With apologies to Richard Donner’s 1978 Superman: The Movie, the tagline for the 3D animated family film How to Train Your Dragon should’ve been “You’ll believe you can fly.” Thanks to the illusion of depth created by the latest wave of simulated 3D technology, the rush of speed, the soaring heights and swooping depths of the film’s climactic flying sequences captured the elemental thrill of a flying dream like no other movie I’ve seen before. Yes, Dragon even knocks Avatar on its motion-captured ass. In fact, it’s the first of the recent batch of films pushing the 3D gimmick that made me glad I experienced it with the glasses on rather than the old fashioned way. Oh, and the rest of the movie is pretty great too.
Adapted from the popular children’s book by Cressida Cowell with some significant changes, Dragon tells the story of a village of (curiously Scottish accented) Vikings who stubbornly inhabit a wind-blown stretch of land continually plagued by flocks of nasty dragons that carry off sheep and knock over buildings seemingly for sport. Viking children are sent to dragon fighting school where they learn the different varieties of beasts and the best ways to kill them, but the son of the village’s fearless leader doesn’t fit in. Where the other kids are tough and eager to fight, Hiccup is skinny and clumsy and inclined to tinker with inventions rather than rely on brute force. He’s an outcast and a source of great shame to his father.
One night during a raid, Hiccup manages to knock a mythic nightfury dragon (the unholy offspring of lightning and death!) out of the sky using one of his inventions. No one believes him of course so the next day he sets out alone to find it and cut out its heart to prove to everyone he is a hero. When Hiccup discovers that the animal is only wounded and unable to fly however, he can’t bring himself to finishing it off. Instead he feeds it and names it Toothless. The two slowly grow to trust each other and form a bond and in time, Hiccup discovers that the dragons aren’t just invading the village because it’s in their cruel nature to do so. More importantly, he learns that they can be tamed. The question is: how can he prove it to his disappointed father and his skeptical friends when they’ve lived their whole lives believing the only good dragon is a dead dragon?
How to Train Your Dragon takes 15 or 20 minutes to kick into gear, but once it does it never stops. In terms of the animation, the human characters are a little bit underwhelming, but the animators had a lot of fun with the different varieties of dragons, all of whom have different characteristics and personalities.
The best parts though are the scenes where Hiccup is flying around on the back of Toothless. Flying sequences correspond with the film’s emotional highs – they’re key to the resolution of Hiccup’s problems with his father and with Astrid, the tough young Viking girl on whom Hiccup has a crush – and the visceral kick these moments achieve adds a note of poetry and extra poignancy to the feelings invoked.
With a laid back cleverness, a wit that never panders, an emotionally satisfying story and a simply sweet message, Dragon is a nearly flawless family entertainment. Add the realistic joy of flying and it becomes sublime in its finest moments. While it may not be as layered or sophisticated as some of the recent output by Pixar, it benefits from being pure and simple. How to Train your Dragon is just plain fun and it’s another sign that DreamWorks animation is finding its stride.
How to Train Your Dragon. USA 2010. Directed by Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders. Screenplay by Dean DeBlois, Chris Sanders, Adam F. Goldberg and Peter Tolan from the story by Cressida Cowell. Music score composed by John Powell. Edited by Maryann Brandon. Featuring the voices of Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, T.J. Miller and Kristen Wiig. 1 hour 38 minutes. MPAA rated PG for sequences of intense action and some scary images, and brief mild language. 4.5 stars (out of 5)
Filed under: Review
Tags: Adam F. Goldberg, America Ferrera, Chris Sanders, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Craig Ferguson, Cressida Crowell, Dean DeBlois, Gerard Butler, How to Train Your Dragon, Jay Baruchel, John Powell, Jonah Hill, Kristen Wiig, Maryann Brandon, Peter Tolan, T.J. Miller
You beat me to a review my friend, but you are extraordinarily fast these days!!!
Yes, yes, yes, yes, the four-and-a-half-star rating is DEAD-ON, and I absolutely love this film as did my entire family. It’s actually one of the best of the yaer. here’s the brief blip I have on it posting at my MMD:
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON is one of the great animation glories in recent years, blending a witty script, splendid voice working, soaring animation, and surprising emotional resonance to provide for an experience that will enthrall adults and kids alike. I nearly went with a four star rating, but reserve the right to do so in the near future. The film is so utterly exhilarating that I smile from ear to ear while thinking about it.
Lovely review, in consideration of a most worthy subject!
I completely, enthusiastically agree. Tremendous fun, and surprisingly strong writing. I enjoyed the heck out of it and already want to go see it again. It took a while for me to connect with it, but once it did it stole my heart and had me laughing out loud and oohing and ahhing consistently. I almost wanted to give the thing five stars, but 4 1/2 is where it belongs.
Nicely said, the both of you.
I almost gave it 5 stars, but it seemed wrong somehow. As you know I don’t give 5 stars very often, but this was pretty much a flawless movie as far as I’m concerned. Had it been somehow weightier…whatever that means exactly… I probably would’ve gone 5.
This was one of the first times 3D didn’t annoy me (I’m with you about its being a gimmick). I thought it was used very well and I enjoyed it quite a bit.
Also – LOVED John Powell’s score. I thought it was really fantastic.
Really, really wish they weren’t releasing it dubbed-only here, because I’m actually really excited to see it, and UIP really fucked the duck here.
Craig, why do the Vikings have Scottish accents?
Makes no sense…
I’m really shocked (yeah…shocked) that you loved it that much.
I made a mistake on my comment, which I changed at my own site yesterday. What I meant to say is that I almost gave this a “five star” rating, not a four. i am beginning to think that FIVE stars is deserving.
And I don’t see what’s so surprising, as the film is sporting a 97% on RT, no concrete indication of excellence, but more than telling. I’ve yet to meet a single person who isn’t completely smitten with this treasure.
Getting hung up on why they have Scottish accents is ultimately missing the point. It doesn’t make sense if you think about it, but the movie is so charming and fun it really doesn’t matter.
I completely agree with you there Matthew.
Miranda, two of the main characters were voiced by Scotsmen. Craig Ferguson and Gerard Butler.
I made a note of it for potential mockery when the film started in case I hated it and wanted to pan it, but it was never an issue.
The other characters didn’t have accents at all.
Yeah…
I’m sure that you understood that I was joking about all of that, Craig.
After all, we do back a long way…
How far do you and Craig go back, Miranda? Did you go to the same college?
Craig and I go back several years now, jenny.
But certainly not as far as joel and Craig.
Craig and I grew up about 200 miles apart. But considering that we’re in different age brackets, we would never have attended the same school.
The college thing was never meant to be.
Ahh, I see. Thank God for the internet, right? It’s brought so many people together who otherwise never would have met.
I know something about that myself…
Craig I did the same thing. But it never bothered me. There’s even quite a bit of Scottish instrumentation in the score. I would be curious to know why there are so many Scottish elements in the film, but like you said it’s never an issue.
Matthew I agree. The movie is just kind of awesome and sort of transcends whatever nitpicks you want to throw at it. If it had been a crummy movie, the fact the vikings had the wrong accent would’ve been one more thing to throw at it, but since the movie was great… not so much.
I’ve been reading alot of people ridiculing the fact that these Vikings have Scottish accents. Actually it is quite appropriate for an English movie about Vikings to have the characters speak in Scottish accents. For centuries the Vikings inhabited the British isles. Norway, Denmark and other Scandinavian countries are very close to Ireland and england (and therefore Scotland). English is partially derived from Norse languages. Scotland was definitely Viking territory. Great film.
Your point is well taken Geoffrey, but even if the accents were “wrong” it wouldn’t matter. The movie overcomes any little nitpicky flaws like that.
Good point Geoffrey. It is a movie about the Vikings and dragons, so I think anyone concerned about the accents is really missing the point, as Matthew pointed out. Great little movie. I saw it in 2D (and I was happy to contribute to its box office success today) but I can easily see how the flying scenes might benefit from 3D.
Definitely the best animated fare I’ve ever seen from Dreamworks. Hopefully they will continue to keep their bar raised high, considering Pixar seems to be slipping into a long series of sequels (Toy Story 3, Cars 2, and now Monsters Inc 2).