O Dragão do Meu Pai

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.

Few things are harder than bringing a well lived kids book to film. People who love the source material won't be happy. But they are forgetting---its based on an idea or book or adapted from source material. Being able to see another person's vision requires an open mind. That seems rare around here.

This was fine. It told a good story and showed kids that it's OK to be scared. Some action didn't mange perfect sence, but that's OK. The voice acting was good and I liked this style of animating. It's a nice change from extreme cgi. I loved the ending song, too. I knew the book, and I still liked the film. Nothing wrong with that, if you think wth an open mind.

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.