Droofus the Dragon Has a Huge Heart

Dragons are powerful mythological creatures whose role in most tales is to antagonize and terrorize. Sometimes, however, they come across much more sympathetically. Famous fire-breathers of this type include Puff the Magic Dragon, Elliot from Pete’s Dragon and Kenneth Grahame’s Reluctant Dragon. I just ran across another fine addition to this list thanks to prolific author-illustrator and former Disney animator Bill Peet.

In How Droofus the Dragon Lost His Head, Droofus is just a youngster when he falls behind a group of migrating dragons. Unable to find them again, he goes in for a landing and makes a life for himself on the ground. Droofus has an unusually soft heart, and he is more interested in rescuing small creatures than eating them. In fact, he is so tender-hearted that he decides to restrict his feasting to grass. This vegetarian dragon is able to grow to a hearty adulthood, but how will he fare when he is discovered by humans? Will he have the opportunity to demonstrate his goodwill?

Peet has a delightful style of illustrating, and all of his characters brim with personality. Droofus is a vibrant blue and green, while his wings are pink. He seems to shimmer with iridescence. Instead of jagged teeth, he has a jagged mouth, which sometimes looks very happy and sometimes very downcast but never looks ferocious. Most of the other characters are small birds and woodland creatures, but the people who come into the story halfway through are most expressive, particularly the weathered farmer who isn’t sure what to make of this enormous winged reptile.

Peet seems to specialize in animals that are significantly different than others of their kind. In this case, it is Droofus’s eating habits and pleasant manner that distinguish him. However, this is not a story about him gaining acceptance from his fellow dragons. Rather, it’s about him learning to carve out his own path and find a way to prove to the skittish people he encounters that he is not a threat.

This is a fairly long story, with several paragraphs on each page, so it builds slowly, and it works well as a read-aloud. It could even be broken up into halves and read as a two-parter. There is suspense aplenty in this story as the dragon faces an unanticipated injury and a threat from a king who pursues him not out of fear but out of aesthetic appreciation. With such a provocative title to the book, can there be a happy ending for Droofus?

Through it all is the core of kindness in Droofus’s heart and the way that it impacts those with whom he interacts. For those who prefer their dragons friendly, How Droofus the Dragon Lost His Head is a thoroughly satisfying tale.

Kindness Calms the Savage Beast in Sir Goofy and the Dragon

Dragons are popular characters in fantasy and folklore. While these mythical reptilian creatures are traditionally villains, many modern stories cast them in a favorable light. One of the first stories in which I encountered a sympathetic dragon was Sir Goofy and the Dragon, part of the Disney’s Wonderful World of Reading collection.

This book, published in 1983, begins with a contemporary Goofy telling a story to Mickey Mouse’s nephews Morty and Ferdy. These twins turned up in several of the Disney books I read as a child, but I never seem to see them anymore, so it was a nostalgia trip to encounter them here, hanging on Goofy’s words as he explains to them where the sword over his fireplace originated.

The bulk of the book concerns Sir Goofylad, whom Goofy claims is his great-great grandfather. There aren’t enough “greats” there to put Goofylad in medieval times, unless the Goofy family is known for remarkable longevity, and as the story implies that he remained a bachelor, the “grandfather” part doesn’t quite add up either. Then again, Goofy tells the story with a wink and a nod, so as likely as not, we’re supposed to think he just made the whole thing up anyway.

Whether or not it’s true in the context of Goofy’s world, it’s a charming story about a blacksmith who makes armor for all of the knights in a kingdom presided over by King Mickey. When those knights fail to eliminate the nuisance of a nearby dragon whose fiery breaths are terrorizing the townsfolk, Mickey puts out a general call, promising any citizen who can take care of the problem both a knighthood and a fortune. Goofy decides to take on the task, and he soon discovers that what this dragon needs is not vanquishing but a little compassion. The story, then, becomes a lesson in the value of empathy.

As with other books in this series, while Goofy, Mickey, Minnie (who we see only from a distance) and Morty and Ferdy look much the same as their cartoon counterparts, the other characters in the book are drawn in a more realistic fashion. The dragon is the only other anthropomorphic animal in the story, and he still looks very much like a stereotypical dragon. All of the knights and townspeople, meanwhile, are ordinary humans.

Aside from taking one major pratfall (that really isn’t his fault), Goofy seems a little uncharacteristically suave here. Then again, since the modern Goofy is telling the story, he’s probably trying to make his medieval counterpart look good. No need to clutter up the story of his greatest triumph with scenes of him tripping over his own sword. His personality otherwise seems about right, particularly Goofy’s great capacity for friendship.

A popular geeky bumper sticker cautions, “Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons.” Here, however, the dragon is glad Goofy did. A touching tale.

My Top Ten Movies of the '70s

The 1970s were just before my time, so I didn't see any of these in the theater, but I easily got caught up in their magic from the comfort of my own home.

Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971) / Pete's Dragon (1977) - Both of these movies are live-action films that creatively incorporate animation.  In the first, it's in a lengthy sequence of the movie that takes place underwater and then on an island, where the apprentice witch played by Angela Lansbury goes with the children under her care and their new acquaintance Emelius, portrayed by the always-amusing David Tomlinson.  A fun film with enjoyable songs, especially Portabello Road, which I always think of when I read about Harry Potter's first trip to Diagon Alley.  In the second, everything is live-action except the title character, otherwise known as Elliot.  He's the most unintimidating dragon you've ever seen, except when hard-luck orphan Pete is in danger.  The movie has a bittersweet ending, but it's mostly happy.  Mickey Rooney, Red Buttons, Shelly Winters and Jim Dale give hilarious performances, and Helen Reddy beautifully sings Candle on the Water, one of my all-time favorite Disney songs.

Fiddler on the Roof (1971) / Jesus Christ Superstar (1973) - Norman Jewison directed both of these musicals.  The first is about Russian Jews trying to uphold honored traditions while facing oppression in the tiny town of Anatevka.  The songs are outstanding, and Topol is excellent as the robust, philosophical Tevye, who is deeply devoted to God and to his daughters.  The second is filmed in the Holy Land, which is pretty neat, though some of the directorial choices are a little strange, like the costumes that sometimes seem more suited to hippies than ancient Jerusalem dwellers and the tanks that Judas imagines trying to plow him down at one point.  Still, the songs are amazing in this unconventional look at Holy Week, told entirely in song and focusing on Judas's perspective. The extremely energetic Carl Anderson is exhausting to watch as Judas, and Barry Dennen makes a big impression in his few scenes as the conflicted Pilate.

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) - I enjoyed Tim Burton's remake of this classic very much, but I'll always have a special place in my heart for the original. Gene Wilder makes a wacky, manipulative Wonka, while Julie Dawn Cole and Roy Kinnear are the most memorable child-parent pair as horrendously spoiled Veruca Salt and her cowed father. My favorite character, however, is Charlie's inept teacher, Mr. Turkentine, hilariously played by David Battley. I also love the Oompa Loompa songs and the vignettes at the beginning of the movie showing what ridiculous behavior Willy Wonka's contest has inspired.

Herbie Rides Again (1974) - My favorite of the Herbie sequels, and I may even prefer it to The Love Bug, though I do miss Buddy Hackett's gold-hearted mechanic, Tennessee. Grandma Steinmetz is just as lovable, though, and has plenty of spunk as she stands up to the comically villainous Alonzo Hawk, played by a deliciously over-the-top Keenan Wynn. This movie has nothing to do with racing; it's just Herbie, with some help from some other curiously animated objects and a couple of human friends, helping sweet Mrs. Steinmetz save the firehouse where she has lived for so many years. A very funny movie.

Young Frankenstein (1974) - As is this, though it's a little more adult-oriented. I watched it for the first time when I was about eight, and I laughed myself silly; I watched it again in high school and couldn't believe how many naughty double entendres were in it. They sailed right over my head at the time, which is one nice thing about this movie; kids can enjoy it as a goofy horror spoof and probably won't pick up on the innuendo. Gene Wilder goes from strictly level-headed to demented in his performance as the scientist trying to resist the associations of the family name, and Marty Feldman is a hoot as his hunchbacked assistant Igor, while Peter Boyle, now most associated with cantankerous Frank on Everybody Loves Raymond, makes a sympathetic monster. Usually I'm not a big fan of black-and-white, but in this case I think director Mel Brooks definitely made the right call.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) - Throughout high school, several of my friends told me I needed to see this famous spoof. My English teacher even showed it in class one day, but it was the one day that term I happened to be absent. So it wasn't until after high school that I finally saw it, and I understood what all of the fuss was about. This, too, is full of adult humor, and some of it is more overt than in Young Frankenstein. There are also a couple of scenes, particularly one involving a vicious bunny, that could be traumatizing to youngsters. But as an Anglophile who loves the Arthurian legends, I couldn't stop laughing at the antics of King Arthur and his Knights, and when it comes to sheer silliness, this one gives Airplane! a serious run for its money.

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977) - Given my great fondness for Winnie the Pooh, I couldn't leave this off the list. This humble Disney masterpiece is a combination of three earlier shorts, in which Pooh gets stuck in Rabbit's front door, Piglet loses his house in a dreadful rainstorm and Rabbit plots to rid the Hundred-Acre Wood of the menace that is Tigger. These cozy tales have only the mildest amount of peril, and they paved the way for my all-time favorite cartoon, The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.

Star Wars (1977) - This first installment in George Lucas's trilogy is full of classic characters and scenes. Mark Hamill is an endearingly whiny Luke in the film's early moments, while Carrie Fisher's Leia is bossy and Harrison Ford's Han Solo is cynical. They've all got some growing to do, and their first adventures together help them accomplish that. The trash compactor scene is a compact example of the perfect balance the movie strikes between action and comedy. The special effects aren't groundbreaking anymore, but they still draw us into that world, though not as much as iconic characters like R2-D2, C-2PO, Chewbacca, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader.

Watership Down (1978) - "It's about bunnies," said LOST's Sawyer in a concise description of the novel from which this animated film was adapted. But that doesn't really begin to cover it. It's about survival, migration, faith, industrialism and all sorts of other things, and while the characters are most definitely rabbits, they have a lot to say about the human condition. It's a surprisingly dark movie, but it's lovely nonetheless, especially the segment that features Art Garfunkel singing Bright Eyes, a somber reflection on grief.

The Muppet Movie (1979) - The musical buddy comedy assembles all of the major players from The Muppet Show for an adventure explaining how they got together. For Muppet fans, this is a must-see. Full of that great mix of humor and heart that makes Jim Henson's creations so irresistible, the movie also features comedic performances by the likes of Steve Martin, Bob Hope, Milton Berle, Richard Pryor and Orson Welles. And of course, the songs are terrific, especially Kermit's banjo-assisted soliloquy, The Rainbow Connection, the quintessential Muppet anthem.

"I Do Love Beach Balls...Especially the Round Ones"

Although I can't recall ever having seen this in the video store, it became a part of out video library years ago when my aunt taped it for us (along with Puff, the Magic Dragon, which I reviewed earlier). I'm not sure who produced this movie, and I rather doubt that it ever hit the theaters, though I do not know that for a fact. The Dragon That Wasn't (Or Was He?) is a cute cartoon complete with songs and an all-animal cast. (At one point in the movie, when the tumult over having a dragon in town has died down, a news reporter notes that dragons do indeed exist, unlike such mythical creatures as Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, and humans.)

The main character is a stately bear named Ollie who, amused by his butler Yost's fear of thunderstorms as a time for dragon breeding, reads an incantation from a book inviting a dragon to pay a visit to his estate. Yost is mortified, but his master laughs it off and goes to bed. He is befuddled but unpertubed the next morning when he discovers what appears to be a beach ball with brightly colored spots and a mind of its own. He decides to make it a gift to his lady friend, a squirrel whom he intends to invite to his dinner party as a special guest. His plans are averted, however, when the "beach ball" hatches, revealing a tiny, scaly green creature.

Infinitely adoring of his new son, whom he dubs Dexter, the bumbling bear does not see that the new member of his household is a dragon capable of great destruction when angered or frightened. Although he is cute and cuddly most of the time -- and, indeed, whenever his "father" sees him -- his occasional spurts cause him to grow enormous and fearsome. In the midst of this, he falls in with a no-good duo comparable to Honest John and his side-kick in Pinocchio. Under their tutelage, he becomes an accomplice in an extensive crime spree. Only Yost and the bears' friend and neighbor Miss Kitty know what must be done, and only Dexter's father has the power to do it. But Ollie refuses to consider the thought of returning his son to the land of the dragons, and it looks like turmoil for the whole town if something isn't done soon...

This entertaining movie is filled with endearing characters, from the bumbling hero to the paranoid Yost and practical Kitty, from the drunken duck to the Irish police dog, from the giddy squirrel to the gallumphing elephant. And of course there is Dexter, the sweet little dragon who only wants to please his father but keeps winding up in trouble. Although the songs are pretty forgettable and the movie seems to drag on a little at times, The Dragon That Wasn't (Or Was He?) is nonetheless a cute, action-packed cartoon which, like Free Willy, shows that love is not limited to members of the same species, even if the member of the other species is seen as a monster. And sometimes, love must also mean being willing to let go.

"Jackie Draper, Meet Jackie Paper!"

As we all know, "Puff the Magic Dragon lived by the sea and frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honallee". But what about Jackie Paper? Where did he come from? This movie explains. Jackie Draper is a young boy who is so withdrawn that he is in a coma-like state. His parents bring in a number of specialists, but no one seems to be able to help him. No one, that is, until Puff comes along. In order for Puff to take Jackie on his journey of pure imagination, Jackie must be rid of the extra baggage of his body. So his "living essence" is transferred onto a paper cutout of himself drawn by Puff. The voyage is ready to start.

As the song indicates, the two set sail across the sea on a boat with sails made of pillows. This was Jackie's idea, one of the first in a long string of problems that he will need to use his ingenuity to solve. In order to do anything, he has to get past his fear, which is what has paralyzed him.

One of his most frightening experiences occurs when he and Puff venture into the territory of a huge pirate, Very Long John. Puff encourages him to see past the pirate's rough exterior, and Jackie lets his imagination run wild despite his fear. This allows him to see the pirate as a baker, and he puts this image into play when Long John asks him for his last words. The fierce pirate vanishes almost instantly, replaced by a cheery baker.

The most difficult challenge lies in Puff's homeland of Honallee, which has been taken over by large talking noses and redubbed The Isle of the Living Sneezes. These creatures are very unhappy, and they have made Honallee a miserable place to be. Puff is distraught at what has happened to his home, but Jackie uses the problem solving skills and imagination he has acquired on this trip to come up with the perfect solution to everyone's problems (to the tune of Peter, Paul and Mary's Weave Me the Sunshine).Afterwards, he is ready to go home and begin really living, and though he does leave Puff, the movie leaves a more optimistic feeling at the end than the song does. Both the boy and the dragon are ready to go on with their lives, each the better for their friendship.

This is a cute movie encouraging the use of the imagination to dispel fears. I wouldn't put its quality up there with Disney or Don Bluth, but anyone who loves Puff the Magic Dragon should see this at least once.