Lessons from My Fathers Dragon written by the Ent. This post contains affiliate links, you can find out more on our policies page or in the disclaimer at the bottom of the blog.
Know Before You Watch My Father’s Dragon
Movie: My Father’s Dragon
Rating: PG
Genre: Adventure, Children’s, Comedy
Length: 1 hr. 39 mins.
Age suggested: 6 and up
Release Date: November 4th, 2022
Streaming Service: Netflix
Warnings: Being convicted, Struggling financially, Some scary monsters and moments of peril. See our “Is My Father’s Dragon Appropriate?” section below for more details.
Quick My Father’s Dragon Summary
Based off of Book of the Same Name, we follow Elmer and his mother as they are evicted from there home and store and forced to try to make it in the city. The hit some hard times and after an argument with his mom, Elmer runs away to try to raise money for the new store. This is when he starts a conversation with a cat who was a stray, much to his surprise. This leads to a fantastical journey with many talking animals and adventures!
My Father’s Dragon Review
(Contains Spoilers)
–Why Watch My Father’s Dragon–
My Father’s Dragon tells a pretty straightforward story. It starts in reality as Elmer’s family is forced to relocate after their store/home is foreclosed on. This leads Elmer’s mom to struggle to pay rent while Elmer is focused on opening a new shop in the big city they move to. This creates a rift and leads to Elmer to an unexpected adventure as a talking cat convinces him to retrieve a dragon from a sinking island. This leads to interesting tension as if he saves the dragon, the island sinks, and he is left trying to figure out how to save everyone possible.
Personally, I felt the movie had more potential than how it actually panned out, but it still provides a fun, very innocent watch for the whole family. Also, the voice acting talents of Gatan Matazarro (Boris), Jacob Tremblay (Elmer), and Ian McShane (Saiwa) added a lot of personality to the characters! Specifically, Gatan plays the slightly awkward dragon absolutely perfectly and is my personal highlight of the movie. Overall, My Father’s Dragon provides a pretty simple, yet fun adventure that almost everyone in the family can enjoy.
-Is My Father’s Dragon Appropriate?-
Overall, My Father’s Dragon is a very family friendly movie that would be good for most kids. The only thing I would bring up is that our two main characters come across many people who attack them.They also discuss eating Elmer, but there is no real violence as our characters don’t fight, but flee. This peril may be scarier for younger viewers. Also, when Elmer and Boris are trying to talk to Aratuah, they find his skeleton (he was a turtle) and realize he has been dead for some time.
The major subplot throughout the movie is that the mom has been evicted. This causes a lot of tension to the family, financial and otherwise. There is one very tense conversation, which causes Elmer to run away. This is where the fantasy journey begins. By the end of the movie, he is reunited with his mother and they mend their relationship.
Continue reading for lessons from My Fathers Dragon
Lessons from My Fathers Dragon
Lesson #1 – Be Okay with Who You Are
This lesson is mostly seen through Boris’ story. He spends so much of the story not believing in himself. Even near the end, when he is sure he knows what to do, without encouragement, he just didn’t believe he had it in himself. He has spent so much time imagining what it would be when he becomes an after dragon he doesn’t realize how capable he is right now.
Lesson #2 – Kindness and Trust Will Take You Further than Cruelty
This lesson is seen throughout many characters throughout the film, but mostly through the story of Saiwa. When Saiwa learned they no longer had the knowledge of how to protect the island, he did everything in his power to prevent it from flooding, even if it meant being cruel. Later in the story, Elmer shows him that trusting Boris allowed Boris to find the true solution to save the island.
This can also be seen in the story line with Ms. McClaren who, by the end of the movie, has befriended Elmer and his mom. A bit of kindness and trust goes a long way.
Lesson #3 – We Can’t Take the World on Alone
This is a lesson that is seen through both Elmer and his mom. The mom is so set on not including Elmer in the solution for earning money. Even though this does seem reasonable at first, it causes such a rift between them that Elmer convinces himself he can fix the problem all by his self. This thought remains throughout the entire film and during the climax, he realizes he needs other people to truly succeed.
Favorite My Father’s Dragon Quotes
“My father was born a long time ago, but he was a child like any other.”
“One Day, I want to swim all the way to the stars.”
“What’s the matter? Are you not a hugger? Too cool for a public display of affection?”
“My name’s Boris. Not as cool, but it goes with my face.”
“This really was my lucky day. Tomorrow’s going to be even luckier.”
“My father always said that dragons make the very best of friends”
-My Father’s Dragon Quotes
My Father’s Dragon Discussion Questions
Themes to Discuss: Grief, Escapism, Living life to the fullest, Isolation, Accepting fear, Coming of age
- Which character did you like the most and why?
- Elmer is known in his family as the person who can always find something when needed? In your family, if something is lost, who’s most likely to find it? What would you say you are most known for in your family?
- Have you ever moved from your house? If so, what was your reaction? How did Elmer respond to the change?
- Why was Saiwa keeping Boris tied up? In the end, what would have been a better option?
- How does Elmer change from the beginning of the film to the end?
- Boris taught Elmer many things through their adventures. How does Elmer use this once he returns home?
Thanks for reading our My Father’s Dragon Discussion Questions and Review. Before you go, check out these other posts:
-Other Family Friendly Netflix Suggestions
-Lessons from The Sea Beast
-Lesson from Wish Dragon
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