Reviewed by Charlotte Doyle ||
My Father’s Dragon is the latest from acclaimed Irish studio Cartoon Saloon, who rose to fame with the Oscar®-nominated Secret of Kells. Based on the 1948 children’s book by Ruth Stiles Gannett, their newest film follows young Elmer, voiced by Jacob Tremblay, and his mother who prosper in their bumping country store to their recession-driven struggle to make ends meet in a crumbling apartment in urban Nevergreen. Elmer desperately urges his mother to reopen a new store, failing to understand their financial reality and faces failure and frustration in his attempts to make money himself. Finally, running away from his mother and their apartment, Whoopi Goldberg plays a mischievous cat who tells Elmer about a dragon on Wild Island. Envisioning an end to their troubles, Elmer travels to Wild Island on the back of Soda the Whale, voiced by Judy Greer, only to find that Boris the Dragon, voiced by Stranger Things actor Gaten Matazarro, has been enslaved by the island’s inhabitants to prevent the island from sinking. Elmer frees Boris and they escape with Saiwa, the island’s leader, on their heels. Racing to escape Saiwa and save the island from sinking without enslaving anyone, a rite of passage for Boris that will allow him to become an After Dragon, the duo seek out an ancient tortoise for guidance.
The serious and headstrong Elmer both leads and drags Boris, a frightened dragon crippled by conviction of his own incompetence and imminent failure, forward following his period of enslavement. Thematically, the film deals with exploitation, friendship, and support. Two young boys, who feel the literal and metaphorical weight of the world on their backs, struggle against the island as well as each other while becoming friends. Boris struggles with himself and eagerly engages Elmer for friendship and guidance while Elmer experiences frustration with Boris’s fear and immaturity. When it matters the most, Elmer is awakened to the fact that his friendship with
Boris centers around his desire to possess and exploit him as surely as Saiwa and that his role in Boris’s attempts to save the island have not been universally helpful but, at points, actively detrimental to his success. This deepening of Elmer’s self-awareness and emotional intelligence is one of the most satisfactory moments of the film and his efforts to rectify the damage he has done both redeems and develops the character, solidifying his growth for his journey home. Ultimately, what Elmer learns with Boris helps him return to his mother and his life in Nevergreen.
As usual Cartoon Saloon has brought us a visually impressive work of hand drawn animation, but the film falls flat in the context of their previous work. Director Nora Twoney’s newest work diverges seriously from the weight and consequence of her previous work notably The Breadwinner, which follows a young Afghani girl who struggles to provide for her family under the Taliban regime after her father is imprisoned. While lighter than The Breadwinner, the themes are still less whimsical than the animation. Building on the success of the previous Cartoon Saloon work, My Father’s Dragon is possibly revealing about the direction the studio is aiming to go and what we can expect from the studio in the future. The film seems to serve a transition to a younger viewership, particularly in its comedic content – armpit jokes feature. Boris and Elmer were both, at points, grating from an adult perspective. And much of the complex cultural narrative that Cartoon Saloon historically brings to the screen was missing. Their Irish Folklore Trilogy is some of their richest work and while The Breadwinner was differently culturally rich, My Father’s Dragon feels generic and lacking in the signature magic of Cartoon Saloon productions. Combined with the film’s release on Netflix, who have been supporting the film’s production almost since its inception, the film leaves the viewer with the impression that Cartoon Saloon’s intention was commercial style and success rather than the cultural substance and dynamic storylines that gave us Secret of Kells and The Breadwinner. My Father’s Dragon is sweet and encouraging but simply does not pack the punch that other Cartoon Saloon movies carry.
