How To Train Your Dragon

It is not often that I am captivated by an animated film, but How To Train Your Dragon had me enchanted from the very beginning. The movie opens by introducing us to the Viking village of Berk and then proceeds to present all its inhabitants. The narrator is young Hiccup, voiced by Jay Baruchel (She’s Out Of My League). And he goes on to explain how Vikings have tough names to reinforce their warlike ways. You see, for seven generations they have been plagued by dragons and from a very young age Vikings are taught to hate and battle them. They are a tough people, fierce and brave, and killing a dragon is an honor and a rite of passage. But Hiccup, the son of a Viking Chief is small for his age. His father Stoick, Gerard Butler (300) is concerned for him. How can the strongest man in the village have such a featherweight son? But he has no time to worry now, snow is coming on, and if they don’t stop the dragons from stealing their food, they’ll never survive the winter. Hiccup just needs to stay out of harm’s way while the rest of the warriors go and fight the dragons.

Hiccup is a brave one though and he longs to join the fight. What he lacks in size he makes up for with ingenuity. He invents a type of cannon and actually hits a dragon that no one else has seen. The rest of the village doesn’t believe him and his peers dismiss him. When his father orders him home, Hiccup responds by sneaking out the back. He must find the dragon he shot and prove himself to the others. He must show them that he deserves to be called a Viking.

What is really unique and fun about this movie is that there are many different types of dragons. They vary is size, shape, skill, and some are more feared than others. The dragon that Hiccup hit is called a Night Fury, a dragon that no Viking has ever seen. They are lightning fast and skilled at staying out of sight. Hiccup only finds him because he is wounded and can’t fly.

When Gobber the village blacksmith (Craig Ferguson) convinces Stoick to let his son attend dragon fighting school, Hiccup becomes an expert on all things dragon. But what really sets him apart are the lessons he learns away from school. By sneaking away and studying his wounded dragon he learns more than what is in the books. It is now up to him to change the way that people think about dragons. A view that has been around for 300 years.

What I loved the most about this film was the training segments without dialogue. The animation was so beautiful and the flying segments reminded me of a boy and his horse like in the movie The Black Stallion. When America Ferrera’s Viking girl joins them, it was reminiscent of the flying scene in Superman. Soaring above the clouds was very romantic. What made it even more so was the original music by John Powell. The score in this film is delightful. And the animation is wonderfully lit giving it an distinctive look and feel. You’ll find yourself transported.

Gerard Butler has done a wonderful job alternating between a tough Viking leader and a concerned, frustrated father. It was fun when he shared scenes with Craig Ferguson and they could both let their Scottish burs fly. The Viking youths were voiced by Jonah Hill and Christopher Mintz-Plasse of Superbad fame. And Kristen Wiig (Saturday Night Live) and T.J. Miller (She’s Out Of My League) rounded out the cast. The Viking teenagers were fully realized personas and the laughs came from their characters and not on gimmicks. The story is very well told in a classic adventure sense.

For young children, I feel that there will be a strong attraction to see the film again and again. I can easily see them wanting to learn all about the different dragons. And as an adult, the animation is so absorbing that you won’t mind going with them or popping it in the VCR again. This really is a good looking film and the story is different and engaging. Dragons are going to be hotter than ever. This really is a wonderful film.

Rating: Must See You'll be transported; enjoy the ride