Caverna do Dragão

I have been playing D&D for over 15 years now, and I have to say the series ran just like the old D&D. Granted, the newer aspects of the game itself don't really apply, but back in the 80's, this series was right on target. I liked it so much, I have been searching and saving for it for some time now, and will eagerly buy it as soon as I can. The animation was good for its time, the story lines were always good, and there was always a great balance of good and evil. Every episode actually had a moral to it, though it wasn't always apparent. It was a great series for adults and children alike, for it's content and the action-packed sequences.

I grew up watching this back in the 80's and since I've been in college I've had the privilege of getting the series through a collector basis. This is arguably one of the greatest animated series of the 80's, I refuse to call it a cartoon because it is so much more than that! It had great voice actors like Willie Aames(Charles In Charge) and Don Most(Happy Days) providing life to the characters. The theme of the series was that a group of young teenagers and little Bobby go on a rollercoaster ride called Dungeons & Dragons it transforms them to another land in a different time. They try to get home with the guiding wisdom of Dungeon Master(Sidney Miller) and fight off various antagonists along the way, mainly the evil Venger! The characters had much depth to them and the reason I say it was the best because it's competition was Strawberry Shortcake and The Get Along Gang. No Contest! It was on from 83-86.

Six kids climb onto a Dungeons & Dragons ride, but they don't get off at the other end. Instead, they arrive in the Realm - a magical world where they're handed enchanted weapons and guided only by Dungeon Master. The Realm is a dangerous place, and lurking at its heart is the ultimate villain: Venger.

Saturday mornings could have been custom-built specifically for this series. It's the perfect fantasy adventure: rich, imaginative, and surprisingly dark - sometimes very dark. Even as kids, we sensed this wasn't the usual safe, toy-selling fare.

Dungeon Master is fascinating, walking a blurred line between benevolence and something murkier. Is he good? Manipulative? Surely he's powerful enough to send the children home... so why doesn't he?

Venger, brilliantly voiced by Peter Cullen, is the perfect contrast. There's nothing silly or frivolous about him - no slapstick, no winking at the camera. He's genuinely menacing, unsettling even, and that single horn doesn't exactly ease the nerves. What makes him truly interesting is the fact he doesn't lie... whereas Dungeon Master...

There are multiple high points across the run. The Dragons' Graveyard remains the peak - the moment the kids finally snap from burnout and take matters into their own hands. And then there's the opposite end of the spectrum: The Traitor, the one with the Care Bears energy. The only episode where you'll want to escape the Realm without a friendship bracelet.

The animation is terrific throughout. Even when the budget was clearly slashed for the third series, it remains stylish, moody, and distinctly its own thing.

The show wasn't free of controversy either, suffering from the era's "satanic panic" and hand-wringing over violence in children's television. But beneath the noise, it tackled disappointment, temptation, courage, hope, and that eternal tug-of-war between good and evil.

And then, decades later, Requiem arrived - the long-lost finale finally brought to life. It offers a thoughtful, emotional conclusion that fits perfectly with everything the show ever hinted at.

Well worth a trip down memory lane.

9/10.

I actually recorded some of the episodes back in 1983- 84 as i had my first VCR at the time. I still have the tapes and they play fine. My favorite episode was "THE SKELETON WARRIOR". It was about dekion the celestrial night that Venger put a spell on. It was awesome. TO bad there aren't anymore out there like this cartoon. After the 80's cartoons generally went downhill. THe best cartoons were in the mid 70's to mid 80's. I wonder why cartoons like this get cancelled? THen they have all the stupid ones they have on today. I used to watch this and the Saturday supercade along with Mighty Orbots and a bunch of other ones. Well those times are over I guess. But we have the recordings to see them again and again.

A few years ago I remember seeing this show on Fox Kids. It came on after "Digimon" and I was to lazy to change the channel so I decided to watch it. "Dungeons & Dragons" told the story of a bunch of kids who take a ride on a roller coaster and are transported to a strange world. A good plot! This was a really cool show.

My favorite episodes were: "In Search of the Dungeon Master", "The Dungeon at the Heart of Dawn", and "Odyssey of the 12th Talisman"

Overall I really enjoyed this show and it's a shame it didn't last on Fox Kids for that long. I hope to see it again one day. I give this show 9/10 stars and suggest everyone should watch it if it returns.