Marco Polo Junior Versus the Red Dragon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Marco Polo Junior Versus the Red Dragon |
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| Directed by | Eric Porter |
| Produced by |
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| Written by | Sheldon Moldoff |
| Starring |
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| Distributed by | British Empire Films |
| Release date(s) | December 1972 (Australia) 12 April 1973 (United States) |
| Running time | 82 minutes |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Budget | A$650,000 |
Marco Polo Junior Versus the Red Dragon (also known as Marco Polo Junior or The Red Red Dragon in the United States) is a 1972 Australian animated musical adventure film directed by Eric Porter, written by Sheldon Moldoff, and was the country's first animated feature film.
The two sequence directors were Porter's animation director Cam Ford (who had previously worked on the Beatles' Yellow Submarine) and Peter Gardiner. The film was later re-edited and combined with new sequences to become Marco Polo: Return to Xanadu in 2001.
Plot
Young Marco, a descendant of Marco Polo, and his companion Sandy the Seagull set off on a journey to the mythical kingdom of Xanadu, to help Princess Shining Moon defeat the evil magician the Red Dragon.
1972 voice cast
- Bobby Rydell as Marco Polo Junior
- Arnold Stang as the Delicate Dinosaur
- Corie Sims as Princess Shining Moon
- Kevin Golsby as the Red Dragon
- Larry Best as the Guru
- Gordon Hammet
- Lionel G. Wilson
- Arthur Anderson
- Merril E. Joels
- Sam Gray
Marco Polo: Return to Xanadu voice cast
- Nicholas Gonzales as Marco Polo Junior
- Tony Pope as Foo-Ling, Babu, and Reginald the Seagull
- Elea Bartling as Princess Ming Yu and Maiden on Pirate Ship
- John Matthew as the Delicate Dinosaur and Marco Polo the Explorer
- John C. Hyke as Malgor the Vulture and Sailing Ship Captain
- Michael Kostroff as Kubla Khan and Lo Fat
- Paul Ainsley as Wong Wei
- Robert Kramer as Helmsman, Voice of the Flame, and Grandpa
- Alan Altshuld as Pangu, Mr. Giovanni, and Marriage Priest
- Tim Bryon Owen as Space Station Captain, First Mate, and Kubla Khan's Servant
- Tony Pope, Robert Kramer, Cheddy Hart, John C. Hyke, and Chris Holter as Additional Voices
Marco Polo: Return to Xanadu
Many years later, the story was re-edited and extended by scriptwriter (and original co-producer) Sheldon Moldoff, in collaboration with Ron Merk and, with additional footage, certain name changes like the Red Dragon to Foo-Ling, and added subplots, was released as Marco Polo: Return to Xanadu (2002) by Tooniversal Company. Lightyear Video and Warner Home Video handled the VHS/DVD release. The resulting version is generally considered to be vastly inferior to the original. Lionsgate Films has made this version of the movie available for video-on-demand.
