Spectacular animation + emotionally resonant story = pure enjoyment

Rating: 9/10 (14 November 2014)

Here's yet another great film that I missed the boat on initially. I typically stay away from kid's movies (save classic Disney) because they tend to be overly simplistic bores that would only entertain the youngest of children. HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON is one of best of the lot, however, because of its excellent animation and a compelling story with themes that will resonate with viewers of all ages. The movie takes place in an indeterminate time period when Vikings and dragons coexisted, although not peacefully as the beginning makes perfectly clear. They're mortal enemies, in fact, and Vikings train from a very young age to be able to kill the beasts who raid their village and steal their livestock. Everyone, that is, except Hiccup. Hiccup is what you could call an outcast or a reject. He wants to join his peers in training, but nobody ever seems to want to give him a chance. Fortunately, he gets one, though not in the way you'd expect. As the title indicates, there is some dragon training that goes down, but not without a serious paradigm shift. At its core, this movie is about a young boy who doesn't quite fit in, yet finds a way to make himself valuable to the people around him. There is also a subtext about learning to empathize and/or come to terms with things that we don't understand, and therefore fear. Both of these messages are very pertinent to people, young and old, and are dealt with in a mature, yet accessible way. For the kids, you have the spectacle of expertly animated flying sequences and a killer battle with the big-bad dragon. For adults (and more discerning children), you have the meatier stuff about acceptance and overcoming your fears. It's really one of the best animated films I've ever seen, on multiple levels. While DreamWorks might have made their name with Shrek, I think that this will have a bit more staying power in years to come. In fact, this is so good that it pains me to even gripe about a single thing, so I'll make it brief. The setup of the movie is a bit roughly handled, and the characters (initially) aren't really given their due. But the movie improves drastically as it progresses, so much so that you almost forget the slightly weak first act. Overall, this is a movie I see myself watching again and again, and I'll definitely be checking out the sequel. Do yourself a favor and go watch this right now. You'll be glad you did.