“IT’S A HIGH FLYING FAMILY FILM”
Starring: Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Craig Ferguson Kristen Wiig and TJ Miller
Directed by: Christopher Sanders and Dean DeBlois
MPAA Rating: PG for sequences of intense action and some scary images, and brief mild language.
Genre: Action/Adventure, Comedy, Kids/Family, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Animation and Adaptation
Release date: March 26, 2010
By John Delia
Highflying fun for the whole family, How to Train Your Dragon is an adventure comedy with a lot of heart. The animation is slick, direction pinpoint and voice acting on target. If you are looking for a great fun evening with the kids or for the kid in you, then this flick should do the trick.
The movie goes something like this; a Viking teen named Hiccup (Baruchel) is coming of age to start fighting dragons. The rough and tumble style that his father Stoick (Butler) envisions however, just doesn’t fit his personality or size. Instead, Hiccup runs around inventing ways of killing dragons from afar. On one such occasion he downs a night flying dragon using a special catapult he built. Tracking down his prey he finds that the dragon is not the terrible beast he has come to believe. When he makes it his friend, things start to get real complicated for the young lad.
The characters and creatures in the film are entertaining with Vikings like Stoick voiced by Gerard Butler. The blustery head Viking and father of Hiccup is disappointed in his son’s progress and pressures him to step up and be a fighter. Astrid voiced by America Ferrera is a tough girl teen that has no fear when it comes to fighting dragons. She understands Hiccup, yet encourages him to become a more aggressive fighter in order to make his father proud. The whole cast of voices does an excellent job infusing their personality into their characters and making the film a great adventure.
Direction by Christopher Sanders and Dean DeBlois of Disney’s animated Tarzan as well as Lilo and Stitch put a lot of effort in this project making it a winner. The cute and sometimes brutish dragons they pen alternative between delightful and menacing as they attempt and almost destroy Hiccup’s village. The directing duo keeps the film lively as they spin the tale of being brave but smart and showing that even the frightening creatures can have a heart.
How to Train Your Dragon is rated PG for sequences of intense action and some scary images, and brief mild language. It is available at theatres in 2D and 3D format. I saw the film in 2D and am delighted with it.
FINAL ANALYSIS:Â A wonderful adventure for the whole family. (5 of 5 Palm Trees)