How To Train Your Dragon

How To Train Your Dragon

DreamWorks has produced many good animation movies in the past like Monsters Vs. Aliens, Kung Fu Panda, Shark Tales, and the Shrek series. I would say Pixar is king in the animation movie department. Especially considering they’ve won the Oscar for best animation movie the last 3 years. Pixar movies usually have the best stories, rich characters, and emotional impact than any other animation. I will say though DreamWorks animation is very good in using visual effects and music in their movies and How to Train Your Dragon is probably the best example of that.

How to Train Your Dragon is about a Viking village that has a major dragon problem. The main character is Hiccup who longs to be a Viking warrior. To prove himself he needs to kill one of the many dragons that attack his village. The problem is he doesn’t have the muscle mass or ferociousness it takes to be a dragon killer. Everything changes when he happens to capture the much-feared Night Fury.

As the movie goes on Hiccup becomes friends with the dragon, Toothless, which causes conflict with him and his father; and with pretty much the rest of the Viking village. His father (voiced wonderfully by Gerard Butler) is the biggest and toughest of the Vikings and is blood thirsty in killing the dragon race. He loves his son but can’t get over being disappointed in the way he turned out. Hiccup needs to prove to everyone that dragons are ok before it’s too late.

The movie deals with issues of the relationship problems between father and son; and also the issues of being at war with an enemy you don’t understand. The father/son relationship has been done many times before but it still brings the satisfied emotions it needs. The Vikings see the dragons as just monsters seeking nothing but blood and destruction. I like the idea that if only they would try to understand the dragons they could have peace.

It’s not one of the funniest or cleverest of animation movies but has one of the best flying and action sequences ever. The last 20 minutes was very awe-inspiring. I don’t know what it would look like on TV in 2D, but watching it in 3D on the big screen was mind blowing. The story, voice work, and special effects make this a worthwhile movie to see.

Directors: Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders

Starring: Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, T.J Miller, and Kristen Wiig.

Rated PG for sequences of intense action and some scary images, and brief mild language

Grade: B