Spellbinder: Land of the Dragon Lord is a fantasy adventure /science fiction television series, and a sequel to Spellbinder. Both series deal with travelling between parallel universes. It was also novelised by the creators, Mark Shirrefs and John Thomson.
The series was filmed on location in Australia ("Kathy's world" and another parallel world similar to hers), China ("Sun's world") and Poland ("Ashka's world", as well as two other parallel universes). The show was a joint production between studios in the three countries, although the script and concept came from Australia, and the spoken language is English.
The series is fast-paced and there are usually new challenges for the characters in each episode, which are solved through cleverness and wits. As with most children's shows, most of the adventure is headed by children (Kathy is in her middle-teens), although Ashka, Kathy's parents, and the scientist Mek are adults.
In 1997, Spellbinder: Land of the Dragon Lord represented Australia in the finals of The New York Festivals international television programming and promotion competition in the Children's Programs (Ages 7–12) category.
Contents
Plot
When Kathy decides to explore an unusual boat that she discovers next to a lake, she is accidentally pulled from her home in Australia into a parallel universe. The new world she finds herself in is populated by ethnic Chinese, who possess advanced technology, including a talking computer called the "Oracle" that runs the empire.
Kathy spends most of her time trying to evade dangerous people in different parallel worlds, return to her own world, and reunite with her family. She is further antagonised by Ashka, a cunning and manipulative woman who has escaped from prison in her own world (for her crimes in the first series) and who seeks to gain advantage for herself.
The series also depicts a journey Sun takes to Kathy's world, where he is no longer protected by his empire, and people do not respect his authority.
Filming locations
Land of the Immortals
Filmed in Poland, most of it in Nieborów, with the Arkadia palace serving as Lem's and Guin's residence, and the Temple of Diana in the palace's park as the Doctor Elvo's home. The scenes in which Kathy is being taken to school were filmed in the Old Town of Warsaw and Łazienki Park.
Land of the Moloch
Parts of the series were shot on location in Poland, with the Wieliczka Salt Mine used for underground locations, while the village and the scrap yard were filmed near Kraków.
Cast and characters
Main cast
Lauren Hewett as Kathy Morgan – about to turn fifteen years old, she is slightly spoiled and vain and is reluctant to go camping. Swooning over Tony Lazzi, their neighbour and star on a soap, Kathy accidentally ends up in the Land of the Dragon Lord after playing around with Mek's boat. Upset at first, Kathy soon adjusts to her new life, but begins to resent Sun after he tells her to stay forever. She helps Ashka escape from the Spellbinder world, but after that will swing loyalty with her, sometimes helping her, sometimes not helping her. Beyond that, Kathy is almost like a female version of Paul from the first series, but she does not have the scientific knowledge or military skills that Paul does. Kathy instead relies on acting skills. Most of her planning is often co-worked with her family or with Mek. She is the only person to see six worlds, including her own: Australia, Australia 2 (Kathy-2), Land of the Dragon Lord, the Immortal World, the Spellbinder World and the Land of the Moloch.
Anthony Wong as Mek – the first person from the Land of the Dragon Lord who Kathy meets. He is the inventor of the trans-dimensional bamboo boat, which is how Kathy and her family end up in the parallel world. His original invention was meant to be musical jewels, but they failed. Working at the scholastery, Mek is a bit like a father figure in a way towards Kathy, helping her adjust to life in the Land of the Dragon Lord. It is also implied that he has a crush on Aya.
Ryan Kwanten as Josh Morgan – a sixteen years old, he is Kathy's jock brother. While he and Kathy treat each other like brothers and sisters normally do, he cares very much for his sister and is the only person to actually see Kathy disappear. When he and his family end up in the Land of the Dragon Lord, Josh gets separated from them early and befriends Jasmine, an entertainer. He falls for her and the two share a brief kiss in the series. Beyond that, Josh is more like Paul Reynolds in the first series in that he is athletic and resourceful but is much less proficient in science. He can also create a good lie on the spot.
Leonard Fung as Sun, The Dragon Lord – a spoiled brat at first, Sun is the first Dragon Lord. He is easily bored and relies heavily on the "Oracle" and his guards to take care of matters. When Ashka meets him, Sun takes an instant dislike to her, while befriending Kathy, until he makes her his eternal companion. After Ashka rescues Sun from Sharak and his barbarians, he makes Ashka his vizer, though he treats her like a playmate. When Ashka maroons him in Kathy's world however, Sun is lost and confused, not knowing what to do. He soon adjusts, helping Kathy recover the boat and get back, but everyone believes he is dead. This is played throughout the first half of the series and works to Sun's advantage, as he is able to move around successfully without being captured.
Recurring cast
Geng Baosheng as the Diviner
Andrzej Dębski as Tad
Lech Dyblik as the Arbiter
Andrzej Grabowski as Gan
Aleksandra Kisielewska as Thalia
Katarzyna Laniewska as Elin
Lech Mackiewicz as Dr. Elvo
Maria Mackiewicz as Mel
Agnieszka Michalska as the Apprentice
Jowita Miondlikowska as Mala
Cezary Morawski as Hugo
Wenanty Nosul as Lem
Bartosz Obuchowicz as the Boy
Justin Rosniak as Tony
Iwona Rulewicz as Leila
Adam Siemion as Jez
Monika Świtaj as the Mother
Wojciech Szawul as Guard
Katarzyna Walter as Guin
Ye Xiaokeng as Gobbo
Wang Ya'nan as Roggar
Andrzej Żółkiewski as the Spellbinder
Rafał Zwierz as Gryvon
Angela Keep as Susan
International showings
The original Spellbinder series was first shown in the US in 1996 on The Disney Channel, joining with an earlier Australian science fiction series called Ocean Girl. However, after 1997 The Disney Channel decided not to get the 2nd season, as well as renewing Ocean Girl (which Disney helped finance OG seasons 2 and 3). However, Spellbinder: Land of the Dragon Lord was picked up by the FOX Family Channel and the series started airing on 15 August 1998 with the channel's launch. FOX Family Channel cancelled the show shortly afterward. Although FOX Family Channel had said that they would show all the episodes later on, they never did. However, its spin-off network girlzChannel resumed the series when it launched in October 1999, running the series until May 2000. In 2019 Retro Television began airing the complete series
It was shown on satellite and cable channel The Children's Channel in the United Kingdom and terrestrially in Ireland on RTÉ Two in 1998.
It was shown in Sri Lanka by the state-owned Rupavahini with Sinhala sub-titles and under the name "මායා බන්ධන", which is the literal translation of "Spellbinder". It became an instant hit among the kids and teens and is still cherished by many in nostalgia.
The series was also aired in Bangladesh by Bangladesh Television.
The series started in Russia in 1998. Different channels were showing Spellbinder 1 and 2 several times.
In France and Mauritius, it was aired as "Les Maîtres des Sortilèges" (The masters of spells)
In Finland, the show aired in 1998 on Yle TV1 as Lohikäärmekuninkaan maa ("Land of the Dragon King").
It was also aired in Sweden.
DVD release
The DVD set was made available on Friday 4 May 2007, and contains the entire series over 4 discs.