Bearded Dragons in Film

As would be expected when hearing that bearded dragons have been left out of art, folklore, and literature, you would suppose they have been left out of the film industry too. Luckily, there is a movie that has bearded dragons. Although it is only a short scene, it is in a very popular and liked Disney movie-  Holes.

In the movie, they were depicted as dangerous and lethal “yellow spotted lizards” that trapped two boys and stopped others from getting to them in fear of being bitten. Although some makeup was used on the creatures, it is quite obvious that they used bearded dragons to play the role. I am sure that it was their intimidating look that made the species ideal for the part, but I also believe it is the species’ pleasant disposition that helped them secure the role too. In the movie, the creatures were required to pile up on top of each other and the boys in the small hole. Just by watching this scene, you can understand that these animals are very laid back and well mannered. They happily crawled around without issues in the scene. I find it very hard to believe that the film crew would  have had any success if they used any other reptile species for the part.

On the other hand, there are no dragon appearances in adult films and I believe this is because, for one, they are still just gaining popularity, but secondly and the more reasonable answer is because they simply are never needed in adult films. In children’s movies, producers can get away with putting paint on the animals and calling them “lethal lizards.” With adults, they cannot fool them that easily. It would take a much bigger and scarier creature (most likely an animation) to scare or convince viewers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdtF-zw9HG0