Princesse Dragon

The mighty dragon has spent many centuries amassing riches. But one wish has remained unfulfilled: to have a family. In desperation, he makes a pact with Sorcerog, a sorceress who grants him three eggs in exchange for a reward. From the eggs hatch two little dragons – and then Bristle, their sister: a green-haired, fire-breathing girl who at first glance doesn’t seem to fit into the dragon family at all. One day Sorcerog returns to claim her reward: young Bristle! To keep her freedom, Bristle must flee to the world of humans. On her journey she meets a girl, Princess, who lives in the grand castle and is also fleeing: not from a witch, but from her future husband. Together, the two mismatched friends manage to break free from their shackles and live a life according to their own ideas.

Director and screenwriter Anthony Roux processed his wife’s three consecutive miscarriages with “Princesse Dragon”. The original intention behind the little dragon princess was to write a story as a form of catharsis. But together with co-author Jean-Jacques Denis, he developed it into a fairy tale with a simple, yet universal message: “Money doesn’t make you happy”. Realising that material wealth is not the most precious thing in life is an insight that most often only comes when one is in danger of losing one’s true treasures. 

For the graphic realisation of the film, Roux and Denis were inspired by illustrations by artists such as Edmund Dulac, Arthur Rackham and Gustave Doré to create a fairy tale that seems “as if from a bygone era”. The film was honoured with Best Feature Film for Children this year at the Anima Brussels International Animation Film Festival. (Xenia Nguyen)