From the brilliant minds at Cartoon Saloon comes their next endeavor in fantasy adventure storytelling through the art of animation, My Father's Dragon. Based on the children's book of the same name by Ruth Stiles Gannett, the film has been released on Netflix as of this month and has garnered a highly positive reception from critics and audiences. Although purists of Cartoon Saloon's filmography deem this feature to be the studio's most conventional and mainstream work to date, there is still a lot to enjoy from what is meant to be a cute childlike tale of overcoming your fears in solving problems.
The film tells the story of a young boy named Elmer Elevator, who faces struggling debt after moving with his mom to the city. After Elmer runs away in search of a solution, he is sent to the mysterious Wild Island by means of rescuing a young dragon from a pack of ferocious beasts. The best way to summarize the story of this film adaptation is the closest to getting a Maurice Sendak tale on the big screen, mainly with the subtext of a horrible dilemma a young boy faces in his world until he enters a land far beyond anyone's reality. Admittedly, the first act of the feature sets up the stakes so well that one would almost wish the film would have focused a lot more on the relationship between Elmer and his struggling mother, Dela. On top of their hopes and dreams being squandered by near poverty, any optimistic thoughts Elmer has to make it are beaten down by the grueling fate of his mother's patience and the joy that any city can suck out of them. Instead, the filmmakers chose to go more in the fantasy route, which is far more imaginative and surreal than some would find appealing.
However, while the story might not have gone in the direction it probably could've gone beneficially, what we do get is a surprisingly heartfelt tale of friendship and emotional turmoil. In regards to the titular dragon, named Boris, despite being far more juvenile in nature than most dragons are thought to be, his childlike innocence and naive dreams make him far more sympathetic than most sidekicks in family friendly animated features. The added talents of Jacob Tremblay and Gaten Matarazzo make for lovable chemistry, with one being more determined than the other despite them being facing their own confused fears. On the side, the animals of Wild Island want Boris to save them all from sinking, yet they're not particularly memorable outside of their basic arcs, including the misguided wise gorilla Saiwa and the short tempered impatient macaque Kwan. That being said, their roles do provide a lot of pathos and heartbreak between Elmer and Boris needing to solve the problem without knowing the answer, all while keeping true to the film's message of staying strong in tough times.
Going back to the Sendak-like narrative, this film might be one of the few animated features to look like a children's book brought to life through animation. With the amazing talents of Cartoon Saloon's art department, the production design details a lot of lush brushstroke environments with varying color palettes depending on the setting. While the city Elmer and Dela move to is drab and gloomy, Wild Island is colorful and shiny in spite of its sea level fate. Next to the simplistic albeit broad human designs, the creatures of Wild Island offer numerous features in their basic shaped designs and minimal yet well defined movements. Arguably, the real highlight of the visuals has to be the effects work, demonstrating a lot of well composited water and lighting craftsmanship that enable the stakes just as much as the desperation all the characters face in solving their own crisis. With the help of a beautifully enchanting score from the Danna brothers, the film is truly a fascinating adventure from the mind of a child who wants to do what's right without properly knowing the answer.
While it might've benefited a bit better with its firmly established premise, My Father's Dragon is still a high soaring adventure that people of all ages can gravitate towards. Thanks to its honest childlike sensitivity, charming lead characters and gorgeous art direction, this can easily be one of the few films aimed at children that actually looks like a story intended for such an audience. Regardless if you have children or not, this film is definitely worth at least viewing, especially for Cartoon Saloon completists. It might not be as strong as their more well known films, but it's still easy to befriend.
The film tells the story of a young boy named Elmer Elevator, who faces struggling debt after moving with his mom to the city. After Elmer runs away in search of a solution, he is sent to the mysterious Wild Island by means of rescuing a young dragon from a pack of ferocious beasts. The best way to summarize the story of this film adaptation is the closest to getting a Maurice Sendak tale on the big screen, mainly with the subtext of a horrible dilemma a young boy faces in his world until he enters a land far beyond anyone's reality. Admittedly, the first act of the feature sets up the stakes so well that one would almost wish the film would have focused a lot more on the relationship between Elmer and his struggling mother, Dela. On top of their hopes and dreams being squandered by near poverty, any optimistic thoughts Elmer has to make it are beaten down by the grueling fate of his mother's patience and the joy that any city can suck out of them. Instead, the filmmakers chose to go more in the fantasy route, which is far more imaginative and surreal than some would find appealing.
However, while the story might not have gone in the direction it probably could've gone beneficially, what we do get is a surprisingly heartfelt tale of friendship and emotional turmoil. In regards to the titular dragon, named Boris, despite being far more juvenile in nature than most dragons are thought to be, his childlike innocence and naive dreams make him far more sympathetic than most sidekicks in family friendly animated features. The added talents of Jacob Tremblay and Gaten Matarazzo make for lovable chemistry, with one being more determined than the other despite them being facing their own confused fears. On the side, the animals of Wild Island want Boris to save them all from sinking, yet they're not particularly memorable outside of their basic arcs, including the misguided wise gorilla Saiwa and the short tempered impatient macaque Kwan. That being said, their roles do provide a lot of pathos and heartbreak between Elmer and Boris needing to solve the problem without knowing the answer, all while keeping true to the film's message of staying strong in tough times.
Going back to the Sendak-like narrative, this film might be one of the few animated features to look like a children's book brought to life through animation. With the amazing talents of Cartoon Saloon's art department, the production design details a lot of lush brushstroke environments with varying color palettes depending on the setting. While the city Elmer and Dela move to is drab and gloomy, Wild Island is colorful and shiny in spite of its sea level fate. Next to the simplistic albeit broad human designs, the creatures of Wild Island offer numerous features in their basic shaped designs and minimal yet well defined movements. Arguably, the real highlight of the visuals has to be the effects work, demonstrating a lot of well composited water and lighting craftsmanship that enable the stakes just as much as the desperation all the characters face in solving their own crisis. With the help of a beautifully enchanting score from the Danna brothers, the film is truly a fascinating adventure from the mind of a child who wants to do what's right without properly knowing the answer.
While it might've benefited a bit better with its firmly established premise, My Father's Dragon is still a high soaring adventure that people of all ages can gravitate towards. Thanks to its honest childlike sensitivity, charming lead characters and gorgeous art direction, this can easily be one of the few films aimed at children that actually looks like a story intended for such an audience. Regardless if you have children or not, this film is definitely worth at least viewing, especially for Cartoon Saloon completists. It might not be as strong as their more well known films, but it's still easy to befriend.