Netflix’s ‘My Father’s Dragon’ is an animated comedy-drama about a boy named Elmer, who travels to a mysterious place known as Wild Island. There, he decides to help Boris the dragon to save the landmass from sinking.
Plot summary
Little Elmer and his mom Dela run a retail store that goes bankrupt, forcing the duo to move to the city of Nevergreen for new prospects. Elmer is distraught with the move, but Dela promises him that they will start a new business soon.
Their new apartment is tiny and the landlady is quite strict. Elmer hopes to open a retail store within a closed building in front of his new home, but his mom grows stressed at the lack of job opportunities.
She uses all their remaining change in a phone booth, replying to job advertisements, but doesn’t get any. Elmer is devastated at this sight and runs away from home.
He escapes the congested city streets and reaches the harbour. There, he notices a cat — that he had fed earlier — follow and sit next to him. In a shocking turn of events, Elmer realises that the feline can talk and offers him a solution to his problems.
The cat shares the story of a dragon that waits in a place known as Wild Island. If Elmer can get the beast back with him to the city, he can use it to earn money and help Dela.
The cat also calls upon her whale friend Soda to give the kid a ride to the island. Soda obliges and swims to their destination gleefully. Elmer notices the dragon from a distance as they near the island.
Soda tells Elmer that Wild Island is sinking and the beast, who is tied to the summit, flies and lifts it up every time the landmass begins to go underwater. Elmer is also scared as Soda lets him know that the island is full of wild and ferocious animals, who all look up to Saiwa the gorilla.
He is the one who captured the dragon and is using him to keep the island afloat. However, the plan isn’t working as it sinks deeper every time the beast saves it.
Elmer sneakily makes his way to the dragon’s location and frees him. A group of local animals, led by Saiwa, see this as a huge problem, and try to stop the dragon and the boy from escaping.
After a crash landing, Elmer introduces himself to the dragon, who calls himself Boris and turns out to be a fun-loving goofball. He reveals that Wild Island sinks every hundred years and a dragon saves it, becoming an After Dragon and getting their ability to breathe fire in the process.
It is a rite of passage that a young dragon has to go through. Elmer makes a deal with Boris that if he helps him become an After Dragon, Boris will accompany him to Nevergreen and help him earn money for the store.
My Father’s Dragon ending explained in detail:
Who is Aratuah?
Boris is clueless about how to save the island properly, but reveals that the wild old tortoise Aratuah might have the answers. Elmer and the dragon notice clues to Aratuah’s location and start walking as Boris has an injured wing after their fall.
They come across ferocious tigers, crocodiles and Saiwa’s scouts on their journey as the island sinks a little lower. They eventually fall into an underground trap.
Elmer notices a rhinoceros named Iris trapped in it as well, along with her calf. She first berates the kid for freeing the dragon, but calms down when she is told that they’re going to seek Aratuah’s council.
Saiwa and his monkey army, led by Kwan the macaque, find the trap but Iris misleads them to another location. Boris and Elmer escape only to find Aratuah’s empty shell and a pile of bones inside.
Realising that the old tortoise has perished a long time ago, they duo is disheartened and leaves.
What is Elmer’s plan?
As they rest, Saiwa, Kwan and the rest catch up to them. The gorilla reveals that he knew about Aratuah’s death and was trying desperately to save the island in his own way.
He corners Boris and Elmer, threatening the former to return to the summit. The boy and the dragon fall off the edge, but Saiwa grabs Boris by his injured wing. In a miraculous turn of events, the wing repairs itself and Boris flies high with Elmer in his grasp.
Kwan, feeling betrayed by Saiwa’s secret, leaves his side and decides to sail away from the island before it sinks.
In the air, Elmer realises that the three huge roots connected to the bottom of the island are responsible for dragging it down. He guides Boris to the summit and convinces him to lift the island up so high that the roots break.
Boris is scared as Elmer is asking him to do the same thing that Saiwa did, but the kid assures him that it will be alright. He ties vines to the dragon’ feet and climbs onto his back. Boris lifts the island up, breaking two roots in the process.
However, he stops before the third one gives way. Boris realises that Elmer’s way isn’t the right one and he needs to fly inside the fiery summit, which has an open crevice now.
Elmer refuses to admit that he is wrong, and after a massive disagreement, leaves Boris behind.
Does Boris save the island?
Elmer falls into the water while escaping and is saved by Saiwa. The gorilla admits that he used the dragon to save the island, but Elmer was using him for selfish reasons as well.
Realising his mistake, the kid rushes back to Boris and encourages him to fly into the crevice. Boris does so and inhales the magical inferno from within it. The island is saved and rises up again as Boris gets his ability to breathe fire.
The animals thank him and Saiwa apologises for taking the harsh route. Boris forgives him but asks the animals to engrave the means to save the island on a stone.
This way, when it sinks again in a hundred years, the next dragon can work with the inhabitants to save it, instead of being captured. Saiwa assures Boris that it will be done.
The dragon then flies Elmer to Nevergreen and the duo find Soda and Kwan on the way. Boris asks the macaque to hitch a ride back as Wild Island is saved.
Boris lands on the harbour and the duo says their goodbyes. He wants to help Elmer earn money but the boy, having grown up a lot in a short amount of time, realises that he needs to let Boris return to his family.
Elmer too returns to his mother and apologises. The film ends with Dela still trying to make ends meet as Elmer starts earning money by performing with a couple of new friends on the street. They enact his adventures from Wild Island.
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