Nora Twomey: Cork animator on her new Netflix film, My Father's Dragon
Cork animator Nora Twomey with stars Jacob Tremblay and Gaten Matarazzo at the premiere of My Father's Dragon in London. (Picture: David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty)
She left school early and took on factory work - but a return to education in her 20s helped fire up Nora Twomey’s creative imagination. It was, the East Cork-born animator recalls now, a massive turning point in her life.
Taking on the foundation course in a well-known Cork college made her realise that a world of other career paths were possible. The Oscar-nominated filmmaker and co-founder of top animation studio Cartoon Saloon still vividly remembers that time.
“I was 22 when I went back to Coláiste Stiofáin Naofa on Tramore Road in Cork,” she recalls. “That's where I did a foundation course - I got to do some ceramics, some fine art painting, all of these different disciplines just to try them out and see which suited me.
“That’s where I began to understand that you could make a living from animation and that there were so many different careers open to anybody who just wanted to use their hands.”
It helped, she adds, that not only were the staff encouraging - but also that she got to meet people from all ages and walks of life. “That was a massive turning point, because not only were the tutors really supportive of the students, but the students themselves - there were mature students, there were retired people and there were 17 year olds, all in one classroom and tackling artwork from whatever their skill level was. For me, it was a massive eye opener.
“And that energy - I remember going home on the bus, from Cork city back down to Midleton after the first weekend, just full of excitement. I'll never forget that sense of the adrenaline rush that I got from thinking: ‘Oh my gosh, there's a whole world out there of creativity that I didn't even know was there. Even all these years later, nearly 30 years later, I still never forget that feeling of: ‘I'd found my way’."
Twomey went on to establish the much-loved Cartoon Saloon studios with Paul Young and Tomm Moore. The Kilkenny-based studios behind films like Wolfwalkers and The Secret of Kells has become world revered. Every one of its first four features (including Twomey’s The Breadwinner) has received an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature.
Cartoon Saloon continues to grow as the Irish animation industry is thriving. It’s currently the fastest-growing sector in Ireland’s screen industry, growing fivefold since 2009 and employing more than 2,500 full-time staff.
The studio is again generating awards-season buzz for My Father’s Dragon, directed by Twomey. Currently showing in Irish cinemas in advance of a November 11th launch on streaming giant Netflix, it tells the story of Elmer, a young boy who’s struggling to adjust to changes in his family life. Hearing of the existence of Wild Island, and a young dragon waiting to be rescued, Elmer sets off on an adventure.
Among those providing voices on the film are Gataen Matarazzo of Stranger Things, and Jacob Tremblay, best known for his role as the child in Lenny Abrahamson's Room.
Like most animated features it’s been years in the making, not that Twomey would have it any other way. “Everything that we do takes a number of years,” she says. “I actually really like that pace, because it means that you can continue to own the story in layers.
“Live action sometimes can be a quick process. But when you're working in animation, it's a really collaborative medium. Also it takes the time, which means that you do have time to think about the story to make sure that it's working as best it can. There were about 300 people in total working on this film and 150 of those are artists. You either see their brushstrokes, their colour in the background, or you see the lines that formed the characters on the screen or the effects animation.
“These are all hand-drawn artists, 150 of them. It took about four years from finishing the script, into storyboard, and rough animation. It took a little longer than our other films. We had a bit of a bigger budget because it's a Netflix film than we had on our other films. But we also had the complication of the pandemic.”
The project had been on Twomey’s radar since Cartoon Saloon was first approached by US producers - who had bought the rights to Ruth Stiles Gannett’s 1948 novel.
“They had the rights to the book. They loved the story, they had read it as children and then went on to read it to their children. I just really loved the book when I read it. There's a particular page in the book where Elmer, who's the main character, his mum gets really angry with him because he gives a saucer of milk to a cat.
“You don't see parents with flaws a lot in family films - I thought it was an incredible opportunity to put a real parent on the screen in a fantastical, adventurous kind of story. But then I just couldn't help thinking about what was going on in her life, that a saucer of milk was a big deal. I just thought it was a lovely subtle, layered moment - and that if we approached a feature film with that same kind of sensibility that we could do something really good.”
She found it particularly interesting that it was set in the beginning of that period in a child’s life where they realise that sometimes they will have to work things out for themselves.
“Elmer and his friend who happens to be a dragon, Boris, they both have to look to themselves and look to each other for solutions.
“It’s that thing where you're starting to reach your teens or into double digits, and you start to realise that life is not as straightforward as you might have thought it was. That can be a really scary moment for children. That was the theme that we were going for - that when you don't know what's around the corner, you don't know what's next, how do you centre yourself? How do you find meaning? How do you connect with others?”
She is full of praise for the collaboration with Netflix, which she says enabled them to work to a bigger budget and top-class creatives. They included screenwriter Meg LeFauve, whose writing credits include Inside Out and Captain Marvel.
Cartoon Saloon continues to build for the future, with two TV series and a number of feature films in development. As well as their stunning animation work, storytelling, she says, will continue to be at the heart of everything they do. “As storytellers and filmmakers, we feel it's our responsibility to - in a very responsible way - present scenarios, situations, personalities, emotional depth to family audiences in a way that is hopeful and quite empowering, especially for young people.”
- My Father’s Dragon is now in cinemas and on Netflix from November 11
