One of the best animated films I've ever seen

Rating: 10/10 (27 July 2013)

I can't get over how much I like this movie. It's exciting, it's visually beautiful, it's heartwarming, it's atmospheric... it's everything I want to see in a movie. It has strong characters and a strong message about not judging others by their appearance. The acting is superb and the writing is incredible.
I like to call this movie a cliché cocktail done right. The clichés in the plot are high in number but I feel like this is exactly how they should be handled and, unfortunately, most movies put them in for dramatic effect or to force the audience to feel bad for the characters. In this movie, you already love the characters because they're written in such a way that you get to know them pretty fast and already like them even though some of them bully Hiccup, the hero. So the clichés are done more realistically. You see the pain the characters are in, you feel their triumph, you feel everything. And that's what this movie has more than anything else, it has atmosphere. It sucks you in and pulls at the heartstrings.
The animation is breathtaking. The flying scenes look fantastic, you really feel like you're flying with them. But something else that stands out about this movie is the soundtrack. It is one of the best soundtracks I've ever heard.
I will always say Pixar is better than Dreamworks. But How to Train Your Dragon is, in my opinion, just a tiny bit better than any of the Pixar films. But only a little bit. It's a shame Dreamworks hasn't come out with a movie this good since. I take comfort in knowing that there will be a sequel and I'm optimistic about the sequel because the TV show based on this movie is also quite good.
I spoke to someone recently and asked him if he had ever seen this movie. He said he "didn't like kids movies like that." This is the kind of movie that should at least remind you that just because it's animated and child friendly doesn't mean it's juvenile or below adults. If you haven't seen it, I don't care how old you are, see it. This is a movie for everyone.