Rating: 9/10
Sure, How to Train Your Dragon touches on just about every staple of animated filmoddball kid with a dad who just doesnt understand, cute creatures, funny sidekicks, and lots of action that leads to a (SPOILER) not-dead death scene, but by golly, who cares? Were still left with a clever story thats beautifully animated and some truly memorable characters who are actually developed and unique (special love from me goes to Craig Ferguson, whose iron-smith Gobber steals every scene hes in). Yes, Pixar, DreamWorks is finally catching up.
As it is in most coming-of-age Viking tales, young Hiccup (voice of Jay Baruchel) is trying his darndest to be all that his father (Gerard Butler) wants him to be. Of course, it doesnt help his father is the villages Chief, Stoick the Vast, or that he himself is a scrawny little dreamer with a quick wit and no penchant for the islands main occupation of dragon killing. In fact, once Hiccup DOES finally knock out a dragon, he winds up training and rehabilitating it, learning along the way the tricks and inner workings of dragon psyche, and the mysterious motivation behind the creatures violent ways.
Everything else aside (and really, the everything else is actually the important part), this film looks amazing, and is one of the best and most unobtrusive uses of 3-D in this often annoyingly overused new medium. Even in plain old 2-D, though, the story is enough to put this up there with the best of Pixar. Hiccup is instantly relatable and funny, that Toothless is one cute dragon, and even with the plot points that arent all that original, it still manages to get in a few unexpected surprises. Also, the flight and battle sequences are amazing, and though some parts may be a little dicey for smaller kids, theres a very cool Viking-ly brutal vibe that sets them apart from similar bits in other animated films. HtTYD never condescends or goes gross out humor, nor does it ever get schmaltzy or sentimental; its just a funny, well-told story of a father and son. There are a few things that keep Dragon from being everything it could be, mainly that Hiccups love interest Astrid (voice of America Ferrera) is pretty lackluster; this isnt a big flaw, but its notable in a cast of very engaging characters. Definitely not a deal-breaker, though; this is one to see in the theater in all its big screen glory.
It's Got: Memorable characters, perfect voice cast, 3-D that works
It Needs: A better love interest, parents to know some of the action is intense, theater viewing
Summary
In the grand tradition of Pixar, this DreamWorks gem has all the heart, humor, and adventure you can handle.