A progressive, sophisticated entry into the CGI animated feature cannon

Rating: 8/10 (20 January 2014)

Spoiler alert.
Surely the bravest, most progressive and ethically sound children's film to emerge out of the animated feature genre (Wall-e being a close second), as it champions diversity, eco-awareness and tolerance.
Based on the book by Cressida Cowell, the film takes place on the island of Berk, and is set in a fictional Viking-based era, notably different because it is populated with dragons and other mythological beasts. This conceit is not particularly original, indeed it runs the risk of being hackneyed given the slew of recent fantasy films; the fresh spark which ignites this CGI feature animation, however, is the sophistication of the story, characterisation and themes.
The protagonist is a misfit because he doesn't fit the identity expected of him from his father and the tribe: that of a warrior. Instead he is a clumsy but brainy, sensitive, progressive thinker who displays the traits of a budding inventor, tirelessly questioning the society and traditions surrounding him. It is this quizzical nature that finds him befriending a dragon, which is sacrilegious to the tribe and their values. These beautifully simple metaphors for institutional racism and other prejudices raise the film up beyond its CGI feature contemporaries.
The humour is delicate, genuine, well observed, cleverly written, and beautifully acted and animated. It would take the iciest of hearts not to fall in love with the irresistibly cute dragon who is trained and befriended by Hiccup. Toothless, the dragon, has one tail fin shorter than the other, and so mirrors the protagonist's outcast status. The film champions these different traits, and presents a message of diversity, even depicting the hero waking after the final battle to find that he has lost a leg. This theme of disability is seldom touched upon in children's entertainment, and is done in this instance with integrity and humour without straying into sentimentality or cliché.
This film is full of wisdom despite its target audience, which is a welcome development in children's cinema as they too demand high quality content, which they have here in spades. How To Train Your Dragon is a 'how to' for all the other CGI animation production companies out there, and shows that younger audiences do appreciate a little finesse; and cool dragons, of course.