Fun-Filled Dragon a Freewheeling Fireball
Loosely based on the acclaimed children’s book by Cressida Cowell, DreamWorks’ How to Train Your Dragon is the studio’s best and most entertaining animated effort since Kung Fu Panda. The first film from the freewheeling minds of directors Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders since 2002’s Disney hand-drawn hit Lilo & Stitch, this is a giddily satisfying family entertainment fit for all ages I can’t wait to see again.
Hiccup and friend take flight in DreamWorks' How to Train Your Dragon
Scrawny Viking boy named Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel) isn’t sure he is supposed to be, his gigantic father Stoick (voiced by Gerard Butler) not only his village’s leader but also the greatest dragon slayer alive making the boy’s status as its resident annoyance not one he’s proud of. After a particularly horrendous attack leaves their mountain home in ruins, Stoick heads out with the fleet to find the dragons’ central lair in hopes of ending their menace forever, leaving his son to train to be a slayer himself hoping he doesn’t accidentally chop of a limb while doing so.
But Hiccup has a secret. Using one of his own personal inventions he brought down what was thought to be a particularly nasty dragon that everyone fears but no one has ever seen. But instead of killing the injured creature the diminutive Viking befriends the animal slowly nursing him back to health. Through this friendship Hiccup learns things about dragons giving him an advantage in training that perplexes his teacher Gobber (voiced by Craig Ferguson) and annoys fellow students like Astrid (voiced by America Ferrera) and Snotlout (Jonah Hill).
Things seem perfect. Hiccup becomes the village sensation, Stoick returning to a hero’s welcome even though his expedition ended in disastrous failure all thanks to his son’s present success in school. But when the boy’s secret is discovered all is in jeopardy, and unless he can convince his father to see that dragons aren’t the threat he believes them to be an even greater terror the likes of which no one can imagine will rip the Vikings to pieces putting their entire way of life in jeopardy.
While the climax is suitably action heavy and entertaining, it is during the first two-thirds of its running time that How to Train Your Dragon truly burns up the screen. Hiccups evolution from timidly unsure neophyte to confident dragon tamer (and potential village savior) is one heck of a lot fun, scenes of him and his new winged friend learning to tear through the sky one with the other positively euphoric. Their interactions are dynamite, the film having a touching poignancy as well as an absurdist surrealist tone that’s a consistent delight.
I love the fact that DeBlois, Sanders and Will Davies’ (Flushed Away) screenplay relies upon character, not upon caricature, and unlike so many other DreamWorks animated enterprises there is nary a pop culture reference to be found. At its heart, the threesome have constructed a father-son story that deeply resonates, and as great as all the boy and his dragon stuff is it is the relationship between Hiccup and Stoick that ultimately makes the movie soar.
Speaking of soaring, the directors brought Oscar-nominated cinematographer Roger Deakins (There Will Be Blood) onboard as a creative consultant to make sure their film had a look and a feel unlike just about any other CG (and 3-D) animated work. To say they’ve succeeded would be a massive understatement. There are moments here, especially when Hiccup takes Astrid on an impromptu flight through the clouds, that I almost forgot I was watching an animated movie. This is as beautifully shot a motion picture as I’m likely to see this year, and if a CGI-dominated epic like Avatar can actually win an Academy Award for cinematography then why can’t this film at least be part of the conversation in 2010?
I will say that, like a lot of DreamWorks product, some of the constant quirkiness can get a little annoying, while the secondary characters (voiced by Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, T.J. Miller and Kristen Wiig) don’t add much to the proceedings. But those are relatively minor problems, and I love the fact that filmmakers have crafted something so grounded in character letting the spectacle surrounding them speak with a naturalistic ebullience difficult to dislike. How to Train Your Dragon is a fun-filled frolic through the skies as seen through the eyes of a kid both young and old will be able to relate to, its ultimate destinations ones many viewers will thrill to again and again and again.
- Review reprinted courtesy of the SGN in Seattle
Film Rating: êêê1/2 (out of 4)
