User Reviews

Directed by Charles Swenson and Fred Wolf, Puff the Magic Dragon was a lovely surprise. True, at 30 minutes it is very short and perhaps rather scant, but all the same it is cute, it is charming and it is intelligent.

It is made up of very cute art designs, so the animation is nice and colourful. The songs, principally the truly memorable title song, are beautiful. The cartoon itself is very funny, and has a nice story, and some nice lessons that don't preach. The characters are also very endearing, Puff has to be the most lovable dragon ever, and Jackie isn't annoying at all. And then there's the voice acting, the late Burgess Meredith was perfect as Puff and Phillip Tanzini is appealing as Jackie.

All in all, a very nice and gentle watch. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Puff the Magic Dragon (1978) is not a bad children's classic. This is one of those film shorts that I would want my kids to see (if I had any). It does have a pretty good story to teach the kids about overcoming their fears of speaking to others or giving a public speech.

I do recall seeing the movie short when I was a kid and I do recalling liking it to a degree. It was mainly Puff that I liked as a kid because he is a dragon (and not so much the story) and the song by Peter, Paul and Mary.

Any way, I do recommend this movie for the kids. As for adults, it's good for pure nostalgia or curiosity.

Good companion films (keeping with the theme of a boy and his dragon): 'Eragon' and 'Pete's Dragon'.

7/10

This movie is great....see it right away. Just pure genius Its amazing, i just love it and anyone in their right mind will enjoy seeing PUFF and JACKIE PAPER do cool stuff together, and hear the amazing song. If you haven't seen it you're missing out big time

10/10

This is an adorable half hour special that radiates charm and intelligence. Burgess Meredith is the voice of Puff, the Magic Dragon, and he was a perfect choice for the role. Able to give an air of command or whimsy, he makes Puff come alive.

The story is pure fantasy; to give Jackie self-confidence, Puff encourages him to imagine a world where he can make a difference. Jackie and Puff sail away to the land of the Sneezes, where the inhabitants are giant noses, who have perpetual colds and are always irritable and feel awful. Jackie comes up with the idea to make it rain chicken soup, to get them well. When it works, Jackie feels better, too.

If you can find this, any child will love it. My own kids watched it over and over for years, and still remember it fondly. It's a gentle and well-done children's classic.

this was my all-time favourite movie when i was a kid.

i remember when me and my brother and cousin would drop everything we were doing to sit down for a half hour and watch and sing along with Puff and Jackie. recently, my brother's girlfriend found him a copy and we still knew all of the words to every song. i am not ashamed to say that i still love this movie. it's great for kids and enjoyable on so many levels for adults too.

if you can find a copy of this anywhere, i highly reccomend that you get this, for your kids or whoever. it's way better then most of that new "children's entertainment" that exists today. and it teaches a great lesson.

This is one of those films that for maybe only a sliver of time was iconic and absolutely unforgettable. It came out when I was four years old, my mother loved the song, as so many people did. This film was the very essence of my childhood imagination and joy, also my sorrows, as this was the generation where many kids experienced the relatively new increase in divorce and fractured families, as my family did. This film deals with change and growing up - and I for one was greatly enriched and strengthened all my life because of it. It is beautifully done and still stands up fairly well, especially as a snapshot in time and history with ideas and lessons that are timeless for any child or adult. Some others like this (if you can find it) The Electric Grandmother, based on the story I Sing The Body Electric by Ray Bradbury (also a Twilight Zone episode), The Velveteen Rabbit etc were of a time when it seemed such shorts were created to inspire and educate, to bring beauty and music and imagination to kids. We have great films like this today, of course, but it seems these were more rare to find in the days before VCRs, Cable, the Internet etc.

This animation is suitable for all kids even for little one. Firstly, the plot has great idea, that you should come up with your fears despite how old are you. Secondly, the animation os good, it looks very soft and kindly. So, it's good animation.

Jackie Draper is a boy who has psychological problems and does not speak. A group of doctors examine him but offer no solutions. When Jackie goes to bed, he is visited by the title dragon, who does not care for being the aggressive stereotype, and who decides to help Jackie with his problems by giving him confidence. Puff makes a paper cut-out of Jackie, calling him Jackie Paper, as the real Jackie cannot join him in the fantasy world Puff takes him to.

The story is only a half-hour, but Puff does succeed in making Jackie feel confident at last, even to the point where Jackie is able to solve Puff's problem when he falls into despair. Good and charming for little children, without being soppy.

Not many cartoons can be so touching in less than 30 minutes. Puff, manages to movie the audience a great deal despite its scant running time.

Jackie Draper is a young boy who wont communicate with anyone. Through wonderful images and the beautiful music Puff helps Jackie help himself. The cartoon is funny and follows the song very well. The late Burgess Meredith lends his voice to the green dragon. This was followed by 2 other specials "Puff The Magic Dragon and The Land Of The Living Lies" and "Puff and the Incredible Mr. Nobody". I highly recommend all three, not just for children but for everyone with an imagination.

When I was little, I watched it every time I was sad and afterwards I would be happy. Now that I'm a teenager, I still have the temptation to watch it even though my social status would be wrecked. The animator had a good sense of humor that makes even the toughest goth laugh.. I should know because I'm one of them. If you haven't watched it, you're missing out on funny jokes and cute designs..

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.