Dungeons and Dragons and Dirk the Daring?! Dragons, Knights and Princesses have been popular in Fantasy culture for as long as the genre has existed. But one game set its mark not only in Fantasy but also technology and now maybe in the movies as well. Dragon’s Lair was a beloved game released back in 1983 and it was revolutionary in so many ways…it was like future tech going back to the medieval times. In 1983, the video gaming world was all about Pac-Man, Space Invaders and pixel graphics. Very simple and pre-historic in technology years and that was just the Arcades. Home consoles were still ruled by Atari and even some Colecovisions with their fancy cartridges. But one Arcade game would change the “Game” for all others to come. Dragon’s Lair was release in 1983 by ex-Disney artist Don Bluth and produced by Gary Goldman. The game pioneered many firsts:

-it was the first video game to use an advanced digital technology called Laserdisc…which would later become the pre-cursor to DVD’s, Blu-Rays of today

-it was the first arcade game to use real studio-quality animation in a game and not the simple sprites of the current age

-it created quicktime events in gaming before quicktime was invented which would later be used heavily in full-motion video games in the CD era and even today

The story was really simple yet classic. Dirk the Daring knight is on a quest to save Princess Daphne from the menacing Dragon Singe. What brought this game to life was the fantastic animation. Don Bluth, who previously worked at Disney, has created many memorable animated classics such as An American Tale, All Dogs Go to Heaven, and Anastasia. Although the game would go on to produce multiple sequels in the franchise and spinoffs, it never quite regained the magic that it once had. However, fans never forgot and despite it being a video game, the high level of quality of animation could have easily been translated into a full blown movie.

And now, it looks like the dream of a Dragon’s Lair movie might come true. Don Bluth returns along with producer Gary Goldman with a Kickstarter campaign on October 26, 2015 to raise $500,000 that would help them produce a 10- minute short to pitch to studios. The movie itself will cost around 70 million to produce. It seems like a fantasy for the Dragon’s Lair movie to be made, but it was also a dream when it was released in 1983.

-Geek Outside!