Rating: 4/5
Verdict: A charming, exciting adventure from Dreamworks.
Based on the best-selling kid's book by Cressida Cowell, How To Train Your Dragon comes wonderfully to life on the big screen thanks to fabulous 3D computer animation, great voices, a story full of adventure, and plucky young heroes.
Like other Dreamworks offerings (Shrek, King Fu Panda, Madagascar) this animation will be enjoyed by the whole family but, with less satire and plenty of action than previous films, it feels like How To Train Your Dragon is pitched more at the kids. In fact Dreamworks (who have only worked with adults and animals in the past) have their first teenage hero; a nice, scrawny, smart kid called Hiccup.
Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) is the son of Viking chief Stoick (Butler), who is quietly ashamed his son shows none of the physical attributes needed to be a Viking warrior. Living on the rugged and bleak Island of Berk, the Vikings are regularly attacked by a variety of fire-breathing dragons who raid their village for food, and the Vikings' sole purpose in life is to fight off these pesky creatures.
Stoick has placed Hiccup under the watchful eye of the local blacksmith, but Hiccup doesn't want to be an apprentice, he wants to fight dragons. The teenage Vikings, who speak in a contemporary American accent, as opposed to their parents who speak with a thick, bellowing Scottish accent, must attend dragon fighting classes. When Hiccup finally joins the class, he's as surprised as everyone else to find he's the star pupil.
Hiccup's secret weapon is the knowledge he's gaining from his new best friend, an injured Night Fury Dragon he calls Toothless. As their friendship grows, Hiccup discovers the Vikings have misunderstood the dragons, but he will have to go against his father's wishes and Viking customs to prove there's another way of living with the dragons which doesn't require them to be constantly at war.
Yes, it's the same old underdog story where the unappreciated uniqueness of one individual has the power to change the world he lives in. And while it also has a predicable story arc and doesn't completely get you on an emotional level it's impossible not to enjoy this film.
Breathtaking action and aerial acrobatics, slightly offbeat humour, creatures that are more than just cute and cuddly, and risk-taking young heroes full of gusto should place this fantasy adventure at the top of the school holiday wish-list.
Voices: Gerard Butler, Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera
Directors: Chris Sanders, Dean DeBlois
Running time: 98 mins
Rating: PG (Frightening Fantasy Scenes & Violence)
