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My Father's Dragon

Play trailer Poster for My Father's Dragon PG Released Nov 4, 2022 1h 39m Kids & Family Adventure Fantasy Animation Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
87% Tomatometer 70 Reviews 71% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
Struggling to cope after a move to the city with his mother, Elmer runs away in search of Wild Island and a young dragon who waits to be rescued. Elmer's adventures introduce him to ferocious beasts, a mysterious island and the friendship of a lifetime.
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My Father's Dragon

My Father's Dragon

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Critics Consensus

My Father's Dragon will soar particularly high with very young viewers, but this animated adventure has something to offer audiences of all ages.

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Critics Reviews

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John Nugent Empire Magazine Another smash from Cartoon Saloon, at once heartily funny and heartfelt. With this and The Breadwinner, director Nora Twomey is now two-for-two. Rated: 4/5 Nov 13, 2022 Full Review Carlos Aguilar RogerEbert.com Cartoon Saloon's latest soul-soothing and modestly enchanting gift to the world. Rated: 3.5/4 Nov 11, 2022 Full Review Noel Murray Los Angeles Times Visually dazzling and emotionally resonant, though likely to appeal primarily to youngsters and genre buffs. Nov 11, 2022 Full Review Calum Cooper In Their Own League The stunning visuals, and especially the measured direction from Twomey heighten the emotional resonance of the film’s sage words of wisdom. Jul 15, 2024 Full Review Ruth Maramis FlixChatter Film Blog Despite the gorgeous animation and colorful visuals, overall it lacks enchantment and that magical touch I expect from the Irish Animation Studio. Rated: 2.5/5 Jun 3, 2024 Full Review Nuha Hassan Nuha Hassan (Medium) My Father’s Dragon is a touching story about the fears of the world. The story provides a way for the characters to adjust to the world surrounding them. Sep 8, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Jay W 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. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 12/02/24 Full Review Kyle M In this latest offering from Cartoon Saloon, behind the acclaimed Irish Folklore Trilogy, is an indicative departure from the artistic edges towards a narrowed, younger demographic for a more fantastically vibrant under loose resonance for those who were expecting constant genealogy in the branded craft. The story’s too routine as an underlying message board that no longer connects, though the artwork with charming voicework generally appeals in broadening the heartened fulfillment to verify its attractive texture. (B) Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 09/27/24 Full Review Lucrecia P La animación es increíble los personajes son increíbles me encantan la historia y es muy entretenida es un 8.9 de 10 Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/01/24 Full Review Artem Z Very good and educational film. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/13/23 Full Review Anderson K I'm baffled. Cartoon Saloon is an amazing animation studio, and My Father's Dragon is one of my favorite kid's books. This should have been a match made in heaven but while the animation remains top notch, the story was butchered. This reeks of executive meddling and will make me extremely hesitant to give Cartoon Saloon a chance on any future adaptations of other people's work. I'm going to reread the book to get the taste out of my mouth. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 08/19/23 Full Review dave d A brilliant film in many ways with a story within the story. At the core it is a kid's film, but adults will reflect and likely be emotional. A cerebral film that is cute and funny, but there are some really complex films which makes this watchable for everyone in the family. What each viewer takes away may be different, but the engaged film watcher will be rewarded. The movie feels slightly stretched as without credits it's just under 90 minutes. The false ending worked better than the real one, but overall it is totally worth watching. Final Score: 8.7/10 Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 07/20/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Movie Info

Synopsis Struggling to cope after a move to the city with his mother, Elmer runs away in search of Wild Island and a young dragon who waits to be rescued. Elmer's adventures introduce him to ferocious beasts, a mysterious island and the friendship of a lifetime.
Director
Nora Twomey
Producer
Bonnie Curtis, Julie Lynn, Tomm Moore, Paul Young
Distributor
Netflix
Production Co
Parallel Films, Cartoon Saloon, Netflix Animation, Mockingbird Pictures
Rating
PG (Some Peril)
Genre
Kids & Family, Adventure, Fantasy, Animation
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 4, 2022, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 11, 2022
Runtime
1h 39m
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