MY FATHER'S DRAGON
Starring: Jacob Tremblay, Gaten Matarazzo, Golshifteh Farahani, Dianne Wiest, and Rita Moreno
Director: Nora Twomey
JOSEPH
If you don’t have children, it’s perfectly understandable if you want to avoid My Father’s Dragon. It’s very much a film targeted at younger audiences, and will likely be most enjoyed by the very youngest. That being said, the themes, beautiful animation, and heartfelt characters are more than enough to keep any jaded adult’s attention. My Father’s Dragon is a testament that simplicity does not mean boring, and that style and substance can coincide. Nora Twomey is one of the most talented animation directors out there.
JACOB
Most of My Father’s Dragon feels fairly two dimensional (no pun intended) when compared with Cartoon Saloon’s other works, such as the Irish Folklore trilogy, but it’s the bookends of the film that put it a cut above most animated children’s stories. The beginning sets up that this story clearly has more on its mind than what people might expect, and while the art itself doesn’t quite boast as interesting a look as something like Wolfwalkers for most of its runtime, the third act is beautiful to see (and somewhat emotional). This is definitely one of 2022’s most underrated films.
