I felt something wonderful while watching this movie.

Rating: 7/10 (31 March 2010)

I don't know. I saw only one trailer of the film before watching it. Maybe it was the low expectations. Well, given Dreamworks' stream of recent animated films ("Shrek", "Madagascar", but leave out "Kung Fu Panda" which was genuinely great) one could expect laughs but little substance.
I am glad that my low expectations were blown away immensely. Not only is "How To Train Your Dragon" hilarious, it is also genuinely heartwarming, filled with gorgeous and beautiful animation, and topped off with easy-to-like characters (and dragons, to boot), and a very positive moral core to it.
Yes, it has it's fair share of clichés and obtaining a somewhat predictable story, but it's mainly a family film, so they are excused. Yet, with all this in mind, I felt something when watching the movie. I don't know what it was, but it was the same feeling I felt when watching most Pixar films like last year's "Up" and especially "WALL-E". It was a wonderful feeling.
I genuinely felt for the characters, they were very easy to like and to relate to. It was to my surprise that I knew almost all of the actors who starred in it but did not recognize them at certain parts. All of the voice actors are great, especially the lead Jay Baruchel. I also absolutely LOVED the main dragon Toothless even though it wasn't a talking animal, with it's realistic and humane emotions and its beautiful design. The animation was also beautifully rendered, and it is truly a sight to behold in 3D, with some scenes comparable to the 'Ikran' scenes from Avatar, if not better. It took me away from the real world and into the film's fantasy world. The film's moral message, that we should not judge things by its cover and thus act rashly towards it, is straightforwardly delivered. And finally John Powell's music score is sweeping and full of emotion in many moments.
Therefore, "How To Train Your Dragon" will definitely get my approval for one of 2010's very best films, if not THE best so far. Let's hope not. However I have the urge to see the movie again as it felt like it was infinitely re-watchable. Parents should take their kids, children should see it with their friends, couples should see it together, everyone should see it. It is one of the best animated films to come out in a long time. And it definitely blows away all of Dreamworks' previous effort.
Bravo, Mr. DeBlois and Mr. Sanders. Congratulations for making another animated classic.
Overall value: 9/10.