An Animation Classic

Rating: 10/10 (21 October 2012)

How to Train Your Dragon is a 3D computer-animated comedy-drama fantasy by DreamWorks Animation that was loosely based on the English book of the same title. It was directed by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois, the duo who directed Disney's Lilo & Stitch. It features the voices of Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, T.J. Miller, Kristen Wiig, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and David Tennant.The story takes place in a mythical Viking world where a young Viking teenager named Hiccup aspires to follow his tribe's tradition of becoming a dragon slayer. After finally capturing his first dragon, and with his chance at finally gaining the tribe's acceptance, he finds that he no longer has the desire to kill it and instead befriends it.
Hiccup is a failure as a Viking: skinny, inquisitive, and inventive, he asks questions and tries out unsuccessful contraptions when he's supposed to be fighting the dragons that attack his village. His father, chief Stoick the Vast, has pretty much given up on his teenage son and apprenticed him to blacksmith Gobber. Worse, Hiccup knows the village loser hasn't a chance of impressing Astrid, the girl of his dreams and a formidable dragon fighter in her own right. When one of Hiccup's inventions actually works, he hasn't the heart to kill the young dragon he's brought down. He names it Toothless and befriends it, although he's been taught to fear and loathe dragons.
Codirectors and co-writers Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois, who made Disney's delightful Lilo and Stitch, provide plenty of action, including vertiginous flying sequences, but they balance the pyrotechnics with moments of genuine warmth that make the viewer root for Hiccup's success. Many DreamWorks films get laughs from sitcom one-liners and topical pop culture references; as the humor in Dragon comes from the characters' personalities, it feels less timely and more timeless. Toothless chases the spot of sunlight reflected off Hiccup's hammer like a giant cat with a laser pointer; Hiccup uses his newly found knowledge to defeat two small dragons and impress the other kids. How to Train Your Dragon will be just as enjoyable 10 or 20 years from now as it is today. Boasting dazzling animation, a script with surprising dramatic depth, and thrilling 3-D sequences,it soars!!!!!!