How To Train You Dragon tames its mythical beasts through fiery action and emotional heft.

Rating: 8/10 (26 January 2019)

I've been putting this off for years, and for the life of me I have no idea why. Dreamworks are often hit and miss for me, but this beautifully touching animation has enough heart to appeal to every family member and is definitely a hit. Hiccup is not like the rest of his Viking villagers, he refuses to kill dragons. He soon befriends the legendary "Night Fury", who he names Toothless, where he learns that dragons are not so ferocious after all. Packed with memorable characters, humorous dialogue and exhilarating flight sequences, it has everything one would expect from a family adventure. Plenty of development from the protagonist who sees his frightened self within Toothless. A prickly relationship with his father makes for some tension and relatable conflict, forcing Hiccup to be something he is not. Wonderfully paced with a surprising amount of laughs, particularly from the well casted voice actors (Butler especially!). Baruchel juxtaposes the primarily Scottish cast, and highlights his character's difference with the rest of the village. However, it is the tangible relationship between Hiccup and Toothless that makes this film work. Hiccup finds purpose with his newly tamed dragon, and there are so many moving scenes involving them that you can't help but become attached to them. An extensive five minute scene where the two learn to be in each other's company gave me goosebumps. No dialogue, just powerfully stunning visual storytelling that silenced me. The animation itself is often majestic, particularly with its environments and fast-paced action. Although some of the lighting was too dark, making certain scenes rather murky, but for the most part was watchable. I did have some issues with Astrid as a character though. An underdeveloped romance blooms between her and Hiccup and some of her dialogue was rushed and undercooked, particularly when motivating Hiccup to save Toothless. Small criticisms for what is an excellent animation that packs an almighty amount of fire and soars higher than Toothless himself.