My Father’s Dragon is now streaming on Netflix.
Cartoon Saloon’s latest is an animated movie with a poignant message about accepting the fact that we cannot always know the right answer, and we can’t always help make things better. An adaptation of Ruth Stiles Gannett’s 1948 novel of the same name, My Father’s Dragon has a stellar cast and some inventive creature designs. Still, it lacks the iconographic and cultural specificity of the studio’s previous works and their wildly imaginative visuals. The result is a cute albeit very safe film that should keep kids distracted for an hour and a half, but has little else to offer.
Inside Out screenwriter Meg LeFauve wrote the adaptation, while the Oscar-nominated filmmaker behind The Breadwinner, Nora Twomey, directs. Sadly, My Father’s Dragon lacks either of those films’ depth or emotional punch and instead presents a rather conventional kids’ adventure movie. We start with Elmer Elevator (Jacob Tremblay) and his mom, Dela (Golshifteh Farahani), who run a convenience store in a small American town. They have regulars, they know everyone in town, and they — but especially Elmer — simply love the routine of helping out their neighbors.
When they are struck by hard times, Dela is forced to sell the shop and move the family to the big city to try and survive, but things are not so simple. The vibrant colors of their sunny countryside lives give way to a gray and gloomy reality as the two move to the aptly named Nevergreen City, where all hope and sunshine go to die, apparently. Here, the boy and his mother move into a decrepit boarding house and struggle to adapt to their impoverished new life.
There is a melancholic tone to My Father’s Dragon that is reminiscent of movies like Bridge to Terabithia, wherein the fantastical aspect of the story is likely more of an escape from reality for the protagonist than a true adventure. This is clear in the visuals, which contrast the depression-era aesthetic of the city and its brutal and cold architecture with the rounder, more free-flowing look of the magical island Elmer finds after running away from home and meeting a talking cat that tells him about a magical fire-breathing dragon he plans to capture and use to make money to buy a new shop for his mom.
In some ways, this is the Cartoon Saloon version of LAIKA’s Missing Link.
From there, the film is about the instant friendship struck by Elmer and by the young dragon Boris (Gaten Matarazzo), who is forced to lift the sinking island from the ocean by himself every single day. In some ways, this is the Cartoon Saloon version of LAIKA’s Missing Link, a broad animated movie with a relatable, conventional plot that doesn’t take many chances, but still delivers visual artistry.
Those hoping for a new Wolfwalkers may be disappointed in the cookie-cutter story, but there is still enough to like here, starting with the main characters. As Boris and Elmer become friends, they start to help each other grow and learn — Boris to trust his instincts, and Elmer to accept he can’t fix everything. Tremblay infuses Elmer with the same boyish wonder and innocence that has made him a young star, and a rather good voice actor, while Matarazzo gives Boris a fun, no-nonsense rebellious attitude, the kind that has made Dustin a standout in Stranger Things. You may immediately know where the story is going, but these two make the journey one worth embarking on, and the theme of accepting the things you can’t control is portrayed tactfully.
My Father’s Dragon is a lesser entry in Cartoon Saloon’s output – a step-down from their back-to-back-to-back-to-back Oscar-nominated films – yet it is still harmless and entertaining.
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