'Twas very good.

I really loved it. Probably my new favorite animated movie ever. A

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON

I love this film. It was exciting, funny, the characters were interesting and I loved loved the animation. This reminded me of wall e quality animation but with better looking humans. The eyes and the hair. It was so enjoyable. Then you get the dragons and this night fury dragon was so adorable. The flying sequences were great. It was definitely a plus that I already found Vikings interesting and when you factor in dragons it was almost a win win. Butler was great as the dad and Baruchel really seemed to imbue his character with his own qualities that you've seen in his past films. I did end up watching this in 3D. I don't know how much different it was but I know I need to sit a wee bit closer to get the full effect I think. This time I was good enough to sit in the middle but needed to be a few rows down. Overall, I really think this was on par with the Incredibles and I would actually love to see a sequel to this.

Grade - A

I loved it, too. After thinking it over, I might even like it more than Kung Fu Panda. I'll be going to see this one again.

9/10

Grade: A for AMAZING! I'm still trying to believe that it was a DreamWorks film.

So utterly fantastic, and the 3D was magnificent.

Apparently, my theater is eager to show as many films in 3D at one time as possible; they had two huge wooden boxes in the hall that according to the papers attached, each held a Harkness Spectral 3D screen. It seems they're upgrading a couple more of their theaters to 3D, and they've already got... I'm not sure how many 3D screens they already have. But I'm pretty sure Alice, Dragon, and Titans will all be playing in 3D come next week.

Joy

This is a wonderful film. In a refreshing change of pace, co-directors Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders do not burden their soaring adventure and coming-of-age story with dated pop culture references and mediocre toilet humor.

Set in a Viking village in a world where dragons and humans tensely co-exist, the film follows a warm-hearted, youthful protagonist (the voice of Jay Baruchel) whose heart is not in becoming a dragon-slaying, skull-crushing warrior. He does hope, though, to prove himself to his people, including his heroic, towering soldier father (Gerard Butler). When he injures a dragon during a raid, using a catapult device of his own design, he believes it is his chance. However, after realizing the dragon is not the vicious demon he expected, he is forced to question the Vikings' anti-dragon stance and fearful, violent existence.

The term "instant classic" springs to mind. How else to describe this magical, rip-roaring blend of action/adventure, coming-of-age drama, fantasy, and romance? It is as wide-eyed, innocent, and in awe of life as a child, yet there is also grit and maturity (a revelation in the final scene is moving and tough). It is also, in its own quirky way, insightful. The moral messages, including the importance of individuality and tolerance, are broad and common, but also timeless and relayed here with creativity and charming earnestness.

The film is a visual delight, from the colorful, diverse breeds of dragons to the atmospheric, sweeping settings. The decision to hire legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins (No Country for Old Men, The Shawshank Redemption) as a visual consultant pays considerable dividends; the film has a unique, earthy, and very cinematic feel. And the voice cast is strong. There is no celebrity-driven stunt casting; the vocal cast members suit their characters well. Craig Ferguson is a particular delight as a Viking. (Why the Vikings are Scottish is beyond me!) Baruchel's distinctive, knowing, quirky voice is also used very well.

This is an easy recommendation. Five or 95, male or female, cynical or sentimental, everyone should enjoy How to Train Your Dragon. It is simply a top-notch, Pixar-worthy film.

A-

I thought it was interesting that all the adults were Scottish, but the kids were American. LOL And sadly, I know David Tennant is listed on IMDb as having voiced a character, but I didn't hear his voice at all (I'm pretty sure I'd have spotted it), despite listening very closely. His character is listed as Spitelout; I know one of the trainees was Snotlout, but never heard any characters being addressed as Spitelout.

Oh, and how's about that dragon "boss"? Holy hell, that was frickin' awesome!

Yeah, I especially loved the scene where she first appears and all you see is her head coming up from the pit. And her shadow in the clouds as Hiccup and Toothless were fighting her was awesome, too.

I plan on seeing it again in theaters, maybe in 3D if I can find the time to do so. I have to travel 3 hours to reach them though. Luckily, I'm moving there in May.

Well, it seems David WAS in the movie, and he in fact had a line quite close to the beginning of the film, and the character was usually near Stoick, looking like he may have been his second-in-command. Too bad he didn't have any more lines than the very hard-to-spot handful that some other Tennant fans have been able to pinpoint.

Joy

PS: Corpse, I've been quite enjoying your David Kawena avvie/sig. I *love* the Disney Heroes series!

This really reminded me of Avatar. Very slick, glossy entertainment that lacks a strong protagonist and does not hold up if one dares examine the subtext. The good news is that How to Train Your Dragon is a joy to behold in 3D (though I'm sure it is no less visually impressive in 2D as well.) camera kindly lingers on the long aerial views of dragons flying around compared to the quick cuts during the finale of Avatar. The moment where the heroes dive bomb the Boss Dragon is a good example. And while the human designs are often rather ugly, the wide variety of dragons and landscapes ensures there is no end of visual eye candy to keep viewers passively engaged.

I know Hollywood is working hard on pushing Jay Baruchel down our collective throats, but I'm not swallowing. His voice is nasally, his tone sardonic and irritating. The rest of the humans aren't much better. The tough warrior chick is drawn as a stick thin blond. It's not just that its weird this tomboy beanpole is voiced by the more substantial America Ferrera. Thin blond girls are commonplace animated heroines, but she stuck out when all the other Vikings besides the hero (whose 'different') are so large. Finally, the father/son with the dead mother schtick was far more nuanced in fucking Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. At least that Dad wasn't voiced by Gerald Butler, who is not appealing for his voice.

But what really might have irked me - besides way too high expectations - was the weird underlying implications of the ending. Spoilers obviously follow. The climax builds to the Vikings going to invade the Dragon Lair. The film does not punish these dudes for trying to wipe out their enemies - I don't think we see a single one 'die' - but instead rewards them by having Hiccup and his dragon do the job for them? Sure, Boss Dragon looked awesome, but the idea that instead of wiping out the 'Others', you only have to destroy their leader reeks just like the racial politics of Avatar. In that film, it was wrong for the 'Others' to be obviously controlled by the White colonizers. But being led by an outsider is fine, even if he was too lazy to bother telling the tribe their Home Tree was going to get fucked until the day it was getting mowed down. Here, all the perceived enemies suddenly turn into fluffy pets the moment their Queen Bee is killed. At the risk of sounding like Armond White, the ending came off as horribly wrong headed at best, flat out racist at worst.

But hey, its one hell of a visual spectacle, so I guess I'm dumb to even look under the surface. We're not supposed to question the story being told when the 3D makes us good, passive viewers.

Great movie. Only problem I had was some of the lines didn't come across as funny as they wanted to be, particularly Craig Ferguson and Jonah Hill's. Loved Toothless!

B+

Toothless is the cutest thing ever since WALL•E and it really felt more serious than KFP/Madagascar/MvA which is a good thing. But Pixar levels? No way.

Now you would be right.

Your Avatar comparison is so odd and daft I was, as it were, almost rolling on the floor - laughing. And this moral posturing! Hope you continue writing your mind...

Pretty excellent.

A-

I'm not sure what he was getting at but talk about off-base.
Racism? Hello? Pay attention please.

It was a wonderful gem of a film, fun and heartwarming, exciting and adventurous and worked very well as a fantasy epic.

I saw this last night and loved it. Where does it rank in all time animation?
Yes, IMHO it is Pixar quality. It might not be quite as good as Pixar's best, but
it's at least in the middle of the pack as far as Pixar goes. I think it's more serious story makes it better too.

A-

Very cute flick, though I didn't love it like most here. I thought it was very entertaining and the animation and 3D were beautiful, but wouldn't rank it among Pixar's films at all. Still, very good and better than most Dreamworks Animation films.

7/10 ( B )

Awesome awesome awesome.

A

Very enjoyable, and definitely one of Dreamworks' best, though I'd give Shrek 1 and Kung Fu Panda higher marks.

Dreamworks has finally achieved a Pixar-like success in How to Train Your Dragon. The film is the studio's most mature outings and doesn't have to rely on any pop culture references to get jokes like seen especially in the Shrek franchise. The entire voice cast is suprisingly strong especially Jay Baruchel. The story is rich and doesn't miss a beat at all and the animation is mesmerizing especially when the 3D aspect is added in. Now time for the sequel in 2013! ****

Finally saw this (and in 3D). I was very pleasantly surprised! It was indeed Pixar quality, and the reason was because this was based on an actual real book! (You guys remember books, right?) It just goes to prove once again what Pixar knows -- story is more important than anything.

Then I went home and Ice Age 3 was on, with its one dimensional characters and very predictable plot and lame sight gags. What a difference.

A to Dragon

Toy Story 3 is likely to top this (for my most favorite animation of the year).

but it's not gonna be easy.

Forgot to review this.

This is alot of fun, with just enough heart yet not too sappy. Loved it. Best Dreamworks animated film and up there among some of the Pixar films.

Grade A

Glad you liked it!