Keeping the raw viking-ness contained

Rating: 8/10 (16 September 2010)

¨ You sir are playing a dangerous game! Keeping this much raw viking-ness contained. There will be consequences! ¨ The creators of Lilo and Stitch, Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders, bring us this beautiful animated film called How to Train Your Dragon. I had a chance to see it in 3D and it was stunning! I am surprised at how fast animation is advancing these days because the visuals were as good as Avatar in my opinion. The scenes where the dragons are flying over the spectacular landscape are just amazing. This film is not just about the animation, it also has a great story and memorable characters. The movie is based on Cressida Cowell's novel while directors DeBlois and Sanders contributed by adapting the screenplay making this a fun film for the entire family to enjoy. How to Train Your Dragon has a lot of heart, which is strange for a DreamWorks film. This one might have a chance at beating Disney in the Oscars for the animated category next year. The music in this film is also great; John Powell has already worked in several other animated films such as Ice Age, Bolt, Happy Feet, and Kung Fu Panda so he has great experience in this area. How to Train Your Dragon has raised the bar for the next animated films to come out this year and it will be very hard to top it, and yes I know Toy Story 3 and Shrek 4 are also coming out this year, but they will have big shoes to fill.
The story takes place in an island up north named Berk where big and strong Vikings inhabit the land. These Vikings hunt dragons because they see them as a danger to their town. Hiccup is a young boy who dreams of slaying dragons, but his small physique doesn't help him in this endeavor. However, he is a great inventor and he has designed a machine that is able to launch a net that can trap dragons in midair. Despite of his brilliant creation the rest of the tribe do not pay attention to him, not even his father, Stoik the Vast, who just happens to be the village leader. He is disappointed in his son because he is nothing like the other kids, so Hiccup is always trying to prove himself. One night he tries his new invention and ends up trapping a dragon. His father doesn't believe him so he decides to go slay the dragon himself and prove to everyone he is a true Viking. The only problem is that when Hiccup reaches the dragon he can't kill it and ends up freeing him. Stoik decides to send his son to a Viking school where they teach small Vikings how to slay these terrible beasts. Hiccup ends up finding the dragon he freed and discovers that these creatures are not as frightening as everyone else believes. He begins a friendship with the dragon which he names Toothless (he was actually inspired by Stitch) and he begins to master how dragons think and act so slowly he becomes one of the best students in school. The problem is that Hiccup must now teach his fellow Vikings that these animals can be domesticated before it is too late.
How to Train Your Dragon is a movie you have to go see with the entire family because adults and kids will enjoy it alike. It is also a film which is worth watching in 3D because the visuals are just incredible and at moments it feels like you are actually the person flying on the dragon's back. When I first saw the trailer for this movie I really wasn't expecting much from it and I didn't like the title either, but after hearing good reviews from this movie I knew I had to go see it and it was worth the while. I can't comment on the vocal performances because I watched this film in Spanish, but the translation was done really well as they usually are in animated films. This is one of those movies where some of the characters will stick with you in the same way Buzz and Woody did in Toy Story. The technological advances in animation from that film to this one are just astonishing. I still consider The Lion King and Up to be my favorite animated films, but this one will remain a very memorable one as well and hopefully some good sequels can be made. This is a movie I recommend you to see in 3D! You won't want to miss it.