My Father's Dragon

Toon Saloon is one of the animation studios that I am most excited to see what they come up with. From "Secret of Kells" to "Wolfwalkers" they have yet to make a bad movie. I love their use of traditional 2D animation, a medium that we don't see very often anymore. And "My Father's Dragon" continues Toon Saloon's solid track record, although it is not their best film.

I can basically sum up what I didn't like about the movie in one word: "Isekai". Meaning, this is a story where the protagonist finds himself in another magical world. Now I know there are some all-time great films that use this format. "Coraline", "Spirited Away" and of course "Wizard of Oz". But in the context of this story, any sense of tension, plot or progression derails and can simply be explained away by magic.

I acknowledge it as a personal bias against this kind of story. I just got really caught up in the early grounded story, that the magical story, though imaginative, loses the hook the beginning set up.

The magical world stuff is well done, beautiful animation and music. The story is captivating and loaded with clever symbolism that can be interpreted in various ways.

The movie is exciting and funny for the kids, but still deep and thoughtful for the adults. Both a good kids' movie and a good fathers' movie.

Set in the early days of The Great Depression, the narrator (Mary Kay Place) tells us the story of her father Elmer (Jacob Tremblay) as a child. While Elmer and his mother Dela (Golshifteh Frahani) run a successful General Store together serving the communities needs thanks to Elmer's ability at finding things, this idyllic life is short lived as the depression hits and the store is closed with Dela and Elma relocating from their home and move to an apartment in Nevergreen City where Dela looks for work but promises Elmer they'll one day have a store of their own again. While Elmer fastidiously claims to this dream, Dela becomes more pessimistic as she struggles to keep both their heads above water. When a cat follows Elmer in, Elmer in an act of kindness gives it a saucer of milk which frustrates Dela and the resulting exchange sends Elmer running away in tears. The cat follows Elmer and reveals it can talk (voiced by Whoopi Goldberg) and rewards Elmer for his kindness by telling him of an island where a magical fire breathing dragon is waiting that Elmer could use to solve his problems. The cat summons Soda the Whale (Judy Greer) and Elmer embarks with his yellow backpack filled with odds and ends to Wild Island. Once on the island, Elmer learns that It is continually sinking and that the wild animals lead by Saiwa the Gorilla (Ian Mcshane) have captured the dragon in order for it to repeatedly pull their island up from sinking which is happening with increasing regularity. Elmer helps free the Dragon, named Boris (Gaten Matarazzo) but in the process Boris' wing is twisted and the two embark on a journey to find Aratuah the Tortoise who might have the answer to awaken Boris' true power and save Wild Island as the animals attempt to recapture Boris.

My Father's Dragon is the latest film from Irish based animation studio Cartoon Saloon which in the past 15 years has become an internationally recognized and prestigious producer of animated films with critical successes in The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea, The Breadwinner, and 2020's Wolfwalkers in addition to their work on various TV series and specials. The film is an adaptation of the 1948 children's novel of the same name by Ruth Stiles Gannett which has won a Newbery Medal and continues to be a staple of Children's libraries and classrooms to this day. The project was announced in 2016 with Nora Twomey serving as director having previously helmed Secret of Kells and The Breadwinner with the project soon gaining traction in 2018 with Netflix coming on board to produce the film for their streaming service. Featuring the unmistakable style Cartoon Saloon is known for and adapting a legacied and time honored children's classic, My Father's Dragon will be a welcome treat for fans of both the studio and the book as it's an undeniably charming modern classic that harkens back to the best in family filmmaking.

The movie features some wonderfully produced animation done in Cartoon Saloon's distinct style with the designs made from comparatively more simple shapes but free and expressive movement that does a good job of translating Ruth Stiles Gannett's illustrations to animation. As with other productions of this studio, the movie creates vibrant and colorful worlds that while stemming from a real life basis are undeniably magical and wonderous. The visual identity of the film with its depiction of era America both in the Dust Bowl ravaged middle America and the more dower urban environments gives these environments a unique visual identity with the layout and design of Nevergreen City rich in detail. The designs only get more elaborate and visually exciting once Elmer embarks on his journey to Wild Island with both the island and the wild animals thriving with details in design and animation.

While the plot is very simple as it's sort of a mash-up of Wizard of Oz by way of Where the Wild Things Are, the well-trodden plot is put to good use with the moral ambiguity of the situation once we get to Wild Island. While Boris the dragon is captured by the wild animals of the island, the animals aren't malicious in nature and are motivated by desperation and helplessness so despite being "antagonists" in this story, they aren't painted as "villains" and Elmer's motivation for why he's even saving the dragon is initially to save his own desires so there's a good thematic subtext about fear and self interest leading to morally complexed or compromised actions. The film's an ensemble piece and features a wide array of noted actors doing great voice-over work. Jacob Tremblay continues to be impressive in this kind of role and serving as a solid audience proxy for us as Elmer, and the emotional core provided in the initial interactions between him and his mother Dela played by Golshifteh Frahani are rich in emotion thanks to the performances and chemistry between the two. The movie also features some solid supporting work from Whoopi Goldberg, Ian McShane, Dianne Wiest, Chris O'Dowd and many others and you can tell they're giving their all in their performances. The one performance I was kind of mixed on was Gaten Matarazzo as Boris the Dragon, and while I'd say he's good for much of it, there were points were the characters high energy absent-minded exuberance kind of grated on me and flirted with becoming annoying, but he never really falls over that edge and does dial it back as the film goes on. This isn't a major criticism, but it's something I felt I should point out.

My Father's Dragon is a welcome treat for both families and animation fans and if you remember being read the book as a child by your parents at bedtime you'll get a nostalgia kick as the movie for the most part translates the novels contents pretty well (some minor changes here and there). I really liked this movie and while I loved Cartoon Salon already, this just reinforces that love.

My Father's Dragon may not reach the dazzling heights of Tomm Moore's Irish folklore trilogy, but this is a good movie to watch for younger children and may even entertain older viewers thanks to the gorgeous visuals. The story may be a bit to basic for some people, but it is still a worthwhile watch just for the visuals alone. I don't know why, but Nora Twomey's storytelling just doesn't work for me. I feel like she doesn't do a good job at producing book-to-film adaptations. Maybe she should try writing her own stories instead of adapting someone else's intellectual property and hard work into a different medium.

An adult woman narrates and recounts her father Elmer's early childhood. Elmer Elevator and his single mom Dela ran a successful rural general store until a recession closes them down. They and many others move into the city. Dela tells Elmer that she dreams of opening another store, but in reality, she is struggling to pay for a roof over their heads. Elmer takes in a stray cat which results in his mother's anger. He runs away with the cat who turns out to talk. The cat tells him about a dragon who lives on a mystical island.

It's the awards winning Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon. It would have been interesting if the dragon lives in the city. I can imagine something special, but they decided to go back to the fantasy world. The early section in the city has some heart-breaking intense scenes. In the end, I still like the fantasy world. It has all the charms. It is sweet and emotional. This is a great addition to this studio's catalogue.

Really enjoyed My Father's Dragon. A story of bravery with two likeable characters. Everyone is going to adore Boris the Dragon. He puts a smile on your face! Gaten Matarazzo is the perfect choice to voice him. Great talent behind the other voices as well from Jacob Tremblay, Whoopi Goldberg, Rita Moreno and Ian McShane to name but a few.

Animation from Cartoon Saloon is always going to be special and this new film from Nora Twomey keeps with this tradition. Colours and textures are so lovely. Cartoon Saloon also never shy away from some intense scenes and some very young viewers might find this so. The story does feel a bit disjointed in places.

Overall a very enjoyable film with a fantastic score from Mychael and Jeff Danna.