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Robust, muscular truncation; projecting strength in every hard edged contour and solid volume... these were the design principles set down that qualified Terrador during the conceptual phase of development on 'A New Beginning.' Not possessed of the grace that was to be Cynders', nor the owner of such decorative flourishes as lavished upon his Guardian counterparts, Terrador was to be broader, blunter, with inflated forms - the exemplar of power over precision and the strength of Dragon-kind. Most horn arrangements thus seen in the world of Spyro to this point seemed limited to straighter saber-like protrusions swept back from the brow, but for Terrador to remain true to his design brief he had to break the mold. I reasoned that he was 'less a sword and more a hammer', and from this I thought of an animal that lived in the rugged mountain tundra amid loose shale and stone. An animal so suited to those rocky places and with an unyielding nature bordering upon the stubborn; the territorial mountain ram, whose horns with their unusual spiraling arrangment were just perfect. It certainly lends Terrador an aspect of inpenetrability, and with a head much like the blunt end of a battering ram a strong point of difference was addressed that made this Guardian unique. The decision to weather him significantly more than the others, through the ravaging of wing membraine and chest plate, reinforced the notion that a granite like resolve was Terrador's to command. From these elevation views the animation team on TLoS was to model the Earth Guardian so loved by many.
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Hi there ChaChumlie, 'Tis great to have you here
There are definitely a few strong influences, but the reason the Guardians (all examples of grown male dragons) are so powerfuly built and less anthropomorphic in nature stems from my love of The Lion King. I especially enjoyed how Disney handled the physique of the lion and lioness characters in general, firmly acknowledging them as beasts and not the upright standing creatures they could have been as witnessed in the Madagascar films and other such more abstract representations. That bestial nature, realised through strong sweeping lines and robust angles had a grace and majesty that TLoS deserved. We wanted to 'play it straight' so to speak, and cling to that truth first: that dragons were mighty beasts first, and 'actors' second. I think it lent the dragons of TLoS the gravitas they needed
Thanks for the great question 



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