My Father's Dragon

Elmer moves to the city with his mother, their shop closes, and he is left alone with poverty and with her exhaustion. What a talking cat tells him sends him off: a dragon is being held captive on Wild Island and freeing it will solve everything. Nora Twomey adapted Ruth Stiles Gannett's 1948 children's book. Cartoon Saloon's hand-drawn manner applies here too, and the colour and shape design are the strongest element. What sits underneath is heavier than the source: the island is sinking and the dragon has been left to hold it up alone, so the subject is not rescue but the weight of believing you can rescue. Netflix released it. Who it is for: viewers who like hand-drawn animation and adaptations of classic children's books. Who it is not for: anyone wanting brisk adventure, since the film weights the emotional line.