An animatioj masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (15 April 2010)

First off, I am in the animation industry. I can say without a doubt, this is one of the better films - not just animations - that I have ever seen. As far as animation goes, it's right next to Up in my opinion.
I know that everyone who isn't a part of this industry associates animation with kids' movies, which is wrong on so many levels, but this is a great film for people of all ages. There's some kids' stuff in here, some adult stuff (come on, how many kids are going to get the DnD reference?) and a good message with an ending that's optimistic, but not just rainbows and kittens.
Visually, this film is stunning, with Chris Saunders once again creating an amazing slew of characters. The designs are original, the story is unique, there's an adequate amount of humor, and a good message. The effects are fantastic - the hair simulations alone are breathtaking, and watching the muscles of the dragons is absolute eye candy for a character rigger like myself. The animation was excellent as well - there was maybe only one shot that was rushed, and the research that went into researching how the dragons, especially Toothless moved, definitely payed off.
The only thing at all that was off putting about this movie was the title, which only was kept because of the book it was based off of.
I have to say Dreamworks, way to bring it up a notch. I could see this winning an Oscar if they finally beat Pixar. If anything, this masterpiece deserves it.