Dragon's Lair is a television animated series by Ruby-Spears Productions based on the 1983 video game of the same name. Thirteen half-hour episodes were produced and aired from September 8, 1984, to April 27, 1985, on ABC.
Synopsis
The series chronicles the adventures of Dirk the Daring, who is the best knight in the kingdom of King Ethelred. Dirk performs all sorts of great deeds while protecting the kingdom and his love Princess Daphne from the forces of the evil dragon Singe. In his adventures there are several original characters like his stallion Bertram, his squire Timothy, and arrogant knight Sir Hubert Blunt who is Dirk the Daring's rival.
Before each commercial break, Dirk the Daring faces a cliffhanger situation. In keeping with the spirit of the game, the storyteller narrates Dirk's options and asks the viewer "What would you do?" After the commercial break, the outcomes of the various choices were shown before Dirk acts on the correct idea (with the occasional exception) to advance the story.
Several enemies from the original game also make their appearance as adversaries: the Lizard King, the Phantom Knight, the Smithee, the Giddy Goons, and the Mudmen. In the episode "The Legend of the Giant's Name", an Ardu giant awakened by Singe forces Dirk to find his way out of an enchanted cave, which gradually transforms him into a skeleton, much like the death animations of the game.
Episodes
Cast
Principal voice actors
Bob Sarlatte as Dirk the Daring
Ellen Gerstell as Princess Daphne
Fred Travalena as King Ethelred
Michael Mish as Timothy
Arthur Burghardt as Singe the Dragon
Peter Cullen as Bertram the Horse, Sir Hubert Blunt
Clive Revill as Storyteller
Additional voices
Marilyn Schreffler
Michael Sheehan
Crew
Alan Dinehart - Voice Director
Howard Morris - Voice Director
Home media
On September 20, 2011, Warner Bros. released Dragon's Lair: The Complete Series on DVD in region 1 via their Warner Archive Collection. This is a Manufacture-on-Demand (MOD) release, available exclusively through Warner's online store and only in the US.