How To Train Your Dragon: A Movie Review

     Released March 26, 2010, How to Train Your Dragon is a 3D computer-animated fantasy film by DreamWorks Animation which is an adaptation of Cressida Cowell's popular children's book with the same title.  This movie had $165M production budget and grossed nearly $500M worldwide which makes it DreamWorks Animation's fifth most successful film following after the Shrek film series.  What made this movie a hit?  A few things:  awesome 3D quality throughout the movie, the depth of the story, the smart and witty script, the right dosage of snappy jokes, and the irresistible charm of the characters.  Plus, I am a fan of movies with dragons in them so you can say that this film has made it to my all-time favorite list which I will post very soon.

The Plot

     Hiccup, the son of the village chief, is a Viking whose ultimate goal is to kill a dragon so he can prove his worth to his tribe and be accepted.  Hiccup, with his rebellious determination and a flair for inventing things, finally saw his opportunity to kill a dragon one night that their village got attacked.  He used a cannon contraption he invented and shoots down a dragon he thinks is the Night Fury, a rare and dangerous dragon that nobody has actually seen.  As it turned out, nobody believed him including his father who is now assembling a troop to search and destroy the dragons' nest.  Hiccup finds the night fury in the forest but realizes he is unable to kill the helpless dragon so instead frees him. 

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     Watch this film and discover how Hiccup earned the friendship of the Night Fury (which he later named Toothless), and how a social outcast like him can become a hero -- in more ways than one.

Behind The Scenes

 
Favorite Parts

     On Hiccup's final day of exam his plan somehow backfired and it caused some complications.  His father mad at him also disowned him as a son, and with Toothless as captive, the village chief and the rest of the Vikings are on their way to find and destroy the dragons' nest.  He blamed himself for the complications and told Astrid that he was a coward for not killing Hiccup when he found him in the forest.  He said:  "Three hundreds years and I'm the first Viking who wouldn't kill a dragon."  To which Astrid replied:  "First to ride one though."

     Astrid further inquired why he wasn't able to kill the dragon when the rest of them would.  Hiccup said:  "I wouldn't kill him because he looked as frightened as I was.  I looked at him and I saw myself."

     Another favorite part was when his dad told him he was sorry and that he was proud of him.  And it was kinda cool how Hiccup showed the whole village that though he don't live their ways or live up to their expectations, he is after-all a Viking, ready to do the usual 'occupational hazard.'



The Movie Trailer

 

My Thoughts

     It was extremely rewarding to witness the breathtaking 3D visuals -- but that's only half of the movie.  The other half is the heart felt story, the fun characters, the knockabout humor, the thrilling final battle scene and the enlightening father-son reconciliation where lessons are learned, differences settled and the realization that a change perhaps is what's needed to make things -- better.  And though old ways may remain, people should listen and give change a chance for it can be what's needed for things to work.


     And finally, though the world might put you in a box, just follow your heart for deep inside -- you will find the courage that will not just surprise people, but will surprise even yourself.

     Thank you for reading and see you guys on my next wandering!

*More information about How To Train Your Dragon from Wikipedia.
*Image taken from Google Image search.
*Videos were taken from YouTube.