{"id":12061,"date":"2025-06-11T07:47:16","date_gmt":"2025-06-11T11:47:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/?p=12061"},"modified":"2025-06-11T07:47:16","modified_gmt":"2025-06-11T11:47:16","slug":"how-to-train-your-dragon-2010","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/2025\/06\/11\/how-to-train-your-dragon-2010\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Train Your Dragon (2010)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"How to Train Your Dragon<\/strong> (2010)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 DreamWorks\/Fantasy-Action-Adventure\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 RT: 98 minutes\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Rated PG (sequences of intense action and some scary images, brief mild language)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Director: Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Screenplay: Will Davies, Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Music: John Powell\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Release date: March 26, 2010 (US)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 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.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Box Office: $217.6M (US)\/$494.9M (World)<\/p>\n

Rating<\/strong>: *** \u00bd<\/p>\n

\u00a0Too many of today\u2019s movies have a manufactured feel to them. It\u2019s like they\u2019re no longer being created by artists. It feels more like they\u2019re written by a committee and assembled out of prefab parts in some factory before being shipped out to multiplexes. Where\u2019s the heart and soul? These are two things that are in short supply in filmed entertainment these days.<\/p>\n

\u00a0The computer-animated How to Train Your Dragon<\/strong> has plenty of heart and soul. It\u2019s a rip-roaring and often funny fantasy-adventure about a teenage Viking boy who could very well be called \u201cThe Dragon Whisperer\u201d. 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\u2019t understand him. He thinks his boy is weak and sends him to work under the local blacksmith (late night host Ferguson).<\/p>\n

\u00a0During 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\u2019 nest. One of Hiccup\u2019s classmates is his crush Astrid (Ferrara, The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants), a tough and plucky girl with a strong fighting spirit.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Hiccup 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.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Along the way, Hiccup learns the real reason behind the dragon attacks. It turns out an even bigger and meaner dragon called \u201cRed Death\u201d is making them attack Berk for food (e.g. livestock, fish). Once again, Stoick dismisses his son when he tries to explain what\u2019s really going on. In the end, it\u2019ll be on Hiccup and his friends to save both humans and (good) dragons from extinction.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Directed 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<\/strong> 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\u2019s demanded of him by his dad, an imposing figure you don\u2019t dare defy. The movie\u2019s 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\u2019t the targeted audience for How to Train Your Dragon<\/strong>, it\u2019s possible some of the older grade schoolers will relate to what Hiccup\u2019s going through with his dad.<\/p>\n

\u00a0The animation in How to Train Your Dragon<\/strong> 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\u2019re rendered is impressive. The colorful and vibrant CA allows the movie to come to life. The animation team doesn\u2019t half-ass it; they put in the work and it shows in the finished product.<\/p>\n

\u00a0The 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\u2019t 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\u2019s cute (but not overly so) rather than fearsome.<\/p>\n

\u00a0How to Train Your Dragon<\/strong> is one of the better non-Pixar computer-animated films of the last 20 years. It\u2019s 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\u2019ll delight the kids while not lulling the adults into a not-so-peaceful slumber. It\u2019s a true achievement.\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How to Train Your Dragon (2010)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 DreamWorks\/Fantasy-Action-Adventure\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 RT: 98 minutes\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Rated PG (sequences of intense action and some scary images, brief mild language)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Director: Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Screenplay: Will Davies, Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Music: John Powell\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Release date: March 26, 2010 (US)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Cast: Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrara, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":12069,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12061","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-animation"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/How-to-Train-Your-Dragon-PI.jpg?fit=620%2C348&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12061","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12061"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12061\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12071,"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12061\/revisions\/12071"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12069"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12061"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12061"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12061"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}