My Father's Dragon
Netflix | Release Date: November 4, 2022 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
74
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 21 Critic Reviews
Positive:
17
Mixed:
4
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
RogerEbert.comCarlos AguilarNov 11, 2022
Even if a wonder feels minor, it reminds us that everything that Cartoon Saloon invests their talents in results in open-hearted, warm, and affecting art that’s never saccharine but thematically matured in essential drops of wisdom. Read full review
86
Paste MagazineTara Bennett Nov 14, 2022
It will especially appeal to the sensitive kids (and adults) in your life, and it most definitely meets the high standards Cartoon Saloon continues to make in the medium. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesNoel MurrayNov 11, 2022
The result is something visually dazzling and emotionally resonant, though likely to appeal primarily to youngsters and genre buffs. Read full review
80
The TelegraphRobbie CollinNov 11, 2022
Against this enticing, enigmatic backdrop, the odd sops to mainstream taste – some comic shrieking, a sprinkling of toilet humour – feel unnecessary, but forgivable. It’s the sort of film you’re relieved to discover still exists. Read full review
80
EmpireJohn NugentNov 11, 2022
Another smash from Cartoon Saloon, at once heartily funny and heartfelt. With this and The Breadwinner, director Nora Twomey is now two-for-two. Read full review
80
Screen RantAlex HarrisonNov 11, 2022
Beautiful, moving, and sporting a compelling metaphor for parenthood, Twomey's film is heartfelt in the way that Pixar and Ghibli films are, making it a worthy pick for a family movie night. Read full review
80
The Irish TimesDonald ClarkeNov 4, 2022
In some ways it is Cartoon Saloon’s most “normal” film, but, stuffed with visual elan and powered by good nature, it confirms the studio’s desire to stretch in hitherto unexplored directions. Read full review
80
PolygonOli WelshOct 17, 2022
Director Nora Twomey (The Breadwinner, The Secret of Kells) and screenwriter Meg LeFauve (Pixar’s Inside Out) have rebuilt the Gannetts’ fragmented, surreal little parable into something that’s more like a conventionally structured kids’ movie, but they’ve also made it more exciting and resonant. It’s a lovely film. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyOct 12, 2022
The deep fondness for the source material comes through, and the painterly hand-drawn aesthetic is enchanting. Read full review
80
Screen DailyWendy IdeOct 12, 2022
It is a warm, engrossing fantasy. Read full review
80
SlashfilmSarah MilnerOct 12, 2022
Between the charming hand-drawn aesthetic, the imaginative setting, and the myth-like narrative structure, it has that rare quality of being truly timeless; this is a film that could have come out forty years ago, and will feel as relevant generations from now as it does today.  Read full review
80
VarietyGuy LodgeOct 12, 2022
[A] winningly sweet-natured, visually transporting adaptation. Read full review
75
Movie NationRoger MooreDec 30, 2022
Thanks to the distinct look of films from Cartoon Saloon, this Nora Twomey (she also directed “The Breadwinner”) project plays and feels like a fairytale that has a bit more going on than sight-gags and punchlines. Read full review
75
IndieWireDavid EhrlichOct 28, 2022
If this weren’t a Cartoon Saloon movie, it would probably fall apart long before Meg LeFauve’s screenplay arrives at its touching finale, which trusts kids to confront some of the more difficult truths that childhood forces you to intuit. But good news: My Father’s Dragon is a Cartoon Saloon movie, and the open-hearted sincerity of the studio’s work breathes singular life into even the least engaging scenes of its most anonymous feature. Read full review
70
IGNRafael MotamayorNov 11, 2022
Cartoon Saloon's latest animated film may disappoint those waiting for a new movie with the level of brilliance of Wolfwalkers or The Breadwinner, but My Father's Dragon still entertains with its tale of friendship aided by two great performances. Read full review
70
The New York TimesAmy NicholsonNov 10, 2022
It’s one part doom cloud, one part squirting prank flower — an uneasy balance that’s united only by stunning visuals which sweep the audience along even when the gags stumble. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubLeigh MonsonNov 7, 2022
The core of the film is in Tremblay’s and Matarazzo’s portrayal of a budding friendship, and the resulting adventures that Elmer and Boris have are certain to entertain plenty of families looking for a comfortable evening on Netflix. It will just be difficult for fans of Cartoon Saloon’s previous films not to notice that My Father’s Dragon has more modest goals than its forebears. Read full review
60
The GuardianBenjamin LeeNov 4, 2022
It all remains refreshingly and unusually old-fashioned. A gentle film aimed at the younger end of young audiences that will also find the approval of those that much older. Read full review
58
The Film StageAlistair RyderOct 12, 2022
My Father’s Dragon is another beautifully animated effort from Cartoon Saloon, but the story fails to hit the heights of their previous work—a familiar children’s fable that hasn’t been given the necessary modern makeover. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineSteven ScaifeNov 8, 2022
The hot streak for Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon cools with My Father’s Dragon. Read full review
42
ColliderErick MassotoNov 11, 2022
My Father’s Dragon abandons a truly heartfelt storyline with complex layers in favor of a generic adventure with vague threats, vague solutions, and predictable outcomes. Read full review
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