How to Train Your Dragon

With two of the four movie tickets I got from cashing in my Aeroplan miles used up on Avatar and Shutter Island I had two left still sticking to the fridge compliments of a way too strong magnet and just begging to be used. In the last few days I have heard, actually mostly read, some good buzz about an animated movie called How to Train Your Dragon. It has an 8.3 (out of ten) score on IMDb along with many positive comments about it and the premise just seemed promising to me. So tonight, I went to see it.

I’m trying to recall other movies where dragons feature prominently. There’s that girl dragon in Shrek, Harry Potter has a bunch of them doesn’t it? There’s Dragon Heart, which was OK but also kind of lame. I never saw it but isn’t there a kids movie called Pete’s Dragon? Then there was Eddie Murphy’s comic relief mini dragon in Mulan. The Never Ending story had that Luck Dragon with huge human type teeth which was kind of creepy. Monty Python and the Holy Grail had that scary dragon… oh wait, no, that was a fluffy white killer bunny wasn’t it? Never mind, I guess that’s enough.

HTTYD is probably not a film you will be having deep discussions about long after it’s over but it is a lot of fun while it lasts. DreamWorks has too often (for my taste) relied heavily on current pop culture references for the humour in its movies but there is none of those in this one. There is much to make you laugh but it is all derived from and contained within the story and anyone who sees it for the first time 25 years from now will never have to wonder what this or that ancient obscure reference is about.

I kind of prefer not to recognize a famous actor’s voice in animation because it makes it hard not to picture them when you hear the character speak. Thankfully the only one that was obvious to me was Jonah Hill and he’s not a main character so no problems there.

I saw a YouTube video a while ago about how the cool heroes in movies never look back at an explosion, they just keep on walking calmly away. The introduction of the main girl character (Astrid) is done in such a way as to acknowledge and indeed pay homage to this cliché. I do think though that it’s the first time I can recall seeing it in an animated movie and it was simultaneously awesome and funny.

The story is original with a great blend of action, humour, some genuinely touching moments and just a little obligatory romance thrown in for good measure.

The animation is top shelf all the way. And I must confess, in spite of my general loathing of the current 3D fad, HTTYD (like Avatar) would not have been the same without it. In particular, the flying scenes are the most realistic I have ever seen. And I mean that not necessarily in a literal or technical way but in a more intangible yet ultimately real way. You know those dreams you have where you’re flying, (surely it’s not just me) the flying in HTTYD feels closest to those. You feel the speed, the height, the fear of going so high, the changes in direction and momentum. It really is breathtaking. It’s worth seeing just to experience the flying parts. It’s not like those Imax movies or theme park experiences that tend to make you sick either. It’s actually a little hard to describe. It’s just such an incredibly joyful ride.

In summary I would definitely say that this is by far DreamWorks best animated feature EVER. Highly recommended!