An Enthralling Animated Fantasy

Rating: 8/10 (18 January 2019)

28 March 2010. Take DANCES WITH WOLVES (1990) and make it into an captivating 3-D fantasy and retain the haunting but melodic sound track and you have HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON. The special effects are sharp and vivid without overuse and do not get in the way of the visceral storyline, but make for a great backdrop. The story, itself is handled with care with a nice set-up and a more careful cultivation of boy and dragon and the fascinating learning curve obtained by this experience and how it is demonstrated in real practice is smartly addressed by the middle of the movie. Even the ending has a slightly educational and emotive element not usually scene in most action adventure movies. There is humanity and there are the requisite JURASSIC PARK (1993, 1997) moments with man confronting/anthropomorphic animal in the wild experience. In same ways, this movie resembles the basic human, emotional, you versus them conflict premise from THE INCREDIBLES (2004) that made that movie so powerful and compelling.