Introduction
Hello, fellow adventurers! Blaziker is back for another adventure and I have some bad news. Well, two actually. The first bad news is that the island we were supposed to head out for our next review… has sunk. The second bad news, more importantly, is that this will be my last full review of 2022, as I will be focusing on passing my next ACCA professional examination in early December, so I will not have time to review the other animated movies in full. However’ I will cover the rest of the animated movies in yet another rundown, so stay tuned for that!
For now, let us get back to the review at hand, and talk about the latest animated from the famed Irish animation studio known as Cartoon Saloon, My Father’s Dragon! Directed by Nora Twomey (the director of Cartoon Saloon’s The Breadwinner) and based on a children’s book of the same time, Jacob Tremblay (Room, Wonder and Luca, among others) returns to another voice acting role, this time voicing as Elmer, a boy in search of a dragon in captivity that could be the key to saving the store he and his mother were saving to open up.
With not much hype for this movie (and not much promotion from Netflix’s side) despite the positive reviews from the critics, given its stark difference from the Irish mythological roots of previous Cartoon Saloon movies, will this be the first Cartoon Saloon without that magic, or will this be yet another classic from this famed studio?
Key Information
- Director: Nora Twomey
- Animation Studios: Cartoon Saloon
- Country of Origin: Ireland
- Rating: PG
- Release Date: 11 November 2022 (On Netflix)
Trailer
The Review
Story and Characters
As someone that watches a lot of Cartoon Saloon movies, I can say that My Father’s Story has the least complex, most mainstream story among all the Cartoon Saloon, but that fact did not take away the typical magic this Irish studio brings to the table. In fact, given that I watched The Soccer Football Movie (which I will get to during the next 2022 Animated Movies Rundown), it was refreshing to have a simple, cosy story as opposed to a convoluted, nonsensical plot the previous movie did. Its simplicity, in a similar vein to another excellent Netflix animated movie with a simple plot, Drifting Home, has a boatload of imagination, with a great sense of visual storytelling that pays homage to the source material, but more on that when we get to the animation later.
The story also had a powerful message which struck me because it was something I had been through before. When I was young, I always seek to help my family members, including my mum, but sometimes, when I volunteered to help, they shoved me aside and do not need my help. It was only when I became older then I realise that sometimes, we have to let go so that others can thrive, and this message is powerful enough for other moviegoers to realise that fact. The message is an emotional gut punch, and an impactful one at that.
On top of the excellent writing, the characters are simple, but well-rounded. Can we just admit that Jacob Tremblay, on top of being one of the best child actors in Hollywood, is also a talented voice actor? His voice acting as Elmer brought me back to his younger days of being the leads in Room and Wonder, and Elmer himself is very likeable with genuine motivations and fears that make him very well-rounded. Gaten Matarazzo as Boris the dragon delivered great chemistry with Elmer and can be hilarious. The rest of the cast are equally excellent, and one other thing: no real villains in the movie! That was very refreshing, given the endless number of twist villains we have throughout 2022.
However, a weak point about the writing has to be the comedy, which comes off as rough and unnecessary, given that we are talking about a simple movie that does not require much humour. Otherwise, this was a simple but effective storytelling from a studio that knows how to craft great stories, even if they were adapting from a children’s book.
Animation
Being one of the few animation studios that stick to traditional, 2D animation, and one of the masters of that medium, Cartoon Saloon has produced some of the best animation for any non-mainstream animated movie throughout their existence. My Father’s Dragon is no exception of this rule.
Just like in The Breadwinner, Nora’s team made excellent use of the grey, industrial tones of Nevergreen and contrast them with the colourful, fantasy colours on Wild Island. The environment designs are top-notch and complement the simple, but imaginative storyline My Father’s Dragon is going for.
Speaking of simplicity, to keep in line with the original book, My Father’s Dragon features simple character designs while maintaining the aesthetics from the previous Cartoon Saloon movies. Elmer, Boris and the rest of the characters possess simplistic designs with smooth character movement and distinct characteristics that look as if they came straight out of the original book, preventing the designs from being too stale. It may not be the most original designs, but they serve great function over style and lack of substance.
Special Sauce
And now, the special elements:
- In advance: This may surprise, but Trembley actually recorded the lines for My Father’s Dragon before working on voicing Luca in Pixar’s Luca. Given some similarities between Luca and Elmer, I can understand why he decided to take up both roles, both excellent roles at that.
- Female representation: Once again, Nora Twomey, who previously directed the excellent Cartoon Saloon movie “The Breadwinner”, took charge as the director, once again proving the importance of women in animation.
Conclusion
They did it again, Cartoon Saloon has produced yet another great animated movie worthy of their prestige, even if it differs greatly from their previous movies.
While most animated movies these days go for complex storylines and exciting entertainment, My Father’s Dragon went for the exact opposite and produced an animated movie that is simple, yet poised and impactful in its execution. The story has a powerful message that most people (like me) can resonate to, with a fun and imaginative story and cast of characters, as well as stunning 2D animation that matches the simplicity of the movie. It may not be Cartoon Saloon’s strongest animated movies, but in a world full of bombastic animated movies with all style and little to no substance, sometimes, all we need is a simple and beautiful animated movie to step back from this loud world.
Thank you so much for reading this review. This will be my last full review of 2022, as I will take a break to prepare for my upcoming examination in early December. I will see you back during the year end to round up the final animated movies of the year! Until then, k thanks bye!
Rating
- Story and Characters: 4.5/5
- Animation: 5/5
- Special Sauce: 4/5
- Overall Score: 13.5/15
Rating: Fairytale
