Dragonkeeper (film)

Dragonkeeper
Dragonkeeper
	Spanish theatrical release poster
Directed by	Salvador Simó; Li Jianping;
Written by	Carole Wilkinson; Pablo Castrillo; Ignacio Ferreras; Rosanna Checcini;
Based on	Dragonkeeper; by Carole Wilkinson
Produced by	Larry Levene
Music by	Arturo Cardelús
Production; companies	Guardián de Dragones AIE; China Film Animation; China Film Corporation; Movistar Plus+; Atresmedia Cine;
Distributed by	A Contracorriente Films (Spain); China Film Group (China);
Release dates	1 March 2024 (Málaga); 19 April 2024 (Spain);
Countries	Spain; China;
Budget	€24 million
Box office	$3.8 million

Dragonkeeper is a 2024 Spanish-Chinese animated fantasy adventure film directed by Salvador Simó and Li Jianping, with a script written by Carole Wilkinson, Pablo Castrillo, Ignacio Ferreras and Rosanna Checcini. Matthew Joynes is the executive producer.

The film is an adaptation of Wilkinson's novel Dragonkeeper.

Plot

Set in Han Imperial China, the plot follows the adventures of enslaved girl Ping with ancient dragon Long Danzi. Dragons had been banished from the kingdom due to matters of distrust. Ping, an orphan, finds one of the last remaining dragon eggs. Now Ping must embark on a journey with her rat friend Hua and Long Danzi in order to fulfill her destiny, and return the dragon egg to the ocean and save all dragons from extinction.^[3]

Cast

English-language voice cast

Bill Nighy^[4] as Danzi
Bill Bailey^[4] as Wang Chao
Anthony Howell^[4] as Diao
Mayalinee Griffiths as Ping^[4]

Production

The project, an adaptation of the first novel of Carole Wilkinson's 6-book-saga, was reported in 2017 as a Spanish-Chinese co-production between China Film Group's China Film Animation alongside Spain's Dragoia Media, Movistar Plus and Atresmedia Cine.^[3] The film's budget was €24 million.^[5]

Release

The film secured theatrical releases in Spain (by A Contracorriente), China (by China Film Group) and Latin America (by Imagem Filmes).^[6] Viva Kids bought the North American distribution rights to the film, whilst Hulu secured streaming rights for the post-theatrical window in the region.^[6] Dragonkeeper was scheduled to open in Spanish theaters on 22 September 2023.^[5] Afterwards, the Spanish release was postponed from 2023 to 2024.^[7] The film was selected as the opening film of the 27th Málaga Film Festival's official selection.^[8] The film's theatrical release date in Spain was rescheduled to 19 April 2024.^[8]

Accolades


Year	Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result	Ref.
2024	37th Golden Rooster Awards	Best Animation Film		Won	^[9]
2024	30th Forqué Awards	Best Animation Film		Pending	^[10]

References

^ "Dragonkeepr". The Numbers. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
^ "Dragonkeeper". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
^ ^a ^b Hopewell, John; Mayorga, Emilio (20 April 2017). "China Film Group, Dragoia Media, Movistar Plus, Atresmedia Cine Team on 'Dragonkeeper' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on 20 April 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Spry, Jeff (6 February 2023). "Scaling Fantastic Heights for Upcoming Spanish-Chinese Feature, 'Dragonkeeper'". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on 20 March 2023. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
^ ^a ^b "'Dragonkeeper', la próxima película de animación española dispuesta a llenar salas de todo el mundo". Cine con Ñ (in Spanish). 5 April 2023. Archived from the original on 10 July 2023. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
^ ^a ^b Wiseman, Andreas (7 September 2022). "Spain-China Animation 'Dragonkeeper' Gets U.S. Deals With Viva Kids & Hulu". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 10 September 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
^ Tena, Arturo (25 August 2023). "'Dragonkeeper' a 2024: se pospone el estreno de la próxima gran apuesta de la animación española". Cine con Ñ. Archived from the original on 10 July 2023. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
^ ^a ^b "'Dragonkeeper', película de animación dirigida por Salvador Simó y Li Jianping, inaugurará el Festival de Cine de Málaga". Europa Press. February 2024. Archived from the original on 4 February 2024. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
^ "第37届中国电影金鸡奖揭晓《第二十条》获最佳故事片奖". Xinhua News Agency. 17 November 2024.
^ "Premios Forqué 2024: 'La infiltrada', 'La estrella azul' y 'Querer' lideran las nominaciones de la 30 edición". Cinemanía. 7 November 2024 – via 20minutos.es.

External links

Official website
Dragonkeeper at IMDb

[NUM-1] "Dragonkeepr". The Numbers. Retrieved 24 May 2024.

[BOM-2] "Dragonkeeper". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 24 May 2024.

[variety-3] Hopewell, John; Mayorga, Emilio (20 April 2017). "China Film Group, Dragoia Media, Movistar Plus, Atresmedia Cine Team on 'Dragonkeeper' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on 20 April 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2023.

[animationmag-4] Spry, Jeff (6 February 2023). "Scaling Fantastic Heights for Upcoming Spanish-Chinese Feature, 'Dragonkeeper'". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on 20 March 2023. Retrieved 25 February 2023.

[cineconñ-5] "'Dragonkeeper', la próxima película de animación española dispuesta a llenar salas de todo el mundo". Cine con Ñ (in Spanish). 5 April 2023. Archived from the original on 10 July 2023. Retrieved 10 July 2023.

[deadline-6] Wiseman, Andreas (7 September 2022). "Spain-China Animation 'Dragonkeeper' Gets U.S. Deals With Viva Kids & Hulu". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 10 September 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2023.

[7] Tena, Arturo (25 August 2023). "'Dragonkeeper' a 2024: se pospone el estreno de la próxima gran apuesta de la animación española". Cine con Ñ. Archived from the original on 10 July 2023. Retrieved 10 July 2023.

[ep-8] "'Dragonkeeper', película de animación dirigida por Salvador Simó y Li Jianping, inaugurará el Festival de Cine de Málaga". Europa Press. February 2024. Archived from the original on 4 February 2024. Retrieved 4 February 2024.

[9] "第37届中国电影金鸡奖揭晓《第二十条》获最佳故事片奖". Xinhua News Agency. 17 November 2024.

[10] "Premios Forqué 2024: 'La infiltrada', 'La estrella azul' y 'Querer' lideran las nominaciones de la 30 edición". Cinemanía. 7 November 2024 – via 20minutos.es.

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