"How to Train Your Dragon" follows an overly familiar storyline, but where it works is in its dramatic depths. A young wuss in an old Viking community, Hiccup, feels destined to slay the unobtainable dragon, and as we open, he's in the perfect opportunity to do so- dragons are attacking the village, and he's left alone to try out his master plan (sort of...it felt half-assed to me). After meeting some characters a bit too quickly, Hiccup fires a cannon-catcher thingy toward said unobtainable dragon, and manages to take him down. No one believes that he took him down, so he goes by himself to find the dragon and realizes that the dragon (Toothless) is way too cute and vulnerable to kill. Since the dragon is too injured to fly, Hiccup seizes the opportunity to train him in secret, as the townspeople will kill him.
That's all you need to know for the plot, and for all intents and purposes, my review could stop right here. However, there is more to say. When Hiccup looks his new friend, Toothless, in the eyes when he has the perfect opportunity to slay him, you see a helpless creature ready to accept his fate. For a few minutes, I forgot that everything in front of me was artificially created and that the voices weren't even coming from those I'm watching talk. This is what animation is all about.
I was also reminded of my dog, Tanner, through Toothless' actions onscreen. His begging eyes, the tactics he uses for attention, and his protectiveness when he or I are even mildly threatened (or so he thinks) are exact. Sure, the dragon seemed to have the characteristics of a dog/cat hybrid, but I truly saw a lot of Tanner in the film. I feel that if the movie challenges others to look deeply into their pets' eyes, then it is a step above the rest.
The music by John Powell is particularly good. Lots of flute licks, percussion work, and some great general orchestral scoring help undertone the film without forcing you to feel something. The music helps you stay at place just like the animation helps you see how this story should be told.
I don't really have much else to say; I mean, it was fun, but it's not on par with the best animated films (most recently "Up" and "WALL-E"). The voicing was great, and I actually thought that Craig Ferguson's voice belonged to Simon Pegg. I didn't check the credits before I walked into the theater, and I really only saw the movie because I wanted to take my half-brother, Nick, with me, but I was very surprised that every young kid in the audience seemed to be loving everything onscreen. No screams, no crying, just good fun. And yes, Nick loved the movie, too.
Rated PG for sequences of intense action and some scary images, and brief mild language.
Check your local theater for showtimes.
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