NETFLIX ANNOUNCES CAST AND FIRST LOOK FOR ANIMATED FEATURE FILM MY FATHER’S DRAGON

THE NEWEST FEATURE FROM FIVE TIME OSCAR® NOMINATED  CARTOON SALOON – 

    • In celebration of World Book Day this Saturday, Netflix unveiled the first look and cast of five time Oscar® nominated Cartoon Saloon co-founder Nora Twomey’s upcoming animated feature My Father’s Dragon. The film stars Jacob Tremblay, Gaten Matarazzo, 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 with Whoopi Goldberg and Ian McShane.
    • The film is inspired by the Newbery honored book of the same title by Ruth Stiles Gannett. It will be produced by Mockingbird Pictures and Cartoon Saloon, and released by Netflix. 
    • Directed by: Nora Twomey (Academy Award® nominated The Breadwinner).
    • Screenplay by: Meg LeFauve (Academy Award® nominated Inside Out).
    • Screen Story by: John Morgan and Meg LeFauve.
    • Produced by: Bonnie Curtis and Julie Lynn of Mockingbird Pictures and Paul Young of Cartoon Saloon.
  • Executive Producers: Meg LeFauve and John Morgan, Tomm Moore and Gerry Shirren of Cartoon Saloon, and Alan Moloney and Ruth Coady of Parallel Films.
    • Synopsis: From five-time Academy Award®-nominated animation studio Cartoon Saloon (The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea, Wolfwalkers) and Academy Award®-nominated director Nora Twomey (The Breadwinner), comes an exquisite film inspired by the Newbery-honored children’s book from author Ruth Stiles Gannett. 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.
  • Filmmaker Quotes: Director Nora Twomey said, “Our actors, animators and artists at Cartoon Saloon have worked together to craft this film, inspired by Ruth Stiles Gannett’s amazing book. We were drawn together by a desire to tell a very special tale of friendship, adventure, and true bravery. I fell in love with storytelling as a child and Netflix excels at celebrating all kinds of stories, through different styles and distinct voices. This has given me the opportunity to look through a beautiful lens and I am excited to share what I see with our audience around the world.”  
  • First look image for download only linked here
  • My Father’s Dragon  is part of  Netflix’s fast growing original slate of animated features which includes Academy Award nominated The Mitchell’s vs the Machines, Aardman’s Robin Robin, Klaus, Kris Pearn’s The Willoughbys, Oscar winner Glen Keane’s Over the Moon; as well as comedy Back to the Outback directed by Clare Knight and Harry Cripps, Richard Linklater’s Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Childhood, Chris Williams’ The Sea Beast, Henry Selick’s Wendell & WildGuillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, Wendy Rogers’ The Magician’s Elephant,  Minkyu Lee’s The Witch Boy, and Aardman sequel Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget.

ABOUT NORA TWOMEY

Nora Twomey is an Academy Award®, BAFTA & Golden Globe nominated Director. She is also Partner & Creative Director at Cartoon Saloon, Ireland. In a career spanning over two decades, Nora has worked in a number of capacities on Cartoon Saloon’s creative output. She was co-director to Tomm Moore’s  Academy Award® nominated The Secret of Kells while also guiding the development processes on a number of series including Emmy nominated Puffin Rock and Dorg Van Dango. She was Head of Story on Academy Award® nominated Song of the Sea and Producer on Wolfwalkers. She directed The Breadwinner, which was also nominated for an Academy Award® & Golden Globe, and won several international awards including multiple Annies and the Audience & Jury Awards at Annecy. My Father’s Dragon is Nora’s third feature and second solo-directed film. She lives in Kilkenny with her husband, children, two cats and one fish.

ABOUT CARTOON SALOON 

Cartoon Saloon is a five-time Academy Award®, Golden Globe®, BAFTA and Emmy nominated animation studio helmed by directors Paul Young, Tomm Moore and Nora Twomey. From award-winning shorts (Cúilín Dualach, Late Afternoon) to feature films (The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea, The Breadwinner and Wolfwalkers) and TV series (Puffin Rock, Dorg Van Dango), Cartoon Saloon has carved a special place in the international Animation industry, over 23 years. My Father’s Dragon is Cartoon Saloon’s fifth feature film, partnered with international co-producers, from the company’s base in Kilkenny, Ireland. 

ABOUT MOCKINGBIRD PICTURES

Bonnie Curtis and Julie Lynn’s Mockingbird Pictures productions include award-winning festival favorites Albert Nobbs, 5 to 7, To The Bone – as well as studio fare including Life, Terminator Dark Fate, and the upcoming Heart of Stone. Before joining Mockingbird, Ms. Curtis worked for 15 years with Steven Spielberg, on movies including Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan, and Minority Report. Prior to Ms. Curtis joining the company, Ms. Lynn produced independent films under the Mockingbird banner including Nine Lives, Mother and Child, and The Jane Austen Book Club. My Father’s Dragon is Mockingbird’s first feature in animation.

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PR CONTACT:

Julian Dobson-Gunn, Netflix Lyn Cowan, Netflix

jdobsongunn@netflix.com lcowan@netflix.com