Spellbinder: Land of the Dragon Lord facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Spellbinder: Land of the Dragon Lord
Spellbinder: Land of the Dragon Lord's intertitle
Genre	Adventure, Fantasy, Science fiction
Created by	Mark Shirrefs John Thomson
Directed by	Noel Price
Starring	Lauren Hewett Anthony Wong Ryan Kwanten Leonard Fung Heather Mitchell
Music by	Ian Davidson
Country of origin	Australia Poland China
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	26
Production
Producer(s)	Janusz Czech Denis Kiely
Cinematography	Danny Batterham
Editor(s)	Pippa Anderson
Running time	c. 24 minutes
Release
Original network	Nine Network
Original release	1 September (1997-09-01) – 24 October 1997 (1997-10-24)
Chronology
Preceded by	Spellbinder

Spellbinder: Land of the Dragon Lord is an exciting TV show full of fantasy, adventure, and science fiction. It's a follow-up to another show called Spellbinder. Both shows are about people traveling between different parallel universes. The creators, Mark Shirrefs and John Thomson, also wrote books based on the series.

The show was filmed in different places around the world. "Kathy's world" and another similar world were filmed in Australia. "Sun's world" was filmed in China, and "Ashka's world" (plus two other parallel universes) was filmed in Poland. The show was made by teams from all three countries, but the story and ideas came from Australia. Everyone in the show speaks English.

The series moves very fast, with new challenges for the characters in almost every episode. They solve these problems by being smart and clever. Even though Kathy is a teenager, she leads most of the adventures. Some adults, like Ashka, Kathy's parents, and the scientist Mek, are also important characters.

In 1997, Spellbinder: Land of the Dragon Lord was recognized internationally. It was a finalist in The New York Festivals competition for children's TV shows.

Story of the Series

When Kathy explores a strange boat near a lake, she accidentally gets pulled into a different world. This new world is home to people who look like Chinese and have amazing technology. They even have a talking computer called the "Oracle" that helps run their empire.

Kathy spends most of her time trying to avoid danger and find a way back home to her family. She also has to deal with Ashka, a tricky woman who escaped from prison in her own world. Ashka is always trying to get what she wants.

The show also follows Sun, a character from the new world, when he visits Kathy's world. There, he finds that his power doesn't mean anything, and people don't listen to him.

Where They Filmed the Show

Land of the Immortals

This part of the show was filmed in Poland, mostly in a town called Nieborów. The Arkadia palace was used as the home for characters named Lem and Guin. The Temple of Diana in the palace park was Doctor Elvo's house. Scenes where Kathy goes to school were filmed in the Old Town of Warsaw and Łazienki Park.

Land of the Moloch

Some parts of the series were also filmed in Poland. The Wieliczka Salt Mine was used for scenes that took place underground. The village and the scrap yard were filmed near Kraków.

Main Characters

Kathy, Mek, and Ashka in "Sun's World" (from a book cover)

Kathy and Automatons in another parallel world (from a book cover)

• Lauren Hewett as Kathy Morgan – Kathy is almost fifteen years old. She can be a bit spoiled and doesn't want to go camping at first. She accidentally ends up in the Land of the Dragon Lord after playing with Mek's boat. Kathy quickly gets used to her new life, but she gets upset when Sun wants her to stay forever. She helps Ashka escape from another world, but then sometimes helps Ashka and sometimes doesn't. Kathy is good at acting and often plans things with her family or Mek. She is the only person to visit six different worlds, including her own.

• Anthony Wong as Mek – Mek is the first person Kathy meets in the Land of the Dragon Lord. He invented the special bamboo boat that takes Kathy and her family to other worlds. Mek works at a school and acts like a father figure to Kathy, helping her get used to her new life.

• Ryan Kwanten as Josh Morgan – Josh is Kathy's sixteen-year-old brother. He plays sports and has some military skills. He is the only one who sees Kathy disappear. When his family ends up in the Land of the Dragon Lord, Josh gets separated and becomes friends with Jasmine. He likes her, and they share a kiss. Josh is good at making up lies quickly.

• Leonard Fung as Sun, The Dragon Lord – At first, Sun is a spoiled leader who relies on the "Oracle" computer and his guards. He doesn't like Ashka but becomes friends with Kathy until he wants her to stay with him forever. After Ashka saves him, he makes her his advisor. When Ashka leaves him stranded in Kathy's world, Sun is lost. He learns to adapt and helps Kathy get the boat back.

• Heather Mitchell as Ashka – Ashka is a former Spellbinder and the main villain of the show. She tricks Kathy and Mek into helping her escape prison and travels with them. After saving Sun, she becomes his advisor. Ashka then leaves Sun in Kathy's world and lies about what happened to him. She becomes an advisor to Princess Aya and secretly controls the 'Oracle'. In the end, Ashka is left stranded in another world.

• Me Yang as Sharak – Sharak leads a group of people who are very hungry. Sun refuses to help them, but Sharak doesn't give up. He gets help from Ashka, who he thinks is a magician. Sharak and his group manage to take over the Land of the Dragon Lord. He is very superstitious and uses a fortune-teller. Sharak also learns to drive the Morgan family's Jeep. He makes himself the new leader and tries to marry Aya, but Ashka takes her place. Later, Sharak's people find a new home, but he and his commanders are sent away.

• Lenore Smith as Vicky Morgan – Vicky is Kathy and Josh's mother. She is scared of spiders and works with computers. In the Land of the Dragon Lord, she mostly helps with supplies and distracting people.

• Peter O'Brien as Carl Morgan – Carl is Kathy and Josh's father. He used to be a football player. At first, he doesn't believe Josh. When he drives into the Land of the Dragon Lord, he tries to get help from Sharak without knowing Sharak's true plans. He eventually reunites with his family. Carl teaches Sharak how to drive his "carriage" (which is actually the family's Jeep). He cares a lot for his wife and kids and has some basic military skills.

• Hu Xin as Princess Aya – Aya is Sun's older sister. She was supposed to be the Dragon Lord, but she was hurt in an accident that killed their parents. Sun became the Dragon Lord while she recovered. Aya is kind to everyone and usually keeps Sun in line. She likes Kathy and the Morgan family. Aya becomes the Dragon Lord after she believes Sun is gone. After Sharak is defeated, Aya and Sun decide to rule the Land of the Dragon Lord together.

• Gui Jeilan as Jasmine – Jasmine is a 15-year-old girl from a village. She believes in water spirits and even thinks Josh is one when she first sees him. Her dream is to be an entertainer. When her wish doesn't come true at first, she gets angry at Josh. But she forgives him, and her wish eventually comes true in a different way. She likes Josh and kisses him in the last episode. Jasmine can play the flute, sing, and dance, which often helps distract others.

Episodes

Where to Watch the Show

The first Spellbinder series was shown in the US on The Disney Channel in 1996. However, The Disney Channel decided not to show Spellbinder: Land of the Dragon Lord after 1997.

Luckily, the FOX Family Channel picked up the show. It started airing on August 15, 1998, when the channel launched. Even though FOX Family Channel stopped showing it early, its sister channel, girlzChannel, started playing the series again in October 1999 and continued until May 2000. In 2019, Retro Television began airing all the episodes.

In the United Kingdom, the show was on the satellite and cable channel The Children's Channel. In Ireland, it was shown on RTÉ Two in 1998.

The series was also very popular in Sri Lanka. It was shown by Rupavahini with Sinhala subtitles and called "මායා බන්ධන" (which means "Spellbinder"). Kids and teens loved it and still remember it fondly.

It was also aired in Bangladesh by Bangladesh Television. In Russia, the series started in 1998, and both Spellbinder shows were shown many times on different channels.

DVD Release

You can get the full series on DVD! The DVD set was released on Friday, May 4, 2007. It includes all 26 episodes across 4 discs.

See also

In Spanish: Spellbinder: Land of the Dragon Lord para niños