remains as simultaneously amusing and irritating as ever".[37]
Singe is a dragon who kidnaps Daphne.
| 1983 | Dragon's Lair |
|---|---|
| 1984–1986 | |
| 1987 | Escape from Singe's Castle |
| 1988–1989 | |
| 1990 | Dragon's Lair (NES) |
| 1991 | Dragon's Lair: The Legend |
| Dragon's Lair II: Time Warp | |
| 1992 | Dragon's Lair III: The Curse of Mordread |
| Dragon's Lair (SNES) | |
| 1993 | Franky, Joe & Dirk: On the Tiles |
| 1994–2001 | |
| 2002 | Dragon's Lair 3D: Return to the Lair |
The game led to the creation of a short-lived television cartoon series,Dragon's Lair byRuby-Spears Productions, where Dirk the Daring is voiced byBob Sarlatte and the unseen storyteller that narrates each episode is voiced byClive Revill. Changes in the TV series include the originally nameless Dragon being given the name Singe (voiced byArthur Burghardt), Princess Daphne (voiced byEllen Gerstell) wears a long pink dress, and includes some exclusive characters like Princess Daphne's father King Ethelred (voiced byFred Travalena), Dirk the Daring's horse Bertram (vocal effects provided byPeter Cullen), Dirk the Daring's squire Timothy (voiced by Michael Mish), and Dirk the Daring's rival Sir Hubert Blunt (voiced byPeter Cullen). Enemies include the Lizard King, the Phantom Knight, the Giddy Goons, and the Mudmen. Thirteen half-hour episodes were produced and aired on theABC network from September 8, 1984, to April 27, 1985. It was last aired on theUSA Cartoon Express between the late '80s and the early '90s. To keep the show in the spirit of the game, before each commercial break the storyteller asks what the viewer would do to solve the problem facing Dirk. After the commercial break, the outcomes of the various choices are shown before Dirk acts on the correct idea (with the occasional exception) to save the day. Don Bluth had no involvement in the TV series.
A comic book miniseries based on the game, but incorporating elements from the cartoon series as well, like Dirk's horse Bertram, was released in 2003 byCrossGen, concurrent with a miniseries based onSpace Ace.Arcana Studio published the entire comic book series in 2006, as there are three issues that were previously unpublished.
In the 1980s, a film version ofDragon's Lair was planned, withAlan Dean Foster involved in shaping the story. The project fell apart due to low interest from other studios.[47]
In 2015 and 2016, Bluth and GoldmancrowdfundedUS$731,172 for a 10-minute teaser for an animated feature-lengthDragon's Lair prequel film, their first feature film sinceTitan A.E.[8][9][48] Bluth and Goldman have announced that the film will provide more backstory for Dirk and Daphne and that Daphne will show that she is not a "blonde airhead".[49]
In March 2020, a live action film adaptation was approved byNetflix after one year of negotiations.Ryan Reynolds was in talks for the lead role. Reynolds,Roy Lee,Trevor Engelson, Bluth, Goldman, and former Bluth collaboratorJohn Pomeroy are producers, withDan and Kevin Hageman as writers.[50] In June 2025, it was reported thatJames Bobin is in talks to direct the film, with Reynolds no longer starring but remains attached as a producer.[51]
