‘Dad’s Dragon’: an adventure with a classic soul

After that great masterpiece which is ‘Wolfwalkers’, there was a special expectation for what the first production of the acclaimed studio Cartoon Saloon, five times Oscar nominee, for Netflix would look like. An adaptation of Ruth Stiles Gannett’s 1948 novel, ‘Daddy’s Dragon’ becomes the factory’s most childish proposition, with a style of animation and storytelling that could very well transform it, metaphorically speaking, into an Irish response to Studio Ghibli’s “Ponyo on the Cliff”.

‘Daddy’s Dragon’ is Cartoon Saloon’s least folkloric production. The factory has distinguished itself with three feature films capable of portraying the spirit of Irish traditions and legends (“The Secret of the Book of Kells”, “Song of the Sea” and “Wolfwalkers”); as well as adapting Deborah Ellis’ acclaimed novel about the reality of an Afghan girl under Taliban regime Afghanistan with ‘The Bread of War’, in which she also explored the ancient culture of the Asian country. Therefore this production assumes a netless leap to a plot-driven story that could very well be located anywhere in the world.

Written by Meg LeFauve, a regular Pixar collaborator, she was behind the screenplays for ‘Inside Out’ and ‘Arlo’s Journey’ as well as collaborating on the story of ‘Onward’ and writing the sequel from the so-called ‘Inside Out’. ; ‘Dad’s Dragon’ has some similar undertones to ‘The Song of the Sea’, featuring a protagonist who is forced to relocate after his family experiences drama at home. Of course, Nora Twomey’s film differs in that the move and the dramatic event are close to social drama, narrating how a woman raising her child alone, in what appears to be the 1940s, has to move with her his offspring. big city to make a living.

In that difference, In this version Twomey draws a film with a certain spirit of 80s cinema, which breaks with the bucolic character of the original novel (transfer to the city does not happen, for example). This license allows for the creation of a dramatic basis for the film, which serves as a metaphor for the protagonist to see the bright side of the change of residence and know how to find the bright sides of life in the big city, called Siempregris. Added to this is that the contrast with the irruption of the magical world is much greater, linking “Daddy’s Dragon” to contemporary titles such as “The Wonderland” or “The Little Vampire”.

The most familiar and accessible Cartoon Saloon tape

Now, we are dealing with a Cartoon Saloon production, which led to his dramatic background sensing that film with a social theme which was mentioned earlier, which makes they have a certain layer of more complex depth, which makes them evoke other familiar more adult titles such as “Bridge to Terabithia” or “My Monster and I”. This is combined with some charismatic protagonists, Elmer the boy who travels to the Savage Isle has that typical charisma of characters like Hal Scardino had in ‘The Magic Key’ or Macaulay Culkin in ‘The Guardian of Words’.

Of course, whoever takes the show is Boris, the reckless dragon with a heart that won’t fit under his scales. Truly, he is the one who manages to elevate the film, which is a familiar proposition with the flavor of a classic adventure film and which, as mentioned at the beginning, turns out to be a similar case to ‘Ponyo on the Cliff’ within the filmography of both Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki. Since, as in the aforementioned film, ‘Daddy’s Dragon’ enjoys exquisite animation, which once again recalls the magic of the traditional style and of which Cartoon Saloon has made school, becoming one of the most acclaimed factories in the European industry. Also mention for its wonderful soundtrack, composed by Mychael and Jeff Dannawho already collaborated with the studio being the composers of the music of ‘El pan de la Guerra’.

“Dad’s Dragon” is an amazing proposition that demonstrates the versatility of Cartoon Saloon. The lightest film in his filmography, which does not involve losing technical quality or cinematic care, which reminds us once again that, despite being a production made for a platform, its natural habitat is the big screen. A title that adds to a particularly fruitful awards season for the animation industry and who already aspires to be one of the protagonists of the main awards.

Note: 7

The best: Its careful animation, where you can see the handmade detail, its soundtrack.

Worse: It lacks the epic solemnity and intimate touch of the other Cartoon Saloon titles. Unfortunately, it’s the factory’s weakest stock. Hence the comparisons to “Ponyo on the cliff”.