How To Train Your Dragon

Released: March 2010

Directors: Dean DeBlois, Chris Sanders

Run Time: 98 Minutes

Rated PG

Cast:
Jay Baruchel: Hiccup
Gerard Butler: Stoic
Craig Ferguson: Gobber
America Ferrera: Astrid
Jonah Hill: Snotlout

Animated pictures have been a staple of cinema for decades.  From Disney’s old hand-drawn films like Snow White to fully CGI-animated pictures like Toy Story and Wall-Ewe have seen animation change and evolve throughout the years.  Sometimes, the best stories and films are the animated ones.  I say that, because with animation, there is no limit to the human imagination.  You can come up with something fairly realistic, or go totally over the edge crazy.  While we saw a combination of hand-drawn animation and cg in films like Beauty And The Beast, and Aladdin, it wasn’t until 1995’s Toy Story that we got our first fully CG film.  Today, the technology has gotten to the point where it almost looks like the hand-drawn films of old.  Disney’s Tangled is one such movie.  In 2010, Dreamworks Animation Studion released a film based on a children’s book entitled, How To Train Your Dragon.

How To Train Your Dragon takes place on the Viking island of Berk, where it snows 9 months out of the year and hails the other three.  It seems like the biggest pests they’ve got is dragons, so the Vikings have trained to kill dragons.  That’s pretty much their lot in life.  Except for one: Hiccup.  The smallest of the Vikings, Hiccup can’t throw an axe or do anything that most Vikings are able to do.  He has an imagination and is an inventor.  So when the village comes under attack from dragons, Hiccup gets an opportunity to test his newest contraption.  While everyone else is fighting the dragons, Hiccup uses the opportunity to sneak out of the blacksmith’s shop and actually manages to to take down a mysterious Night Fury, a dragon that no one has ever been able to see or kill.  Sadly, his escapade goes unnoticed because he inadvertently interferes with battle, causing the captured dragons to go free.  Stoic, the head Viking and Hiccup’s father gets Gobber to take Hiccup home, not believing Hiccup.  Sneaking out of the house, Hiccup manages to find the Night Fury and befriends the dragon.

I never thought I would see a movie that had so much…personality.  How To Train Your Dragon is one of the most visually unique and touching movies that I have ever seen.  In some ways, it’s a kind of a coming-of-age kind of story where Hiccup is trying to find his place among his peers, and fails often hilariously.  For an animated film, Dragon has a surprising amount of depth and heart to the whole endeavor.  We have Hiccup, who’s trying to make his mark.  There’s Stoic who is the head-strong leader of the Viking community and Gobber, the sarcastic blacksmith who happens to be missing an arm and a leg.  He also has a rock for a tooth.  I wasn’t lying when I said this movie had personality.  Each of the characters in the film has a very unique personality attached to it.  What helps is the voice talent which really brings out those qualities.  I will say that I do not believe a Viking should be without a Scottish accent.  Gerard Butler goes full on with his natural accent and gives Stoic a very strong yet vulnerable stature.  Butler has become one of my favorite actors over the past several years because he’s very flexible as an actor.  Allowing him to just use his voice for a character frees him up to be the tough guy he portrays in his movies.  Comedian Craig Ferguson is a riot as Gobber.  In the toughest and life-threatening situations, this guy always finds a way to lighten the mood, and Ferguson delivers every line with that awesome Scottish snark.  Jay Baruchel has become one of the most unique actors in the industry because his talent seems so natural.  He brings his trademark deadpan humor to the role which makes Hiccup genuine and a very relatable character.  Every actor associated with this movie brings their A-game.  I’ve never been a big fan of Jonah Hill, but he’s absolutely hilarious as Snotlout.  Astrid is a very strong female character who tries to be the best but gets sabotaged by Hiccup’s clumsiness.  America Ferrera gives a fiery performance that rivals some of the best female characters in film.

The whole personality thing isn’t just for the human characters.  The dragons in How To Train Your Dragon are some of the most unique creatures I have ever seen.  They are of all varying sizes and shapes, and each one also has it’s own personality.  The one that steals the show is Toothless, the Night Fury.  The creature, while obviously a reptile, has some very unique qualities.  Toothless is probably one of the most expressive characters in film.  The way he’s animated kind of reminds you of a cat or dog.  Toothless is extraordinarily detailed.  His eyes will go from a slit-pupil showing that he’s angry to big and round showing that he’s curious and trusting.  The relationship between Toothless and Hiccup is one of kinship.  Hiccup sees a little bit of himself in Toothless, and as the movie progresses, their bond gets stronger.  You can’t help but like these characters.  They are absolutely unique and colorful and helps the movie stand out from the rest.  One of the most important characteristics of an animated film is its writing.  How To Train Your Dragon is surprisingly well-written and clever.  The way each character relates to one another is amazing.  The movie is genuinely funny.  It’s also a very thrilling film.   There’s a lot exciting scenes here.  One of the best is when Hiccup is riding Toothless for the first time.  It is intense.  The final battle is nothing short of epic, but I won’t spoil it for you.  The action is awesome with humor thrown in, which makes the movie that much more compelling.  The musical score by John Powell gives the film  it’s unique sense of playfulness and excitement.  I have the soundtrack, it’s that good.

There are scenes in the film which may be kind of scary for the youngsters, hence its PG rating.  In conclusion though, this is a film for everyone to enjoy.  It’s heartwarming.  It’s funny and its exciting.  It’s a perfect combination with some of the best animation that DreamWorks Animation Studios has delivered to this point.  It’s become a very popular film that has various spin-offs and sequel that’s already available on home video.  If you have a Blu-Ray player and an HDTV, I highly recommend getting the Blu-Ray version of the film.  The detail is amazing right down the hair strands.  I don’t think I can recommend How To Train Your Dragon enough.  It’s a great ride from beginning to end, and it has something for everyone.  9/10 is my final verdict.

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