Stanley's Dragon

Stanley's Dragon
Written byRichard Carpenter
Directed byGerry Poulson
Starring
Music byDave Bainbridge
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes4
Production
Executive producers
  • Lewis Rudd
  • Paul Knight
  • Richard Carpenter
ProducerGerry Poulson
CinematographyNigel Walters
Running time92 min
Production companies
Budget£1,000,000
Original release
NetworkITV (CITV)
Release7 April (1994-04-07) –
28 April 1994 (1994-04-28)

Stanley's Dragon is a 1994's British family fantasy TV miniseries on CITV starring Judd Trichter and Mia Fothergill. It received a BAFTA TV Award nomination for Best Children's Programme.

Plot

The film takes place in present-day England. Stanley is an American exchange student who, upon becoming separated from his friends in a cavern, finds an unusual rock. He and his friend Rosie take it home and wash it, discovering it is actually an egg. Rosie suspects it is a dinosaur egg, but when it hatches, they discover the creature inside is actually a dragon. The dragon grows quickly and they name him "Olly". However, Olly is appropriated by the local authorities, who put him in a zoo. Suspecting Olly may be the last of his kind, Stanley endeavours to free him.

Cast

Production

Stanley's Dragon was written by Richard Carpenter[1] and directed by Gerry Poulson,[2] with Dave Bainbridge composing the score.[3] Bob Keen handled make-up.[4] Nigel Walters served as the director of photography.[5] Sarah Franzl handled stunt driving for the series.[6]

The show was commissioned by Dawn Airey and was based on the Stanley's Dragon series of books also by Carpenter.[7] All funding for the show came from the UK.[8] It had a production budget of £1,000,000.[9]

Filming took place in Nottingham, at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, at the Twycross Zoo, and at Black Rocks. Three different dragon constructs were used, one of which was thirty-two feet in length and capable of emitting fire. It also had an articulated head and face.[1] The initial constructs did not appear close enough to a real animal for Carpenter's vision. A crew of twenty-five built the constructs over the course of twelve weeks.[10]

During the filming at Black Rocks, Fothergill slipped while climbing, tearing ligaments, requiring a visit to hospital.[11] She spent the remainder of the day on crutches, and had to be carried to her position for the scenes where she and Trichter blocked the path to the dragon.[12]

Filming completed in late 1993.[13]

A theatrical film sequel had been planned, to be produced through the United States, with a budget limited to £5,000,000. The story was expected to continue from Olly's escape from the UK and take place in New York City.[14]

Release

Stanley's Dragon aired on ITV beginning on 7 April 1994.[15]

Prior to airing in the UK, ITV signed a distribution rights agreement with Satellit-Film of Munich, giving them theatrical and video distribution rights, as well as securing televised rights in Germany for ZDF.[16]

The show was included as part of the buyer's market at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival by CTE.[17] Rick Mischel of Live Entertainment purchased the home video rights for North America.[18] The show received a G rating from the MPAA.[19]

In the United States, it aired as a film on the Disney Channel on 11 November 1995.[20] Family Home Entertainment released the series on VHS 8 October 1996.[21][22]

Reception

Critical reviews

David Rafer of TV Zone praised the pacing as well as Trichter's enthusiasm for the role. Rafer stated that the production value was good overall despite being low budget, though he noted the mechanics used to make the wings fly appeared sub-standard. He also commented that the ending is ambiguous. Rafer also made note of the theme of exploitation.[3]

John Stanley rated the show two and a half stars and called it a pleasant "morality tale about man's penchant for destruction". He also stated the show has similarities to Dragonworld.[23]

Accolades

It was nominated for the British Academy Television Award for Best Children's Programme - Fiction or Entertainment.[24][25]

References

Sources

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