Dragon Hunters
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| Dragon Hunters | |
|---|---|
| Format | Animated series |
| Created by | Arthur Qwak |
| Starring | Rick Jones Harry Standjofski Sonja Ball Annie Bovaird |
| Country of origin |  |
| No. of episodes | 52 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 24 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel |  United States Cartoon Network, Cartoon Network Video |
| Original airing | January 14, 2006 |
| External links | |
| TV.com summary | |
Dragon Hunters is a cartoon series created by Arthur Qwak and produced by the French company Futurikon. It follows the adventures of two hunters for hire through a futuristic, medieval world of floating land masses that is terrorized by a widely varying menace of monsters known collectively as dragons. A 3-D feature film and a videogame based on the series are both in production. Its original French title is Chasseurs de Dragons.
Contents |
[edit] Main Characters
Lian-Chu is a sword wielding, muscle-bound warrior who actually deals out the dragon slaying. In contrast to Gwizdo, he is more kindhearted and honorable. He is also an avid knitter. English voice: Harry Standjofski (series), Forrest Whitaker (movie)
Gwizdo is the brains of the group, and negotiates their contracts with the helpless people terrorized by dragons. He and Lian-Chu have known each other since childhood, and were raised together in an orphanage called Mother Hubbard's Farm. He is a coward and swindler at heart, but shows his good side occasionally. He also flies their airship, the St. George, and wears a pilot's cap and goggles. English voice: Rick Jones (series), Rob Paulsen (movie)
Hector is their pet dragon who does not possess the evil nature or the great size of the ones they hunt and acts like a dog. While Gwizdo is the pilot of the St. George, Hector is required to pedal for the propellor, a task he is not fond of. He speaks with a mixture of grunts and pidgin English. English voice: Rick Jones (series)
[edit] Other Characters
Jennyline runs the Snoring Dragon Inn, where Gwizdo and Lian-Chu live. Gwizdo and Lian-Chu owe her an ever growing debt for room and board. She is a heavyset woman who is short-tempered and strict. She has had three past marriages, which have resulted in Zaza, Zoria and possible other children. She has a love/hate relationship with Gwizdo. Her name is given as Jennyline on the DVDs and Janelynn on the official website. The German variation of her name is Jeanneline. English voice: Sonja Ball
Zaza is Jennyline's youngest daughter. She resides at the Snoring Dragon Inn as an assistant. She idolizes Lian-Chu and has dreams of becoming a dragon hunter when she grows up, of which Jennyline disapproves. She spends most of her time at the inn, but occasionally joins the hunters on quests, often through her own means. English voice: Annie Bovaird
Zoria is Jennyline's oldest daughter, and is an accomplished dragon hunter in her own right. Like Zaza, she was inspired by Gwizdo and Lian Chu at a young age, and trained with them to learn the moves and arts of the business. She is not a resident of the inn and makes few appearances, but is well-known by the main characters. A victim of sexism, she has donned a male disguise in some parts to get more bounties.
Noble Kayo is an elderly doctor who the hunters sometimes turn to for advice regarding strange conditions, such as poison and paralysis. While intelligent, he is almost completely blind and a bit absent minded, which makes having a straightforward conversation with him very difficult.
George and Gilbert Forrestal are a two-brother hunter duo, who know Gwizdo and Lian Chu from growing up alongside them in the orphanage. They look down on Gwizdo and refer to him as a pipsqueak, and often bring up embarrasing childhood events of his. They see no room for competition, and often try to get the hunters' bounties themselves.
Zoe is from the upcoming Dragon Hunters movie. She is the grand niece of Lord Arnold. When things become too hectic, she takes everything into her own hands and hires Gwizdo and Lian-Chu to slay the "World Eater." Persuaded that she has found the heroes of her dreams, she drags them into the maddest of adventures. English voice: Mary Matilyn Mouser
[edit] Television
The program was featured in the United States on Cartoon Network for a few weeks around January of 2006, but, after having its time slot moved, vanished from the line-up. Unlike the other cartoons around its Saturday morning time slot, several episodes of Dragon Hunters were rated TV-PG. It reappeared on Cartoon Network in September 2006, but disappeared again in October 2006. Up until June 2007, it was available for viewing on Cartoon Network Video.
A second season of 26 additional episodes began airing in France in August 2007. International releases are currently unconfirmed.
The show has received a fanbase in Arabic speaking countries, after the show's repeated airing on MBC 3.
[edit] Comics
The comic serie "Chasseurs de Dragons" is published by Delcourt
[edit] Movie
Directed by Guillaume Ivernel (also Art Director) and Arthur Qwak, a full-length computer-animated 3D movie is made by Mac Guff Ligne Paris and Trixter Film GmbH. The film is presented in a different timeline, with Gwizdo, Lian Chu and Hector as roving travelers, and Zoe replacing the roles of Jennyline and Zaza. A 4 minute teaser was shown in Annecy Animation Festival and the Film Market of Cannes in 2007. It will premiere on March 19, 2008 in Russia ([1]), and on March 26 in Belgium and France. It premiered in on April 5, 2008 in the United States as part of the Sarasota Film Festival. Rob Paulsen recently confirmed that he and Forest Whitaker will respectively be voicing Gwizdo and Lian Chu.
[edit] DVD
Geneon has released five DVDs (containing episodes 1 - 17) in the U.S. and Canada.
[edit] Trivia
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Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones. |
The show's theme, "Dragon Hunter's Theme", is performed by the English rock band The Cure.
