Firedrake the Silver Dragon – Picture: Constantin Film
Netflix has acquired the global rights to the animated movie Dragon Rider (Drachenreiter as it released in Germany) and will be distributed under the name of Firedrake The Silver Dragon on Netflix.
The movie began production back in June 2017 as a co-production between German production company Constantin Film and animation from two studios including Belgium studio (mostly known for video games), Cyborn and Rise FX South Studios headquartered in Munich.
Rise FX South Studios is a VFX studio that works with Netflix on a large array of projects including the upcoming Midnight Mass, Biohackers, Stowaway, Stranger Things and the Fear Street Trilogy.
Firedrake the Silver Dragon
Directed by Tomer Eshed, the movie which adapts the book from Cornelia Funke follows a young silver dragon who teams up with a mountain spirit and a young boy who are all searching for the rim of heaven where dragons can live safe and free.
Firedrake the Silver Dragon will carry Netflix Original branding and will drop on Netflix in multiple regions including the United States, the United Kingdom and others on September 10th, 2021.
It did get a theatrical release under the name of Dragon Rider but that itself was plagued with issues having being delayed due to COVID-19.
Among the voice cast for the movie for English language speakers is Freddie Highmore (whose heist movie just recently dropped on Netflix US), Felicity Jones, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Nonso Anzozie (Sweet Tooth) and Patrick Stewart.
Reviews for the film haven’t been overly kind for those that did see it last year in cinemas. Many outlets have compared the movie to How to Train Your Dragon.
The movie carries a 5.6/10 on IMDb with a 70% on RottenTomatoes.
This year, Netflix has picked up three Sony animation projects for example with some of the other animation acquisitions including Pets United and Dog Gone Trouble all of which have done well in the top 10s which traditionally favor animated kids’ movies.
Will you be checking out Firedrake the Silver Dragon when it drops on Netflix in September 2021? Let us know in the comments down below.