DreamWorks Animation's best effort to date

Rating: 9/10 (26 March 2010)

As I've said numerous times already, I'm not exactly DreamWorks Animation's biggest fan. I feel that, aside from Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, and last year's Monsters vs Aliens, their films symbolize the worst of mainstream animation, focusing primarily on cringe-worthy pop-culture gags. What convinced me to buy a ticket for How to Train Your Dragon, then, was seeing that Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois – directors of Lilo and Stitch (one of the few rays of light in Disney Animation's "dark age") - would be at the helm. Oh, and that 97% on Rotten Tomatoes may've been a part of it, too, admittedly. Whatever the reason, I'm happy to say that Dragon not only surpasses the duo's previous effort, but is also my favorite film delivered by the studio.
While the premise of How to Train Your Dragon may seem tenuously related to that of other films of its ilk, the way in which it's actually delivered makes the whole movie feel all its own. The two main characters, Hiccup (voiced surprisingly brilliantly by Jay Baruchel) and Toothless, are incredibly endearing, and their relationship is unfolded in such a way that's nothing short of tear-jerking. It looks like the folks at DreamWorks Animation have been taking lessons from Up and Wall-E, as the most beautiful moments of the entire film are those without dialogue.
Speaking of beauty, the use of 3D in Dragon is the most impressive I've seen in any animated film, and actually, rivals that of Avatar. Unlike, say, Alice in Wonderland, the film doesn't rely on the 3D clichés of awkwardly bringing objects toward the screen. To put it simply, the 3D visuals enhance the story, rather than act as a substitute for one.
How to Train Your Dragon, while including an engaging, character-driven story, is an awe-inspiring theater experience. While the basic story may not be the most original, what these artists do with it make it extremely lovable. On top of that, the characters are particularly endearing, and the visuals are some of the most impressive that I've seen in any animated film. DreamWorks Animation, consider me a fan.