How to Train Your Dragon
Composite Score: 87.18
Starring: Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, T.J. Miller, Kristen Wiig, Robin Atkin Downes, and David Tennant
Directors: Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders
Writers: William Davies, Dean DeBlois, and Chris Sanders
Genres: Animation, Action, Adventure, Family, Fantasy
MPAA Rating: PG for sequences of intense action and some scary images, and brief mild language
Box Office: $494.88 million worldwide
My take on Watching This Film:
How to Train Your Dragon is the animated film adaptation of Cressida Cowell’s book of the same name about a Viking boy whose clan hunts dragons but finds himself unable to kill one hen he catches it and his journey of training it and working to convince his fellow Vikings of the peaceful nature of their longtime enemies. The film features a stellar voice cast, headed by Jay Baruchel in the lead role of Hiccup and Gerard Butler as his father, the Viking chieftain Stoick. The film is considered by most to be one of the best films from DreamWorks Animation, and it received Oscar nominations for both Animated Feature and Original Score, losing out to Toy Story 3 and The Social Network, respectively. Between its touching play on the coming-of-age with a pet story, the impressive animation, strong voice work, and unforgettable score, it’s easy to see how the film continues to stand the test of time, not only as one of the best animated films of the 21st century but as one of the best films ever made.
The late 2000s and early 2010s marked a high point in the history of big studio animated films, marked by the likes of Ratatouille, Kung Fu Panda, WALL-E, Toy Story 3, Rango, Frozen, Up, and of course How to Train Your Dragon. You see a true advent of filmmakers making films directed at children that adults and parents can get legitimate enjoyment out of as well. Strong animation, relatable stories, and usually some kind of strong music mark these films as memorable and noteworthy. This film is part of this animated peak and is arguably one of the strongest simply on the back of the great reviews for the films that followed it in the franchise and its willingness to lean into a genre often avoided by children’s movies up to that point – medieval action (Robin Hood with the foxes notwithstanding). The story that’s surrounded by the trappings, both visual and auditory, also happens to be strong with a stellar cast behind it. It tells the familiar story of a boy seeking the approval of his father and, more broadly, his society through radically unorthodox measures that challenge the very foundations of that society. It makes for an emotionally poignant, if occasionally too familiar, exploration of the relationships between children and their pets, parents and their children, and the hierarchy of adolescent cliques. Coupled with the strong animation and John Powell’s exceptional score, the film’s story turns it into a timeless success that’s worth revisiting time and time again.
Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders gave us a near perfect family animated film in How to Train Your Dragon with a story, characters, animation, and score that all work in harmony to produce a film that became an instant classic and is undoubtedly one of the all-time greats. Familiarity with the story and the simplicity of certain points of conflict might frustrate some viewers looking for deeper complexity in their films, but it still holds up as a film to watch either on your own or with kids, which not every animated film can claim. If you’d like to watch it for yourself, the film is currently streaming on Netflix and Max.
