How to Train Your Dragon (2010) DreamWorks/Fantasy-Action-Adventure RT: 98 minutes Rated PG (sequences of intense action and some scary images, brief mild language) Director: Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois Screenplay: Will Davies, Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders Music: John Powell Release date: March 26, 2010 (US) Cast: Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrara, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, T.J. Miller, Kristen Wiig, Robin Atkin Downes, Philip McGrade, Kieron Elliott, Ashley Jensen, David Tennant. Box Office: $217.6M (US)/$494.9M (World)
Rating: *** ½
Too many of today’s movies have a manufactured feel to them. It’s like they’re no longer being created by artists. It feels more like they’re written by a committee and assembled out of prefab parts in some factory before being shipped out to multiplexes. Where’s the heart and soul? These are two things that are in short supply in filmed entertainment these days.
The computer-animated How to Train Your Dragon has plenty of heart and soul. It’s a rip-roaring and often funny fantasy-adventure about a teenage Viking boy who could very well be called “The Dragon Whisperer”. Hiccup (Baruchel, Million Dollar Baby) has a way with the fire-breathing reptiles, an uncanny ability to tame them rather than slay them. Naturally, this makes him something of an outcast in Berk, the village he calls home. His father, village chieftan Stoick (Butler, 300), doesn’t understand him. He thinks his boy is weak and sends him to work under the local blacksmith (late night host Ferguson).
During a dragon attack, a regular occurrence in Berk, Hiccup uses one of his inventions to shoot down and capture a Night Fury, the most feared of dragons. Nobody sees it happen so nobody believes him. Instead, his father signs him up for dragon-fighting lessons while he and the other men sail off to look for the dragons’ nest. One of Hiccup’s classmates is his crush Astrid (Ferrara, The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants), a tough and plucky girl with a strong fighting spirit.
Hiccup spends his off-hours hanging out with the dragon he captured. Naming it Toothless for its retractable teeth, the boy and the beast start to bond after Hiccup fixes his broken tail with a prosthetic fin. In return, Toothless teaches him about dragons and their behaviors, knowledge that enables Hiccup to subdue them during combat training which finally earns him the respect of his classmates. He becomes a local celebrity.
Along the way, Hiccup learns the real reason behind the dragon attacks. It turns out an even bigger and meaner dragon called “Red Death” is making them attack Berk for food (e.g. livestock, fish). Once again, Stoick dismisses his son when he tries to explain what’s really going on. In the end, it’ll be on Hiccup and his friends to save both humans and (good) dragons from extinction.
Directed by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois (Lilo & Stitch) and based on the first book of the series by Cressida Cowell, How to Train Your Dragon is a fun ride through a world of manly men (and women) and dragons of all kinds. Killing a dragon is a rite of passage, one that peaceful Hiccup wants no part of even though it’s demanded of him by his dad, an imposing figure you don’t dare defy. The movie’s heart lies in the father-son relationship, a story older than time itself only this one involves dragons. The son wants something other than what his father expects of him. The father never listens to his son. He sees him only as an extension of himself, not an individual with different ideas. This typically results in Hiccup doing something that turns out wrong which gives Stoick another reason to be disappointed in the awkward 15YO boy. Although teens aren’t the targeted audience for How to Train Your Dragon, it’s possible some of the older grade schoolers will relate to what Hiccup’s going through with his dad.
The animation in How to Train Your Dragon is level one work. It looks amazing. The directors brought in cinematographer Roger Deakins as a visual consultant. The result is astonishingly beautiful visuals. It positively soars during the flight sequences. Seeing Hiccup take his first ride on his dragon is as awesome as seeing Superman fly for the first time in Superman (1978). The designs of the dragons are varied; each one has a unique look and features. The detail with which they’re rendered is impressive. The colorful and vibrant CA allows the movie to come to life. The animation team doesn’t half-ass it; they put in the work and it shows in the finished product.
The voice talents all do an extraordinary job. Baruchel is the perfect choice to play Hiccup, an awkward and intelligent teen who uses humor (a mix of wit, sarcasm and self-depreciation) to mask his insecurities. Sure, he sounds more like a modern teen than one from the Viking Age, but little kids don’t care a fig about historical accuracy. Butler is great as Stoick, a walking mountain with a booming voice and boisterous personality. The action star completely nails it. Ferrara crushes it as Astrid, the jealous rival turned trusted friend who stands up for Hiccup when it counts. Sound designed Randy Thom provides the vocal effects for Toothless, a small black dragon who will remind dog owners of their furry friends. He’s cute (but not overly so) rather than fearsome.
How to Train Your Dragon is one of the better non-Pixar computer-animated films of the last 20 years. It’s fun, exciting and funny. Unlike the numerous soulless CA features that exist only to part parents from their hard-earned money, it has heart. It’ll delight the kids while not lulling the adults into a not-so-peaceful slumber. It’s a true achievement.
