In the world of animation, Cartoon Saloon has been carving itself quite the reputation, deserving to list alongside the beloved likes of Disney, Pixar, Ghibli, Laika and Aardman as a major player. From the Irish Folklore trilogy of The Secret Of Kells, Song Of The Sea and Wolfwalkers, to the equally acclaimed The Breadwinner, the Irish animation house always delivers. Which makes news of their next film particularly exciting – it’s called My Father’s Dragon, it’s coming to Netflix, and the first image is here. Take a look above.
The film is directed by The Breadwinner’s Nora Twomey, based on a screenplay by Inside Out and Captain Marvel writer Meg LeFauve. It’s adapted from the children’s book by Ruth Stiles Gannett. Here’s the synopsis: “Struggling to cope after a move to the city with his mother, Elmer runs away in search of Wild Island and a young dragon who waits to be rescued. Elmer's adventures introduce him to ferocious beasts, a mysterious island and the friendship of a lifetime.”
As well as the first image, Netflix has revealed the impressive, sprawling voice cast – headed up by Room’s Jacob Tremblay and Stranger Things’ Gaten Matarazzo. They’re joined by Golshifteh Farahani, Dianne Wiest, Rita Moreno, Chris O’Dowd, Judy Greer, Alan Cumming, Yara Shahidi, Jackie Earle Haley, Mary Kay Place, Leighton Meester, Spence Moore II, Adam Brody, Charlyne Yi, Maggie Lincoln, Jack Smith, Whoopi Goldberg, and Ian McShane.
There’s no release window for My Father’s Dragon yet, but here’s hoping we might see it before the end of 2022. If so, it’d join Netflix’s impressive list of animated features arriving before the end of the year – from Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio, to The Sea Beast. (Oh, and if you haven’t seen Richard Linklater’s Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood yet, shove that way up your watchlist.) Either way, it’ll be a delight whenever the doors of the Cartoon Saloon swing open once more, bringing us into another gorgeous animated world.