How to Train Your Dragon

Pixar's track record is near-perfect where as DreamWorks Animation is hit and miss. As examples, DreamWorks' “Shrek” is a hit and “Over the Hedge” is a miss. With “How to Train Your Dragon”, they created a hit thanks to the writers and directors they hired. The film has a hero/underdog you can root for and has a great conflict. The climax is well crafted and the relationships develop gradually. Being able to relate to the story and characters plays a large part also. Because DreamWorks focused on the story more than the casting, the film comes out a winner. It was the best thing to compete with "Toy Story 3"

The first thing I would like to point out is that every scene in the movie adds to the story. Relationships are addressed and crises arise. The film also has some great screenwriting and character growth. When I first saw the film, I wanted to relate to Hiccup a lot more but I just couldn’t. It thankfully became easier upon multiple viewings. Another little problem I have with the start of the film is that Hiccup is able to spot and hit a Night Fury, a type of dragon that has never been seen nor killed according to the prologue. The film itself makes the plot point a little too coincidental. This makes the moment when he questions why he survived freeing the Night Fury less dramatic. I would have understood the oddity of that event a lot sooner than Hiccup does, considering that no one has ever survived fighting a Night Fury. The film does a good job however of establishing the settings, the characters and the relationships. I like the running gag of gesturing to all of Hiccup and its payoff at the end of the movie. A great element of the story is the friendship between Hiccup and Toothless because it develops at a good pace. Another relationship that is noteworthy is that between Hiccup and Astrid. We were able to share Astrid's feelings as she rode Toothless with Hiccup. That scene was amazing in 3D and it still looks wonderful on Blu-ray. The Oscar nominated musical score also plays a large part in invoking awe and adventure in the viewer, more so than the score for "Avatar". "Superman" had a similar romantic scene and I think one of the reasons why "How to Train Your Dragon" is popular is that it taps into an old fantasy that humans have had for centuries: flight. The romantic notion of flying is taped into in many films and this movie utilizes the fantasy of flight very well. I also like how once Astrid is friends with Toothless & Hiccup, she immediately understands Hiccup’s dilemma and is sympathetic. She has a feminine side after all and this makes her more attractive as a result. In the scene when Hiccup makes it clear that he wants to keep the nest a secret, we suddenly see a new Hiccup and so does Astrid. His loyalty & love for Toothless changes his persona almost immediately and Astrid is so moved that she trusts him. There were clues throughout the movie that she has curiosity towards Hiccup, even if it is just a little curiosity, and these clues allow for a believable relationship between them later in the film. A dramatic moment in the film is Stoick’s reaction after he practically disowns Hiccup. We know as a result that he doesn’t mean what he said. Something we come to realize towards the end is that we don’t really know why Hiccup spared Toothless’ life. As the protagonist, we just accepted his act without question but when Astrid confronts Hiccup about this merciful act, we become conscious of the fact that we never knew ourselves the reason for his mercy. That scene when Hiccup explains it for Astrid and for us is one of the moments that make this movie special because other less impressive films would have let that issue be. Astrid however repeats her question so as to force Hiccup to answer it. On another subject, I used to be annoyed when the title of the film comes at the very end. Just because Christopher Nolan did it during his prime, I didn't see why everyone should copy. He knows how to do it right and when James Cameron and Dreamworks started doing it, it felt out of place. I guess that doesn't matter too much these days. Finally, in Dreamworks’ first 3D film “Monsters vs. Aliens”, they used gimmicks to show off the technology. This partially ruined the film. In “How to Train Your Dragon” however, the filmmakers used the technology wisely.

The names behind this film are the key to the films’ success. Instead of the cast being made up of megastars like on “Shrek”, “A Shark’s Tale” and so on, “How to Train Your Dragon” has known actors but they are cast to serve the story. Jay Baruchel is quite funny and his mannerisms can be seen in Hiccup’s performance. America Ferrera’s voice matches her character quite well and she did a good job. The character of Stoick is the kind of role Gerard Butler is meant to play and not the Phantom of the Opera. I could easily recognize Craig Ferguson’s voice but this was a different performance than what I was used to from 'The Drew Carey Show”. He did a good job as well. Jonah Hill was fine also. I first saw T.J. Miller in "Cloverfield" and his work since, such as in this film as Tuffnut, is enjoyable. His voice acting resume will continue to grow. This film is co-written and directed by the writers and directors of the popular Disney film “Lilo and Stitch”: Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois. Sanders was a contributor to the films of the Disney Renaissance and he himself is the voice of Stitch. DeBlois has worked on various animated TV shows & movies from my life and producer Bonnie Arnold was a producer of the first "Toy Story” & “Tarzan”. Because of all this talent, the film did well.

Back in 2010, DreamWorks was focused on quantity because in that year, they released three films. Pixar on the other hand was concentrating on quality because they usually released one film a year and their films almost always do better critically & commercially. “Toy Story 3” for example was only film from Pixar to be released in 2010 and it was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. I feel that because DreamWorks is creating more films that Pixar, they fail to give their films the attention that they need to be really successful. "Megamind" is proof of this. Despite this, “How to Train Your Dragon" is a great film. The story has a balance of humor, heart and drama. The tragedy of the film however is the timing of its release. It had to compete with other 3D films that spring and as mentioned, “Toy Story 3” overshadowed “Dragon” by winning the Oscar for Best Animated Film. Over time thankfully, the public forgets about what movies came out in what year and so the legacy of this film will not die anytime soon. I was apprehensive about the idea of turning "How to Train Your Dragon" into a franchise after what happened to the "Shrek" franchise, but the second and third films proved entertaining as well.

4.5 Stars