Animated films have become a big hit in theatres for quite a while now. Who knows how many are released each year? Some are decent, but not all are great. There are only a few a year that really stand out and How To Train Your Dragon is one of those. It razzles and dazzles with great emotion and is so heartfelt. Who ever says animated movies are for children is sadly mistaken.
It takes place in a world where vikings and dragons are at war. But the way they see each other may be different from how they really are. At the center of all the fighting is a viking teenager named Hiccup (Jay Baruchel). He is small but determined to be a fighting and courageous viking, just like his father (Gerard Butler). When he gets the opportunity to take down the most feared dragon, who hides in the darkness, he does just that. The only problem is there are no witnesses.
Hiccup finds this dark dragon and names him Toothless. Vikings were born to kill dragons. But this is not the case for Hiccup and Toothless. They learn from each other and begin an unlikely and forbidden friendship. It’s up to Hiccup to end this battle between Vikings and Dragons. He must open up the eyes of his father and the rest of the Vikings and make them realize how dragons really are. They feel just as threatened as the humans do.
How To Train Your Dragon has such a deeper meaning than you would think. It’s about placing judgement before even knowing someone (or dragons) – not judging a book by its cover, so to speak. When an animated film can entertain, but still have larger messages about life, it shows the creators are putting some real thought into the story. It makes it more meaningful. Don’t get me wrong – the movie also focuses on relationships between father and son, friendships, romance, and believing in yourself. Plenty of lessons to go around for everyone.
The animation is superb as well. If you can see it in 3D, you should. It really adds to the movie, specifically the flying sequences. But if you do not, you will still enjoy. With or without 3D, directors Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders present well-crafted animation and pay
attention to every detail. Pixar is great at animation, but Dreamworks is getting pretty good themselves. A lot of work goes in to creating these animated worlds, and all of the hard work paid off for this film.
Quite a few people lent their voices, and I had no idea until after the movie ended. Jonah Hill, Kristen Wiig, America Ferrera, and Craig Ferguson to name a few. Every actor’s voice works, some more than others, but there is not one character that does not fit into this world. You care about these characters and perhaps even more for the dragons.
How To Train Your Dragon is the best animated film I have seen so far this year. I realize we are only at the end of March and Toy Story 3 has not come out yet. Still, this film has enthralling action and adventure. If I had to make one complaint, it would be that it’s missing some real laughs. Put that aside though because it is a sight to see and offers a lot of enjoyment to feast on.
The film is entertaining for all ages with its amazing animation and a story that digs deeper than it has to. How To Train Your Dragon, whether you see it in 3D or not, is not simply a great animated film. It’s a great film in general.
Click here to read my full review of How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
Brandon Vick is the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and star of Brandon’s Box Office In Your Mouth. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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