Commemorating World Book Day With a First Look at ‘My Father’s Dragon’ and More Family Friendly Adaptations

Mystical castles far far away; fantastical worlds filled with adventure; cats that can sing, dance and rhyme – some of the first stories we fall in love with come from books. 

In honor of World Book Day on 23 April, we’re excited to unveil this never-before-seen image from our upcoming animated feature inspired by Ruth Stiles Gannett’s Newbery-winning children’s book My Father’s Dragon. The film follows a boy named Elmer struggling to cope after a move to the city with his mother. Elmer runs away in search of Wild Island and a young dragon who waits to be rescued. Elmer’s adventures introduce him to ferocious beasts, a mysterious island and the friendship of a lifetime. The film stars 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.

And that’s not all. We’re excited to bring other beloved tales and stories of adventure to life like Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, The Magician’s Elephant and Nimona, all coming soon. Can’t wait for these to premiere? Here are a collection of movies and TV shows based on classic children’s tales to check out in the meantime. 

From saying YES in Yes Day (Photo) to the adventures of The Willoughbys (Photo), there’s a variety of programming on Netflix for the whole family to enjoy together with films like Rescued by Ruby (Photo), and series like Ada Twist, Scientist (Photo), Green Eggs and Ham (Photo), Llama Llama (Photo) and The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants (Photo).

And don’t forget about our easy-to-use parental controls like pin protection and the kids activity recap to help caregivers make the right decisions for their families.

Find out more about our upcoming adaptations below:

• Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio: Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro reinvents Carlo Collodi’s classic tale of the wooden marionette who is magically brought to life in order to mend the heart of a grieving woodcarver named Geppetto. This whimsical, stop-motion musical directed by del Toro and Mark Gustafson follows the mischievous and disobedient adventures of Pinocchio in his pursuit of a place in the world. Photo Here
• Ivy and Bean: Based on the best-selling book series, Ivy & Bean is a hilarious and heartfelt look at an unexpected friendship. Ivy is quiet, thoughtful and observant. Bean is playful, exuberant and fearless. However, sometimes an adventure reveals that opposites can become the best of friends.
• Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical: An adaptation of the Tony and Olivier award-winning musical. Matilda tells the story of an extraordinary girl who, armed with a sharp mind and a vivid imagination, dares to take a stand to change her story with miraculous results.  
• My Father’s Dragon : From five-time Academy Award®-nominated animation studio Cartoon Saloon and Academy Award®-nominated director Nora Twomey, comes an exquisite film inspired by the Newbery-honored children’s book from author Ruth Stiles Gannett. Struggling to cope after a move to the city with his mother, Elmer runs away in search of Wild Island and a young dragon who waits to be rescued. Elmer’s adventures introduce him to ferocious beasts, a mysterious island and the friendship of a lifetime. Photo Here
• Nimona: A knight is framed for a crime he didn’t commit and the only person who can help him prove his innocence is Nimona, a shape-shifting teen who might also be a monster he’s sworn to kill. Set in a techno-medieval world unlike anything animation has tackled before, this is a story about the labels we assign to people and the shapeshifter who refuses to be defined by anyone. Nimona is adapted from the New York Times bestselling graphic novel by author ND Stevenson. Photo Here
• The Magician’s Elephant: When Peter, who is searching for his long-lost sister named Adel, crosses paths with a fortune teller in the market square, there is only one question on his mind: is his sister still alive? The answer, that he must find a mysterious elephant and the magician who will conjure it, sets Peter off on a harrowing journey to complete three seemingly impossible tasks that will change the face of his town forever. The Magician’s Elephant, directed by Wendy Rogers, is based on Two-time Newbery Award winning author Kate DiCamillo’s classic novel. Photo Here 
• The School for Good and Evil: Best friends Sophie and Agatha find themselves on opposing sides of a modern fairy tale when they’re swept away into an enchanted school where young heroes and villains are trained to protect the balance of good and evil. Based on the international bestselling book series by: Soman Chainani. Photo Here