Puff the Magic Dragon (1978)
** 1/2 (out of 4)
When a shy boy is unable to communicate or reach out to others, he's visited by Puff (voice of Burgess Meredith), the magic dragon who plans on teaching him to be strong. Of all the animated TV-movies from the 70s, this one here certainly isn't among the greatest but there are enough interesting ideas and some charm to make it worth viewing. I think a lot of the appeal can be credited to Meredith who really does a nice job in his role. The vocal performance here is quite good because the actor can bring the fantasy element of the story out but he also brings the dragon to life with ease. Another very strong point is the animation. It certainly isn't "pretty" but it just has a certain atmosphere about it. Just check out the sequence where Puff and the boy are out in a boat when some dark clouds show up to scare the boy. The darkness of the clouds look wonderful but the atmosphere they give off is the major plus. Another good look if Puff himself and especially that crazy hair. The story itself is rather weak and even the 22-minute running time feels a tad bit long in spots but fans of this type of film will still want to check it out.
** 1/2 (out of 4)
When a shy boy is unable to communicate or reach out to others, he's visited by Puff (voice of Burgess Meredith), the magic dragon who plans on teaching him to be strong. Of all the animated TV-movies from the 70s, this one here certainly isn't among the greatest but there are enough interesting ideas and some charm to make it worth viewing. I think a lot of the appeal can be credited to Meredith who really does a nice job in his role. The vocal performance here is quite good because the actor can bring the fantasy element of the story out but he also brings the dragon to life with ease. Another very strong point is the animation. It certainly isn't "pretty" but it just has a certain atmosphere about it. Just check out the sequence where Puff and the boy are out in a boat when some dark clouds show up to scare the boy. The darkness of the clouds look wonderful but the atmosphere they give off is the major plus. Another good look if Puff himself and especially that crazy hair. The story itself is rather weak and even the 22-minute running time feels a tad bit long in spots but fans of this type of film will still want to check it out.