Better than Shrek, a must see!

Rating: 10/10 (16 November 2012)

The idea of taking my crazy younger cousins to see an animated dragon movie didn't intrigue me too much. I imagined myself sitting in my seat bored to death, hoping the end could come quicker so I could go be with my friends. Boy was I wrong! I could have stayed after the movie was over for multiple re runs, I loved it so much. It is safe to say that during the car ride home and for several days after I was the loudest and most excited critic of the bunch. Directors Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders did an incredible job of creating an amazing film that follows a typical storyline of a misfit boy that wants to impress his strong willed dad. In the typical storyline the father and son get into some fights, make up and then in the end everyone is happy. Instead of being like all the other films, this film is different because it incorporates incredible animation that interests its whole audience instead of just the younger kids in the theater. How to Train Your Dragon came into theaters March of 2010. In November 2012 I had to go to three different video stores to find a copy of this movie to watch because they were all rented out. Sanders and DeBlois made a masterpiece of a movie, by forming a perfect cast of actors and creating amazing animation for an audience of all ages, even stubborn sixteen year olds. This is a definite blockbuster holiday get together hit! The main character, Hiccup, is played by Jay Baruchel. Hiccup is the misfit, skinny, awkward young boy that can't seem to do anything right to make his father proud until the end of the movie when Hiccup finally proves to his father the way dragons really are. Baruchel was the perfect actor to voice Hiccup because he himself is known for his lankiness and awkward yet endearing characteristics. I went through the list of actors after watching the movie and did research to realize each actor's character virtually represented them in the movie. Not only with their personality but looks as well. Having this representation on screen makes a huge difference for the audience because the voice and appearance of the character look natural. It is also a benefit for the actors themselves because it really makes it easier for them to get into character.
The animation in this movie was produced by DreamWorks Animation Company and they did more than a great job on this film. From the moment the movie started rolling to the last scene before the credits I was in awe of all the depth and angles of the scenery throughout the film. The emotion and feeling put into the characters made this animation amazing. They made the dragons come to life and created them to be absolutely adorable. Especially Toothless, I felt such a connection to him just by his body language and appearance. In a way Toothless represented my younger cousin sitting next to me in the movie theater, I almost felt like I was responsible for Toothless and his safety just as I was for my cousin. When Toothless was trapped by fire and then struggling for survival under water at the end of the movie I found myself clenching my seat and just wanting to scream for Hiccup to go help him! Overall this was a great movie and it surpassed my expectations way more than I ever imagined. I can't wait for How to Train Your Dragon 2 to come out. Thank you to everyone that was involved for making this film and congratulations on doing such a great job!