by Jake Bourgeois, Contributing Writer
When I tell you My Father’s Dragon has been my most anticipated movie of the year since I knew it was coming out, that’s not an exaggeration.
It’s the brainchild of animation studio Cartoon Saloon, whose previous four films (The Secret of Kell, Song of the Sea, The Breadwinner, and Wolfwalkers) are varying degrees of great. At the helm is Nora Twomey, who directed The Breadwinner, my personal favorite of the four.
I didn’t even really know much about it, besides the fact that it was dropping in November on Netflix, and I was still stoked.
I tell you all this so that you understand when I say, it’s good, and that somehow still feels disappointing.
I think the real place where the film perhaps lacks is in the storytelling department, from one specific angle. It follows a young boy, Elmer (Jacob Tremblay), who’s struggling with the move to the big city with his mother, and leaving the idyllic family business behind. To try to fulfill his dream of bringing back the store, he sets off for Wild Island entranced by the opportunity to save a dragon and make his dream come true. While it’s based off a children’s book, it lacks a certain gravitas that previous Cartoon Saloon projects seemed to have. When it came to the Irish Folklore Trilogy, the stories (developed by an Irish studio) leaned heavily on mythology, which added a depth to the story. Even The Breadwinner, which like Dragon is based off a children’s book, retained storytelling and the oral tradition as a major part of the overall plot. It’s an aspect that I missed here.
The use of narration from a daughter we never meet as a framing device seems a curious choice.
The 2D animation, which is always unique for the company, is still quality, but it lacks the “wow” moments of the other films. There are the odd moments that are standouts, like coming upon a tangerine tree and a dream sequence, but they just don’t quite hitting the highs we’ve become accustom to. Wild Island is colorful, not unlike something you might see in a Dr. Seuss book, but it doesn’t quite pop as much as some of the other worlds they’ve brought to life.
Though it may not hit quite the highs I’ve come to expect, there’s still some good stuff here. While I felt the story suffers from a lack of a deeper connection that we get with the other mythic stories, the thematic work is quite good. The way it teaches Elmer about the challenges of being a parent to give him a greater understanding of the stresses his own mother is under is quite a powerful through line.
Gaten Matarazzo, who voices the titular dragon, is bursting with charm, and is a real highlight — as are the adorable younglings of every species. I think other voices, particularly Whoopi Goldberg’s appearance, distract more than they add, which was not an issue in previous films.
Despite my relative disappointment given how high Cartoon Saloon has set the bar, My Father’s Dragon still leaps over more run-of-the-mill animated fare. I just hope this entry is just a hiccup, and they’ll be back soaring at the heights we’ve come to expect from them on their next flight.
Score: 7/10
My Father’s Dragon is currently streaming on Netflix
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