Jane and the Dragon

I happened to watch this one morning while my 6 year old was watching Qubo and I absolutely fell in love with Jane and the Dragon. So far I have only seen two episodes and but I am hooked. The computer graphics are fantastic. The characters eyes are so life-like, that it appears they are really making eye to eye contact when talking to another character. The accents are authentic, the movements are realistic, the stories are sweet, genuine and simplistic. I never want it to end. I wish they would not only put it out on disc, but make a full length feature length movie. It's just a real treat. I am glad to know that there is a quality "cartoon" out there on network television, like it used to be when I was a child. No gimmicks or nonsense like Sponge Bob, but a throwback to the legitimate fairy tale. Long live Jane and the Dragon.

Hey, I'm 62 yrs old and stumbled onto this unique show Saturdays @ 8AM and now it's gone...where???? The movement of Jane's (and the other character's) hair is mesmerizing. Having no children or grandchildren, cartoons have passed me by and the newer mediums are so sophisticated. I grew up with the old-style flip page animation (sorry, not knowledgebale re: names of styles) which was pretty good compared to later stop-action stuff (boring) but this is hard to take your eyes off of. The subtle movements of real-life are captured and the writers are winners with the sarcasm of Dragon. It was a great way to start off Sats with a laugh (Dragon is a crack-up, reminds me of Alf). Good life lessons for youngsters too.

I stumbled across this show one Saturday morning, and was thoroughly impressed. It is something completely unique and refreshing that much of children's programming has been lacking of late. The main characters are far from flat or one-dimensional--they have history, issues, and deal with pretty serious moral or ethical issues that many young kids might face in their own lives. And yes, they do tend to come away unscathed, learning a lesson about doing the right thing, but there are moments of tension and gravity along the way, and the lessons are far from heavy-handed. The animation is a bit different than most of the other CGI shows around, but I like it--it looks like a page from a children's storybook brought to life. The music is upbeat but unobtrusive, and the dialogue is actually pretty funny--there are several jokes (especially from Dragon) that are really funny, even for adults. I highly recommend taking a look with your kids--you won't regret it!

Caught this by accident while channel hopping and was blown away by its quality both in the animation and its humorous tone. The stories have a medieval setting based around a castle and Jane(her quest to train as a knight), the other kids in the castle and her best friend,who just happens to be a dragon. The dragon steals the show, as his mannerisms and sense of humour are just laugh-out-loud funny. The animation uses motion capture. I know that this is not the first time its been used in a cartoon(remake of Captain Scarlett)but nevertheless it adds quality and helps to lift this above the ordinary. The backgrounds appear to have been created to make them seem as if they were done in pencil;the subtle blend of this and the CGI work just gives this a fresh,different look.

I discovered this show a few months ago and have been addicted to it ever since. I showed it to my husband, and even he was blown away. We've seen every single episode, and can't wait for more.

"Jane and the Dragon" showcases Weta's incredible animation techniques (also seen in such movies as "Lord of the Rings" and "The Chronicles of Narnia"), which in this case combine lifelike movements--created through sophisticated motion capture technology--with artistic effects that give the show a delightfully unique visual style.

The characters are engaging and diverse, and all of them display both strengths and weaknesses--particularly Jane herself. It is refreshing to see a strong and charismatic heroine that also has clear weak points, and messes up frequently and often spectacularly. Of course, she always learns something by the end of each episode.

The plots are engaging and novel, masterfully juxtaposing delightful comedy with surprisingly compelling drama. Kids can learn along with Jane, gaining insight into important topics such as courage, integrity, and diverse aspects of friendship. Although the plots are always didactic, the show manages not to be boring or tedious for adults to watch.

The only audience I would not recommend "Jane and the Dragon" for (aside from those who have a problem with dung jokes) is very young children, purely for the reason that the show can be somewhat slow-moving compared to other children's shows, having extended scenes of fairly serious dialogue and long, beautiful shots of the fantastically animated scenery. Toddlers may lose interest, and get little out of the often very insightful dialogue. Otherwise, I recommend "Jane" for all ages. It is a pure delight--definitely worth watching. Sit down with your kids and enjoy!