Founded over 20 years ago, Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon is an established force to be reckoned with. With multiple Oscar nominations and Annie Awards trophies to its name, the surprise is that it’s only made a handful of features. Its fifth arrives this week on Netflix and My Father’s Dragon brings with it their usual mix of fantasy, expressive animation and a large sprinkling of pure magic.
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Based on the 1948 children’s novel of the same name by Ruth Stiles Gannett, it starts in the depression-hit 1930s with young Elmer (voiced by Jacob Tremblay) struggling to cope with a move to the city with his mother. He eventually runs away in search of Wild Island, where he’s told that a young dragon is waiting to be rescued and, as well as finding a dragon by the name of Boris (the voice of Gaten Matarazzo), he encounters even stranger beasts, a sinking island and discovers the friendship of a lifetime.
Finding the right voices for the characters was key to the success of the film and its director, and Cartoon Saloon co-founder Nora Twomey, talked to us about she and her team approached the challenge. And Jacob Tremblay described how hard it was to keep a straight face while working alongside Stranger Thing’s Gaten Matarazzo in the recording booth.
My Father’s Dragon is released on Netflix on the 11th of November, 2022.
