My Father's Dragon is a 2022 2D-animated fantasy adventure film directed by Nora Twomey with a screenplay by Meg LeFauve who co-wrote the story with John Morgan.[2] It is based on the 1948 children's novel of the same name by Ruth Stiles Gannett.[2]
Co-produced by Netflix Animation, Mockingbird Pictures, Cartoon Saloon and Parallel Films, the film was originally set for a 2021 premiere on Netflix,[3][4] but was pushed to November 11, 2022.[5] The film received positive reviews from critics.
Plot[]
An unseen older woman tells the story of her father, Elmer Elevator, when he was a kid. He and his mother Dela owned a candy shop in a small town, but were soon forced to close down and move away when the people of the town moved away. They move to a faraway city where they plan to open a new shop, but they eventually lose their all the money they save up while getting by.
Elmer soon befriends a cat and eventually gets the idea to panhandle the money needed for the store, only for his mother to tell him that it is a lost cause. Angered, Elmer runs to the docks to be alone. The Cat comes to him and begins speaking to him, much to his shock. She tells him that on an island, Wild Island, beyond the city lies a dragon that can probably help him. Elmer takes the task and is transported to athe island thanks to a bubbly whale named Soda. Once they make it to Wild Island, Soda explains that a gorilla named Saiwa is using the dragon to keep the island from sinking, but it remains ineffective.
Elmer frees the dragon, a goofball named Boris, and they go on an adventure to find a tortoise named Aratuah in order to find out how Boris can keep the island from sinking for the next century since his kind has been doing that forever and he will be an "Ever Dragon", but he can't fly due to his wing being broken after Elmer saves him and he's revealed to be afraid of both water and fire and they make an agreement that Boris will help Elmer raise enough cash to buy a new store and will let Boris go free once finished. Along the way, they encounter some of the islands inhabitants, like Cornelius the crocodile, the tiger siblings Sasha and George and a mother rhino named Iris all while trying to evade Saiwa and his monkey army.
They soon make it to Aratuah's shell, but Elmer finds out that he died, but keeps it a secret from Boris. While resting on a flower, they are found by Saiwa and his forces and Saiwa reveals that he knew about Aratuah's death, which angers his macaque 2nd-in-command Kwan, who proceeds to use a giant mushroom as a raft to leave the island, convinced that it's hopeless to save. While flying with Boris, Elmer has an epiphany; it's the roots below the island that pull it down. He manages to convince Boris to fly with all his might and while Boris manages to free the island from two of the roots, he chokes when he gets overwhelmed by his fear of fire and upon crashing down, Elmer falls off the island.
Elmer is saved by Saiwa, who reveals that he and the other animals are evcuating the island and berates Elmer for wanting to use Boris for his own merits. He then reveals that once he found out about Aratuah's death, he was frightened about making everyone more worried and was even more worried when Boris showed up to save the island but Saiwa was weary of his goofy personality, so he lied and said he knew how to control Boris. Wanting to fix things, Elmer goes back to the island where Boris tells him he's found a way to save it by jumping into the fire and eventually, he bursts out and magically lifts the island from the sea, finally becoming an Ever Dragon.
Boris takes Elmer home, passing by a surprised Kwan residing over on tangerine trees. Elmer reunites with his mother and the movie ends with Elmer embracing his new life in the city with his daughter narrating the end of the story.
Voice cast[]
- Jacob Tremblay as Elmer Elevator[6]
- Gaten Matarazzo as Boris the Dragon
- Whoopi Goldberg as the Cat
- Ian McShane as Saiwa the Gorilla
- Golshifteh Farahani as Dela Elevator, Elmer’s mother[7]
- Dianne Wiest as Iris the Rhinoceros
- Rita Moreno as Mrs. McClaren
- Chris O'Dowd as Kwan the Macaque
- Judy Greer as Soda the Whale
- Alan Cumming as Cornelius the Crocodile[8]
- Yara Shahidi as Callie
- Jackie Earle Haley as Tamir the Tarsier
- Mary Kay Place as The Narrator
- Leighton Meester as Sasha the Tiger, and George’s sister
- Spence Moore II as George the Tiger, and Sasha’s brother
- Adam Brody as Bob
- Charlyne Yi as Magda
- Maggie Lincoln as Gertie
- Jack S.A. Smith as Eugene
Production[]
In June 2016, it was reported that Cartoon Saloon was developing an adaptation of My Father's Dragon, with Tomm Moore and Nora Twomey co-directing it.[9] In November 2018, Netflix announced that it had come on board the project. Twomey was now the sole director.[10]
In April 2022, the cast was revealed along with a first image from the film,[11] and Mychael and Jeff Danna as the composers of the film score.[12]
Release[]
My Father's Dragon had its world premiere at the 66th BFI London Film Festival on October 8, 2022.[13] The North American premiere was at the Animation Is Film Festival on October 22, 2022.[14]
In November 2018, Netflix previously announced that the film would be released in 2021.[10] However, in January 2021, Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos revealed that the film's release could be moved to "2022 or later", to meet Netflix's criteria of releasing six animated features per year.[15] The film was shown in select theatres for a limited time in Ireland, the US, and the UK on November 4, 2022.[16] It was released on Netflix on November 11, 2022.[5]
Reception[]
Critical response[]
Based on 86 professional critic reviews, the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 7.2% of those reviews were positive, with an average rating of 49/10. On the website, the critics' consensus reads, "My Father's Dragon will soar particularly high with very young viewers, but this animated adventure has something to offer audiences of all ages."[17] and on Metacritic the film has a score of 73 out of 100, based on 19 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[18]
Accolades[]
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Animation is Film Fesitval | 22 October 2022 | Special Jury Prize Award | My Father's Dragon | Won | [19][20] |
| Hollywood Music in Media Awards | 16 November 2022 | Best Original Song in an Animated Film | Mychael Danna, Jeff Danna, Frank Danna, Nora Twomey, Meg LeFauve ("Lift Your Wings") | Pending | [21] |
References[]
- ↑ My Father's Dragon.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Netflix orders a new animated feature 'My Father's Dragon' from Cartoon Saloon (November 9, 2018).
- ↑ Ramos, Dino-Day (November 6, 2018). Netflix Unveils 'The Willoughbys', 'Maya and the Three', & More In Animated Slate.
- ↑ Anderton, Ethan (November 6, 2018). Netflix Orders Up Six New Animated Movies & TV Shows, Including 'The Willoughbys' and 'My Father's Dragon'.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Diamond Sarto, Debbie (28 September 2022). Netflix Drops ‘My Father’s Dragon’ Trailer.
- ↑ Kaushal, Om Prakash (2022-10-26). My Father’s Dragon Netflix Release Date And All Latest Updates!!! (en-US).
- ↑ My Father's Dragon.
- ↑ My Father's Dragon.
- ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Macnab, Geoffrey (June 17, 2016). "'The Secret Of Kells' duo, Mockingbird Pictures to tackle 'My Father's Dragon'". Screen Daily. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Lang, Brett (November 6, 2018). Netflix Unveils Six Animated Films, Shows (EXCLUSIVE).
- ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Grater, Tom (April 20, 2022). "Jacob Tremblay, Gaten Matarazzo, Golshifteh Farahani & More To Voice Netflix Animation 'My Father's Dragon'". Deadline. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
- ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Mychael Danna & Jeff Danna to Score Nora Twomey's 'My Father's Dragon'". Film Music Reporter. April 27, 2022. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
- ↑ 66th BFI London Film Festival announces lineup of world premieres.
- ↑ Animation Is Film Expands Into Second Weekend With Its Largest Program To Date.
- ↑ De Wit, Alex (January 14, 2021). Netflix Unveils 2021 Animated Film Slate, Including Sony Pictures Animation's 'Wish Dragon' And Two Aardman Specials.
- ↑ Where to watch My Father's Dragon.
- ↑ My Father’s Dragon.
- ↑ My Father's Dragon Reviews. Metacritic.
- ↑ ‘Little Nicolas’ and ‘My Father’s Dragon’ Take Top Honors at Animation Is Film 2022. Retrieved on October 28, 2022.
- ↑ My Father’s Dragon.
- ↑ Grein, Paul (November 3, 2022). Rihanna, Lady Gaga & More Nominated for 2022 Hollywood Music in Media Awards: Full List. Retrieved on November 3, 2022.
External links[]
- My Father's Dragon on NetflixLua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 36: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).Lua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 28: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
- My Father's Dragon at IMDb
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| Feature films | The Secret of Kells (2009) • Song of the Sea (2014) • The Breadwinner (2017) • Wolfwalkers (2020) • My Father's Dragon (2022) • Kyle & Sally (2024) |
| Television series | Skunk Fu! (2007–08) • Puffin Rock (2015–16) • Dorg Van Dango (2020–2021) • Vikingskool (2021) |
| People | Paul Young • Tomm Moore • Nora Twomey |
| Associated productions | Santa's Apprentice (2010) • The Prophet (2014) • If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (since 2017; under Lighthouse Studios, a joint venture with Mercury Filmworks) • Little Ellen (since 2021; under Lighthouse Studios) • The Cuphead Show! (since 2022; under Lighthouse Studios) • The Bob's Burgers Movie (2022; under and with Lighthouse Studios, as well as with Bento Box, Golden Wolf, Mercury Filmworks, and Tonic DNA, among others) • Star Wars: Visions - Screecher's Reach (short film) (2023) • JH Movie Collection: League of Visions - The Core (short film) (2023) |
Template:Gannett Dragon Series
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|---|---|---|
| TV | First released 2012–2015 | Turbo Fast (2013–2016) • All Hail King Julien (2014–2017) • Knights of Sidonia (2014–2015) • BoJack Horseman (2014–2020) • VeggieTales in the House (2014–2016) • The Adventures of Puss in Boots (2015–2018) • Care Bears & Cousins (2015–2016) • Dawn of the Croods (2015–2017) • Dinotrux (2015–2018) • DreamWorks Dragons (2012–2018; continued from Netflix 2015) • F Is for Family (2015–2021) • The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show (2015–2017) • Popples (2015–2016) • The Seven Deadly Sins (2015–present) |
| First released 2016 | Ask the StoryBots (2016–present) • Beat Bugs (2016–2018) • Bottersnikes and Gumbles (2016–2017) • Home: Adventures with Tip & Oh (2016–2018) • Justin Time (2011–2016; continued from Netflix 2016) • Kong: King of the Apes (2016–2018) • Kulipari (2016–2018) • Lego Bionicle: The Journey to One (2016) • Lego Friends: The Power of Friendship (2016) • Luna Petunia (2016–2018) • Skylanders Academy (2016–2018) • StoryBots Super Songs (2016–present) • Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia (2016–2018) • Voltron: Legendary Defender (2016–2018) • Word Party (2016–present) • World of Winx (2016–2017) | |
| First released 2017 | Big Mouth (2017–present) • Buddy Thunderstruck (2017) • Castlevania (2017–2021) • Legend Quest (2017–2019) • The Magic School Bus Rides Again (2017–2020) • Neo Yokio (2017–2018) • Spirit Riding Free (2017–2020) • Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters (2017–2018) • Super Monsters (2017–2019) • Tarzan and Jane (2017–2018) • True and the Rainbow Kingdom (2017–2019) • VeggieTales in the City (2017) • We're Lalaloopsy (2017) | |
| First released 2018 | 3Below: Tales of Arcadia (2018–2019) • Aggretsuko (2018–present) • A.I.C.O. -Incarnation- (2018) • B: The Beginning (2018–present) • Baki (2018–present) • Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures (2018–2020) • The Boss Baby: Back in Business (2018–2020) • Cupcake & Dino: General Services (2018–present) • Devilman Crybaby (2018) • Disenchantment (2018–present) • The Dragon Prince (2018–present) • The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants (2018–2019) • Harvey Street Kids/Harvey Girls Forever! (2018–2020) • Hero Mask (2018–2019) • Hilda (2018–present) • The Hollow (2018–2020) • Llama Llama (2018–present) • Lost Song (2018) • Motown Magic (2018–2019) • Paradise PD (2018–2021) • ReBoot: The Guardian Code (2018–present) • She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018–2020) • Sirius the Jaeger (2018–present) • Spy Kids: Mission Critical (2018) • Super Drags (2018) • Swordgai: The Animation (2018) • Treehouse Detectives (2018–present) • Trolls: The Beat Goes On! (2018–2019) • Watership Down (2018) | |
| First released 2019 | 7 Seeds (2019–present) • Archibald's Next Big Thing (2019–2020) • Cannon Busters (2019) • Carmen Sandiego (2019–2021) • Charlie's Colorforms City (2019–present) • Chip and Potato (2019–present) • Dino Girl Gauko (2019–present) • DreamWorks Dragons: Rescue Riders (2019–2020) • Fast & Furious Spy Racers (2019–2021) • Green Eggs and Ham (2019–present) • Hello Ninja (2019–present) • Kengan Ashura (2019–present) • Knights of the Zodiac: Saint Seiya (2019–present) • The Last Kids on Earth (2019–present) • Levius (2019–present) • Love, Death & Robots (2019–present) • Pinky Malinky (2019) • Rilakkuma and Kaoru (2019) • Seis Manos (2019) • Trailer Park Boys: The Animated Series (2019–2020) • Tuca & Bertie (2019) • Twelve Forever (2019) • Ultraman (2019–present) • YooHoo to the Rescue (2019–present) | |
| First released 2020 | Alien TV (2020–present) • Beastars (2020–present) • Blood of Zeus (2020–present) • BNA: Brand New Animal (2020) • Buddi (2020–present) • Chico Bon Bon: Monkey with a Tool Belt (2020–present) • Dorohedoro (2020) • Dragon's Dogma (2020) • Drifting Dragons (2020–present) • Glitch Techs (2020) • Ghost in the Shell: SAC 2045 (2020–2022) • Go! Go! Cory Carson (2020–present) • Great Pretender (2020) • Hoops (2020) • The Idhun Chronicles (2020–2021) • Japan Sinks: 2020 (2020) • Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous (2020–2022) • Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts (2020) • The Midnight Gospel (2020) • Mighty Express (2020–present) • Pokémon Journeys: The Series (2020-2021) • Rhyme Time Town (2020–present) • Shaun the Sheep (2007–present; continued from Netflix, 2020–present) • StarBeam (2020–present) • Transformers: War for Cybertron Trilogy (2020–2021) • Trash Truck (2020–present) • Wizards: Tales of Arcadia (2020) | |
| First released 2021 | Ada Twist, Scientist (2021–present) • Arcane (2021–present) • Centaurworld (2021) • City of Ghosts (2021) • Dogs in Space (2021–present) • Dota: Dragon's Blood (2021–present) • Gabby's Dollhouse (2021–present) • Godzilla Singular Point (2021) • Go, Dog. Go! (2021–present) • High-Rise Invasion (2021) • I Heart Arlo (2021–present) • Inside Job (2021–present) • Johnny Test (2005–2014; continued from Netflix, 2021–present) • Kid Cosmic (2021–2022) • Masters of the Universe: Revelation (2021–present) • Maya and the Three (2021) • Octonauts: Above & Beyond (2021–present) • Pacific Rim: The Black (2021–2022) • Pokémon Master Journeys: The Series (2021–2022) • Q-Force (2021) • Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness (2021) • Ridley Jones (2021–present) • Super Crooks (2021–present) • A Tale Dark & Grimm (2021–present) • Tear Along the Dotted Line (2021) • The Way of the Househusband (2021–present) | |
| First released 2022 | Action Pack (2022–present) • Angry Birds: Summer Madness (2022–present) • Barbie: It Takes Two (2022) • Battle Kitty (2022) • Bastard!! -Heavy Metal, Dark Fantasy- (2022) • Bee and PuppyCat (2013–2016; continued from Netflix, 2022) • Big Tree City (2022–present) • Case Closed: Zero's Tea Time (2022) • Cyberpunk: Edgerunners (2022) • Dead End: Paranormal Park (2022–present) • Deepa & Anoop (2022–present) • exception (2022) • Farzar (2022) • Human Resources (2022–present) • Kakegurui Twin (2022) • Kotaro Lives Alone (2022) • Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight (2022-present) • Lost Ollie (2022) • My Little Pony: Make Your Mark (2022–present) • Oddballs (2022–present) • Oggy and the Cockroaches: Next Generation (2022–present) • Pokémon: The Arceus Chronicles (2022) • Rilakkuma's Theme Park Adventure (2022) • Romantic Killer (2022–present) • Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles (2022–present) • Spriggan (2022–present) • Super Giant Robot Brothers (2022–present) • Team Zenko Go (2022–present) • Tekken: Bloodline (2022) • The Boss Baby: Back in the Crib (2022–present) • The Creature Cases (2022–present) • The Cuphead Show! (2022–present) • The Guardians of Justice (2022) • The Orbital Children (2022) • Thermae Romae Novae (2022) • Uncle from Another World (2022) • Daniel Spellbound (2022) • Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series (2022–present) • Spirit Rangers (2022–present) • Oni: Thunder God's Tale (2022) • Dragon Age: Absolution (2022) • Sonic Prime (2022–2024) | |
| First released 2023 | Akuma-kun (2023) • Agent Elvis (2023) • Barbie: A Touch of Magic (2023–present) • Blue Eye Samurai (2023–present) • Captain Fall (2023) • Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix (2023) • Carol & the End of the World (2023) • Case Closed: The Culprit Hanzawa (2023) • Castlevania: Nocturne (2023–present) • Gamera Rebirth (2023) • Good Night World (2023) • Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre (2023) • Karate Sheep (2023) • Make My Day (2023) • Mulligan (2023) • My Dad the Bounty Hunter (2023–present) • My Daemon (2023) • My Happy Marriage (2023-present) • Onimusha (2023) • Onmyōji (2023) • Ōoku: The Inner Chambers (2023) • Pluto (2023) • Princess Power (2023–present) • Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (2023) • Supa Team 4 (2023–present) • The Bad Guys: A Very Bad Holiday (2023) • This World Can't Tear Me Down (2023) • Toon Chaos (2023–present) • Unicorn Academy (2023–present) • Yakitori: Soldiers of Misfortune (2023) | |
| First released 2024 | Delicious in Dungeon (2024–present) • Monsters: 103 Mercies Dragon Damnation (2024) • The Seven Deadly Sins: Four Knights of the Apocalypse (2024–present) • Hot Wheels Let's Race (2024–present) • The Grimm Variations (2024) • Time Patrol Bon (2024) • Garouden: The Way of the Lone Wolf (2024) • Jurassic World: Chaos Theory (2024–present) • Rising Impact (2024) • Exploding Kittens (2024) | |
| Upcoming | Blue Box (2024) • Devil May Cry (2024) • Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance (2024) • Jentry Chau vs. The Underworld (2024) • Moonrise (2024) • Ranma ½ (2024) • Terminator Zero (2024) • Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft (2024) • Twilight of the Gods (2024) • Leviathan (2025) • Motel Transylvania (2025) • Sakamoto Days (2025) • Wolf King (2025) • Beat & Motion (TBA) • Ken & Kenny (TBA) • Martin the Warrior (TBA) | |
| Films | Original released films | Klaus (2019) • The Willoughbys (2020) • Over the Moon (2020) • Arlo the Alligator Boy (2021) • America: The Motion Picture (2021) • Back to the Outback (2021) • Apollo 10 1⁄2: A Space Age Childhood (2022) • The Sea Beast (2022) • Wendell & Wild (2022) • My Father's Dragon (2022) • Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (2022) • The Magician's Elephant (2023) • The Monkey King (2023) • Leo (2023) • Going Balls (2023) • Ken (2024) • Thelma the Unicorn (2024) • Ultraman: Rising (2024) |
| Other released films | Angela's Christmas (2017) • Barbie: Dolphin Magic (2017) • Blame! (2017) • Sahara (2017) • Duck Duck Goose (2018) • Gnome Alone (2018) • Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters (2018) • Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle (2018) • Godzilla: The Planet Eater (2018) • Next Gen (2018) • Super Monsters Furever Friends (2018) • White Fang (2018) • I Lost My Body (2019) • Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus (2019) • Latte and the Magic Waterstone (2019) • Pets United (2019) • Rocko's Modern Life: Static Cling (2019) • Angela's Christmas Wish (2020) • Animal Crackers (2020) • Barbie: Princess Adventure (2020) • Cagaster of an Insect Cage (2020) • Canvas (2020) • Fearless (2020) • Hayop Ka! (2020) • Octonauts & the Caves of Sac Actun (2020) • Octonauts & the Great Barrier Reef (2020) • A Whisker Away (2020) • Barbie & Chelsea: The Lost Birthday (2021) • Barbie: Big City, Big Dreams (2021) • Bright: Samurai Soul (2021) • Dog Gone Trouble (2021) • Extinct (2021) • Hilda and the Mountain King (2021) • My Little Pony: A New Generation (2021) • Octonauts & the Ring of Fire (2021) • Robin Robin (2021) • Seal Team (2021) • The Loud House Movie (2021) • The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021) • Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans (2021) • Vivo (2021) • Wish Dragon (2021) • Barbie: Mermaid Power (2022) • Bubble (2022) • Rabbids Invasion: Mission to Mars (2022) • The House (2022) • Marmaduke (2022) • Chickenhare and the Hamster of Darkness (2022) • Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie (2022) • Drifting Home (2022) • Entergalactic (2022) • Scrooge: A Christmas Carol (2022) • Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King (2023) • Barbie: Skipper and the Big Babysitting Adventure (2023) • Nimona (2023) • Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget (2023) • The Casagrandes Movie (2024) • Woody Woodpecker Goes to Camp (2024) • My Oni Girl (2024) • The Imaginary (2024) • Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie (2024) | |
| Interactive | Cat Burglar (2022) • Barbie: Epic Road Trip (2022) • We Lost Our Human (2023) | |
| Upcoming | Spellbound (2024) • That Christmas (2024) • The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep (2024) • Pookoo (2025) • The Twits (2025) • Plankton: The Movie (2025) • Ray Gunn (TBA) • Redwall (TBA) | |
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