By Allison Watkinson
TLL Reporter
Licensing for the Netflix film My Father’s Dragon will be handled by Cartoon Saloon Brand Development, a division of the animation studio.
My Father’s Dragon is produced by Cartoon Saloon, a five-time Academy Award, Golden Globe, BAFTA, and Emmy-nominated animation studio.
While most films get outside representation for licensing campaigns, Cartoon Saloon has developed its own ancillary rights division.
This week Brian Tyrrell, General Manager of Cartoon Saloon Brand Development, announced Cartoon Saloon Brand Development will be handling licensing for the property. He also said the company will be attending Licensing Expo for in-person meetings for this available licensing opportunity.
My Father’s Dragon is inspired by the Newbery Honor Book of the same name by Ruth Stiles Gannett about a young boy who, struggling to cope with a move to the city with his mother, runs away in search of Wild Island and a young dragon who waits to be rescued.
It was first published in 1948 and has since been published in over 20 languages. My Father’s Dragon is the first book of a trilogy whose other titles are Elmer the Dragon and The Dragons of Blueland. All three were published in a 50-year anniversary edition in 2011 as Three Tales of My Father’s Dragon.
“My Father’s Dragon is a timeless and classic story with inspirational qualities which has been pleasing kids and adults alike across the globe for over 70 years, and will for years to come,” said Tyrrell. “Discussions are already well under way with key potential licensees and we look forward to presenting this evergreen property to a wider audience at the upcoming Licensing Expo.”
Directed by Cartoon Network’s Nora Twomey (Song of the Sea, The Secret of Kells, The Breadwinner), My Father’s Dragon was written by Meg LeFauve (Inside Out, The Good Dinosaur).
The talented voice cast includes 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.
My Father’s Dragon tells the story of young run-away Elmer Elevator, who sets off on a self-assigned mission to free Boris, a baby dragon who has been captured by ferocious animals of the mysterious Wild Island and forced to transport them back and forth across the river, which divides the island.
On his journey, Elmer finds much more than he could ever have anticipated and must come up with creative, and in some cases, heroic methods of dealing with the problems he encounters. With the help of two dozen pink lollipops, rubber bands, chewing gum, and a fine-toothed comb, Elmer disarms the fiercest of beasts on Wild Island with his bravery and ingenuity and makes the friendship of a lifetime.