Firedrake Netflix Review written by the Hobbit on November 6th, 2021. This post contains affiliate links, you can find out more on our policies page or in the disclaimer at the bottom of the blog.
Know Before You Watch
Movie: Firedrake: The Silver Dragon
Rating: TV-Y7
Genre: Fantasy, Animation, Comedy, Adventure
Length: 92 minutes
Age suggested: 6+
Release Date: September 10, 2021 (Netflix)
Where to Stream: Netflix
Warnings: Allusions to parent’s death
Quick Firedrake Netflix Summary
To end a war in ages past dragons hid themselves away. Now, more and more development is inevitably destroying the dragon’s home. One young dragon seeks a land of safety found in ancient stories. But he is being hunted by a dragon killing being. Will he find safety for the dragons or will they fight a final battle?
It’s a German film made last year that has come to Netflix with a pretty amazing cast of vocal actors and actresses. If your kiddos are loving Raya and the Last Dragon and How to Train Your Dragon still- this is an excellent new movie to watch!
Firedrake Netflix Parent Review (Contains Spoilers)
**SPOILERS AFTER THIS POINT**
Firedrake leaves the home of the dragons to seek a safe place for them to live. His best friend Sorrell, a forest brownie, goes with him. They soon encounter Ben. Ben is a thief, and uses Firedrake to escape from his latest theft. Firedrake sees a movie poster Ben has, for a dragon rider, and assumes Ben is one. Ben plays along as it is to his advantage, although Sorrell does not trust him. They are soon hunted by Nettlebrand, a dragon eating monster created before dragons went into hiding. Along the way the meet a variety of people. In particular, an archaeological professor, Barnabas Greenbloom, helps them find the clues they need.
The movie is based on a novel, Dragon Rider, written by Cornelia Funke. There are some significant differences, so if you loved the novel you may not love the movie.
Firedrake has a lot of familiar fantasy tropes – plot elements – in it. In particular, the relationship of the three main characters plays according to formula. As an adult, you will probably figure out where it is going fairly quickly. Kids may not, and regardless, it is a good, fun watch.
–Why Watch Firedrake on Netflix-
Firedrake does not offer anything new in terms of the type of story it tells. It is a good story, and one that children will easily follow. What sets Firedrake apart is the quality of the voice talent, some really good animation that visualizes the story well, and the humor that flows through the story.
Also- if you’ve had to watch Raya and the Last Dragon or How to Train Your Dragon 8 million times- it’s nice to change things up! And this is a fun, safe, watch.
-Is Firedrake Netflix appropriate?-
The story has the potential to be scary. However, the main villain is as much comical as scary. There are some tense moments, but the humor is put to good use to diffuse some of the scare of the character. The rating is accurate – younger kids should be OK. *However: If parental death is a trigger for your kiddos- watch this first to see if they will be OK with it!*
-Characters in Firedrake-
Freddie Highmore (Charlie in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Good Doctor); Thomas Brodie-Sangster (Ferb in Phineas and Ferb); Felicity Jones (Jyn Erso in Rogue One); and Sir Patrick Stewart (Star Trek, X-Men) provide the main voices and are, as expected, outstanding.
-Favorite Firedrake Quote-
“When the rim of heaven is discovered, silver will be worth more than gold.”
Firedrake Netflix Discussion Questions
Themes to Discuss: Dragons, Friendship, Leadership, Honesty
- Who was your favorite character? Which one was most like you? (for me it was Professor Grenbloom)
- Firedrake and his friends had to go through a lot of challenges to find the Rim of Heaven. What are some challenges you have had recently?
- Why was silver worth more than gold at the end?
- What do you think riding a dragon would be like?
- What does the movie Firedrake teach us about honesty? About friendship?
Thanks for reading our Firedrake Netflix Review.
Check out our other Netflix Reviews:
–Guide to Your Own YES DAY + Review
Down The Hobbit Hole Blog and this Firedrake Review use affiliate links. We only link products we think you’ll like and you are never charged extra for them. As Amazon Associates, we earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. We also use cookies to gather analytics and present advertisements. This allows us to keep writing discussion questions and telling ridiculous dad jokes. Find our other reviews with discussion questions here. Our posts about faith here. And our posts about family stuff here.