Review of The Dragon Prince

By Dave B.

​In The Dragon Prince (Netflix), the world stands on the brink of war. The continent of Xadia has been divided for 100 years, ever since humans invented Dark Magic that relies on the life force of magical creatures to function. The elves and the dragons, abhorred by this, banished all humans to the western half of the continent, thus limiting humanity’s access to more traditional celestial and terrestrial magic. In an effort to end their banishment, one of the human kingdoms launches an assault on the king of the dragons, killing him and his unborn son. The Dragon Prince’s story follows that human kingdom’s two young princes and an elven assassin as they embark on a perilous quest to prevent an apocalyptic war.

​If the plot sounds dark, don’t worry. The Dragon Prince is unambiguously a show that is appropriate for all ages. More importantly, it’s a lot of fun! The Dragon Prince manages to find the right balance of being appealing to both kids and adults. The animation is solid, the story is interesting, and most impressively, the characters (even the youngest ones) aren’t annoying at all. The show also has a compelling backstory, political intrigue, ambition, betrayal, and legitimate stakes (namely, preventing a devastating war). There’s little limit to the plaudits that I could give to this show.

​That said, like with most things in life, there is some room for improvement. For example, the fight scenes are merely acceptable and are too few. In future seasons, an increase in the prevalence of action will make The Dragon Prince even more enjoyable to watch. The show would also benefit from expanding the scope of its story. In the first season, the setting is confined to a single human kingdom. Introducing the other human kingdoms, as well as the magical realm, will help deepen the seemingly complex political dynamics that are an undercurrent to the show.

​In truth, I’m probably a little overexcited in this review of The Dragon Prince. Yes, the first season was a good foundation, but what I’m really excited about is future seasons. With the detailed world-building and strong storytelling exhibited in season one, it’s easy for me to predict that this show will eventually be regarded as a classic. Kudos to Netflix. I highly recommend The Dragon Prince and I hope that viewers enjoy watching it as much as I did!

Rating: 8/10