Everything I look for in an animation comedy is here.

Rating: 9/10 (1 August 2010)

I didn't bother to watch this movie when it first appeared because I thought they made another 'Lilo and Stitch' out of it. At least, that's what it looked like from the trailers. I probably wouldn't have seen it for some time yet unless I hadn't been on a trans-Atlantic flight and had nothing better to do than watch a movie.
Although I was watching it on a 4 by 6 screen with crappy sound, I have rarely enjoyed myself as much as I had with 'How to train your dragons'. Because it has just about everything I look for in an animated film: Funny. This film, unlike many, manages to avoid toilet and slapstick humor entirely, and that is already a huge plus, rare as that is. But the jokes that are in the movie slot into place so naturally, and are so well timed that I don't know of anyone who could watch this with a straight face for more than five minutes. The humor has something in it for everyone: visual gags, puns, word play, allusions... all but the aforementioned toilet/slapstick humor.
Clever. Surprisingly enough, this movie is actually original. I don't remember any other movies with a plot even similar (Eragon does not even come close) to this one. Does the movie completely avoid cliché situations and is it completely unpredictable? No. But the clichés are few and extremely well done at that, and of course it's predictable. It is supposed to be that way. You know what the ending will be like. But at the same time, there are many interesting twists thrown into the plot, what's predictable is cocooned in humor and even some self-irony, and even the ending has a slight surprise which I have never seen before in any movie.
Visuals. If I can be immersed in this movie on a 4 by 6 screen, I can imagine how it would've been to watch this on a theater-sized screen. Mind-blowing would not begin to cover it, especially in 3-d.
Should you watch this? Oh, definitely. Bring everyone you know along as well, because I don't know anyone who would not be at the very least mildly entertained by this movie. It's not my favorite movie, but it's definitely in my top 20 or so. For a very good reason.