Stunning. Period.

Rating: 10/10 (23 January 2019)

It's a film the whole family can enjoy over and over again. It is stunning to look at and listen to. A rating does not get 10 from me unless it has a brilliant story and compelling characters.
There is so much that can be gleaned from this film by little children to adults. The themes are difficult ones to handle but done very well: not fitting in, being cut from a different cloth from those around you, being brave enough to form unorthodox friendships (a viking and a dragon), and being physically handicapped (the protagonist, teen Hiccup, ends up physically handicapped at the end). Dreamworks took care with their product. I read later that they shows preliminary screenings to test audiences of families who recommended Dreamworks keep the ending the way it was, with the handicap.
Both the protagonist Hiccup and his father Stoic are role models who are very relatable. They may not make the best decisions but their hearts are in the right place. Hiccup is uniquely selfless and curious, even toward ferocious beats the people, the vikings, should be mortal enemies toward. The female hero and one of Hiccup's classmates is called Astrid. She is the "son" Stoic wants Hiccup to be, her having the makings of a true viking warrior in skill and mindset. Very unique, this film. She ends up being a large part of Hiccup's motivation for him to make the difficult and right decision as she and the rest of the classmates give their support and join him risking their own lives as well to protect Berk (their village) during battle, saving both the people and the dragons.
It could have been a bit tidier in story and plot. Some deleted scenes would have explained the motivations behind everything that much more brilliantly. However, it's still a 10 for me.