Television series
The Dragon Prince
The Dragon Prince is a warm, big-hearted animated fantasy about two human princes and an elf assassin trying to end a war built on centuries of lies. Netflix-era CG with a hand-painted storybook feel, it moves fast, jokes often, and still lets its politics and grief land. Good for families, and for anyone who wants Avatar's warmth in shorter episodes.
If you liked this
Avatar: The Last Airbender2005
The show Dragon Prince clearly studied: elemental magic, a genuinely funny young cast, and a war story that trusts kids with real loss and real moral complexity. Still the gold standard for animated fantasy done right.
But Three seasons deep and slower to start; the tonal whiplash between slapstick and grief can feel jarring if you're not already sold.

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power2018
Same Netflix-era animation pedigree, same found-family warmth, but swaps war-torn kingdoms for a rainbow-bright rebellion against a mind-controlling empire, with sharper jokes and a surprisingly moving slow-burn romance.
But Leans campier and more overtly comedic than Dragon Prince; if you wanted grit, this skews softer and sillier.

Voltron: Legendary Defender2016
Five strangers, one impossible weapon, and a galaxy-spanning war against an empire that's rotted from within — big mecha spectacle with the same appetite for found-family bonding and slow-building politics.
But Later seasons suffered from behind-the-scenes turmoil and it shows; the ending divided fans for good reason.

The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
The Dark Crystal1982
Both send two young non-human heroes on a fairy-tale quest to end an ancient war between species — Dragon Prince just does it in pixels instead of latex and foam.
Before CG dragons, there was this: two young Gelflings on a quest to heal a broken world, told entirely through astonishing Jim Henson puppetry. It's the same mythic, species-divided-by-war structure, rendered as tactile, uncanny handmade magic.
But Slow by modern pacing standards, and the puppetry, however remarkable, reads as unsettling rather than cute to some eyes.

More like this (8)
The Legend of Korra2012
A direct sequel that swaps fairy-tale simplicity for industrial-age politics, terrorism, and a lead who's angrier and more damaged than any Dragon Prince hero — proof the genre can go darker.
But Uneven seasons and a rushed final stretch; it never quite recaptures its predecessor's easy charm.

Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia2016no page yet
Guillermo del Toro's love letter to monster movies, with the same ordinary-kid-inherits-impossible-destiny setup and a sprawling mythology that rewards patience across three connected series.
But The animation style is chunkier and less painterly, and the mythology sprawls wide enough to demand real commitment.
The Owl House2020
Disney's scrappier, weirder cousin to Dragon Prince — a human girl stranded in a demon realm, forging found family and fighting an authoritarian church, with real teeth under the cartoon gags.
But Cut short by Disney before its planned length, so the pacing in later episodes feels visibly compressed.

Shadow and Bone2021
Live-action instead of animated: a war between nations, an elemental magic system, and a found-family crew of young misfits, all wrapped in the Grishaverse's darker, more romantic register.
But Slower, talkier, and more overtly romance-focused; the tonal shift from cartoon breeziness to prestige-drama solemnity is real.

Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts2020no page yet
A weirder, funnier cousin — post-apocalyptic instead of medieval, mutant animals instead of dragons, but the same relentless optimism and insistence that talking things out beats fighting.
But Its sunny tone and simpler animation style make it feel aimed at a slightly younger audience.
Castlevania2017
For when you want the same bones — war, monsters, a fractured family at the center of it all — with the volume turned way up: blood, swearing, and genuinely brutal stakes.
But Far more violent and adult than Dragon Prince; not remotely for the same audience despite the shared DNA.

Waltz with Bashir2008
Dragon Prince imagines two peoples talking their way out of war. This is the animated proof of what happens when they don't — the same medium, aimed at the opposite ending.
An Israeli animator's memoir of the 1982 Lebanon war, rendered in the same rotoscoped, painterly style as prestige animation — but every frame is drawn from real memory, real guilt, and a real massacre no fantasy can soften.
But Adult, grim, and true; there is no comfort here, no hope of peace restored by the final act.

The Untamed2019
Same engine — young heroes from opposing sides, elders who lied, a war built on old grudges — but live-action, hours longer, and unapologetically melodramatic instead of family-friendly breezy.
A Chinese live-action fantasy about two young heroes from rival clans uncovering a buried war and a conspiracy of lies among their elders — swap dragons for cultivation magic and swords, and the DNA is startlingly similar, just soaked in melodrama and ambiguous devotion.
But 50 episodes long, entirely in Mandarin with subtitles, and its central relationship is coded rather than stated outright — a very different viewing commitment.

People
Cast
Writing
- Aaron EhaszCreator
- Justin RichmondCreator
- Eugene RamosStaff Writer
- Joe CorcoranStaff Writer
- Michal SchickStaff Writer
- Paige VantassellStaff Writer
Production
- Caleb ThomasCo-Producer
- Devon GiehlCo-Producer
- Iain HendryCo-Producer
- James StephensonCo-Producer
- Neil MukhopadhyayCo-Producer
- Paige VantassellCo-Producer
- Bill OakleyConsulting Producer
- Aaron EhaszExecutive Producer
- Clint KiskerExecutive Producer
- Delna BhesaniaExecutive Producer
- Giancarlo VolpeExecutive Producer
- Gigi PritzkerExecutive Producer
- Justin RichmondExecutive Producer
- Justin SantistevanExecutive Producer
- Richard GrieveExecutive Producer
- Tina ChowExecutive Producer
- Villads SpangsbergExecutive Producer
- Josh EcklandLine Producer
- Philip HayesLine Producer
- Devon GiehlProducer
- Iain HendryProducer
- Lauren TopalProducer
- Lisa ThibaultProducer
- Josh EcklandSupervising Producer
Recommended by
Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Legend of Vox Machina, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Star Wars: Rebels