Merlin and the Dragons

Merlin and the Dragons is a 1991 animated film narrated and voiced by Kevin Kline. Originally broadcast as a feature of the pbs program "Long Ago and Far Away (TV Series), it was published by WB in 1991. It is a retelling of the Arthurian legend.

Plot summary

A young King Arthur is awoken from his sleep by bad dreams, about a boy who is made king because he pulls a sword from a stone. He goes to Merlin to seek his counsel, and Merlin begins a story of his own, about a young boy with strange abilities and visions. The boy, called Emrys, is feared in his village called of as a demon. Eventually, King Vortigern comes and forces his village to build a tower for him. However, the tower crumbles. His wizards advise him to find a demon boy and spill his blood upon the ground. However, when the boy is brought before Vortigern, he predicts that there is a pool of water beneath the foundations of the castle that weaken it. The workers find a pool of water and two strange stones, from which two beasts emerge, A white and a red dragon. A fight ensues which is ended when Vortigern distracts the red dragon, who is defeated by the white. Time passes and Emrys has another vision of an army coming to kill Vortigern. Soon after Vortigern is defeated, and the story ends with Merlin revealing that he is Emrys, and that Arthur himself is the boy in his dreams who will pull a sword from the stone.

There is also a children's book and an audio of this story. Each has different wording, but are the same story by author Jane Yolen.