Quite by chance, while browsing Netflix discs, I recently came across a DVD titled Dragon's World: A Fantasy Made Real, produced by Animal Planet. It sounded good, so I added it to our Netflix queue.

We watched it and found it most entertaining! I've actually given it a very rare 5/5 stars rating in Netflix, too. It's, ahem, fantastic!

Essentially, it's a documentary, based on the assumption that dragons did roam the earth, starting some 65 million years ago. It explains – scientificallly via natural history and comparative physiology – all of the traditional aspects of dragons through all cultures, such as how they could fly and breath fire, as well as the differences between Asian and European species, etc.

If you happened to see this on TV, but missed the opening narration saying the piece is a "what if" documentary, you might actually believe that a scientific team had found the preserved dragon that they autopsy and analyze. They have a team of scientists apply a battery of tools and tests to their beast and take you through their puzzlement as they draw their conclusions.

The most unrealistic aspect of the whole production was just how much equipment this small team had access to! However, the use of such gear was realistic – given the main character's stated previous research and "young darling" status in the scientific community. If you can overlook the characters' expertise in all the gadgets, sit back and enjoy the dragons.

Of course the CGI is top-notch. Highly recommended.