Nora Twomey is no stranger to telling imaginative animated tales with strong emotional grounding. The director, animator, and co-founder of Cartoon Saloon has directed two Oscar-nominated films: The first sent a boy from ninth-century Ireland into the enchanted forest in 2009’s The Secret of Kells; the second told the story of an Afghan girl disguised as a boy to earn money for her family in 2017’s The Breadwinner. “If I were to find themes in my work,” reflects Twomey, “it’d be ordinary people facing extraordinary challenges, their ultimate call to generosity, and the lack of easy answers.” Her latest, My Father’s Dragon, extends the theme with a tale of a boy who must traverse worlds to save a dragon.

My Father’s Dragon brings to life the beloved children’s novel by Ruth Stiles Gannett. In the story, young Elmer Elevator and his mother exchange their rural hometown of Dust City for the intimidating gray streets of Nevergreen City. Although Elmer’s single mother does her best to juggle finding work, appeasing a grumpy landlord, and keeping up her son’s spirits, the boy finds himself lost in his new surroundings. That is, until a cat walks into his life, and begins to speak. “Can’t you just imagine having your very own dragon here in Nevergreen City?” says the cat. “You and your mom won’t have to worry about another thing.” With that, Elmer sets off on his fantastic journey to Wild Island where he must rescue a fledgling dragon — and soon-to-be-friend — named Boris.

Twomey notes that her version of My Father’s Dragon isn’t a strict adaptation, but she remains true to the beloved story’s spirit and the universal message at its core. “What I love about the book, and what Ruth really felt was its heart, is that Elmer thinks for himself,” says Twomey. “Even when that honesty does not reflect well on Elmer, he faces that truth and is transformed by it.” By focusing on the central story, the film delves deeper into Elmer’s personal journey and his relationship with the dragon. 

Translating the book for the screen is Academy Award-nominated screenwriter Meg LeFauve (Inside Out) and voicing its characters is a well-known group of actors. Young Elmer is played by Jacob Tremblay (Room, Wonder), while Boris, the titular dragon, is voiced by Gaten Matarazzo (Stranger Things). Rounding out the cast are Golshifteh Farahani (Paterson) as Elmer’s mother, and Dianne Wiest, Rita Moreno, Chris O’Dowd, Judy Greer, Alan Cumming, Whoopi Goldberg, and Ian McShane as a series of characters that Elmer encounters along his winding journey.

For Twomey, My Father’s Dragon brought to mind another beloved film that was inspired by a novel. “Julie Lynn of Mockingbird Pictures first approached [Cartoon Saloon co-founder] Paul Young and I a decade ago with the book,” she says. “I got such a good feeling about it. It reminded me of The Wizard of Oz; it had that sense of children passing thresholds with only their friendships to hold onto. I just loved it and knew that love would sustain me through the years of production.”

Once Elmer leaves his proverbial Kansas, crossing into Wild Island, things take on a completely different look and feel. Nevergreen City is depicted in shades of gray, riddled with crooked pipes, crowded streets, and billowing smoke, while Wild Island, where Elmer meets and befriends Boris, is composed of fantastical plants, charismatic creatures, and a range of climates, each with its own color palette. Twomey and her Cartoon Saloon team’s timeless, hand-drawn style feels fully alive.

To get the aesthetic just right, the director and the film’s artists turned to the source material’s detailed illustrations, and also to children. “I asked my boys to draw from the story, so did Rosa [Ballester Cabo, concept artist], and at one point a whole classroom of children drew from the story. That allowed us to get down on the floor and see things from a child’s perspective,” explains the director. “The goal was to help audiences forget they are watching a film, and to be immersed in the experience instead.” The world of Wild Island — with its vivid colors and larger-than-life flora and fauna — feels all-encompassing, like journeying inside an imaginative young mind. 

And as with our favorite films, the ones we watch and rewatch over the years, Twomey hopes the film will do more than just entertain: “The best stories become friends that can be called on in tough times to help us pull through.”