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Its a simple story charmingly illustrated, and screenwriter Meg LeFauve and director Nora Twomey adored it.
It thoughtfully considers the heroism we expect and provide to our friends, our family, and ourselves.
Meg LeFauve:We wanted the boy to have an expectation of what dragon he was going for.
You really need to be in Elmers emotional point of view and share his expectations.
If youre not, I dont think that final reveal works as well.
Nora Twomey:We do catch glimpses of the dragon.
We know that hes in that summit enclosure.
We wanted you to feel this from Elmers perspective.
What would he see?
What would he think?
We also placed importance on the imagination of children.
They did things that were just unpredictable.
I also kind of experimented on my children.
Youre going to trip everyone.
I said nothing, and they all helped to carry this log.
Then somebody said, Watch out for that black hole over there!
So they all maneuvered with the log around this imaginary black hole.
That can be shocking.
And yet for Elmer, he has to let it be.
But thats not the same Elmer that left for Wild Island.
In the storyboard phase, we were looking at ways to bring in humor.
From a visual perspective, we built it like a cathedral.
Theres a seriousness in that moment as well, like a Catholic confirmation or something.
Somebody makes some weird noise and you cant help but giggle.
Theyre already projecting what the scene is going to be.
When you say, nope, that is the shock that the child has experienced.
I dont think its just a movie for children.
I think all of us as adults have those shocks, and what do you do then?
Plus, the score is spectacular.
The Danna brothers I knew them a little bit from their Pixar work, but oh my gosh.
NT:They dig into the same questions that you asked, Meg.
Theyre not asking, What tempo should we do this?
Theyre asking, What is Elmer feeling at this particular moment?
How is this sequence evolving his journey?
What are the notes underneath here, in terms of the themes?
Gaten had little control over his voice at that stage.
Thats the good stuff.
ML:That was the range musically that they used, the boys voices.
That is so cool.
When Boris emerges, he looks the same externally, but has transformed by finding confidence in himself.
ML:Boris feels the pressure of Elmers expectations for a dragon.
And so hes shoving all of his agency over to Elmer.
He says in that quiet moment up on the mountain, I would have just failed anyways.
So its very important for that character to claim himself.
We knew he wouldnt physically transform.
Elmers arc is that he has to let this dragon do something uncontrollable.
Hes on this journey because of the loss of his mother.
NT:Theres something very strong about Boris not getting the six-pack.
Your transformation is never the transformation that you think its going to be.
Yes, Im scared too.
Maybe the answer is generosity over external strength.
Searching for that kind of truth makes me really happy.
And all we have is each other.
As a storyteller, I feel like my role is to be a companion for those kind of journeys.
If I fail, I do it happily; if I succeed, thats great.
But at least theres an honest attempt to try and give some kind of meaning to the chaos.
There is something about animation, and whether its 3D, stop-motion, or hand-drawn, it doesnt matter.
It lets you into a specific space of human empathy.
This interview was conducted at the 2022 Virginia Film Festival and has been edited and condensed for clarity.
