Despite having to contend with a Pixar’s Toy Story 3, How to Train Your Dragon easily triumphs as this year’s best animated film (even if TS3 was easily the Box Office winner). Hands down. Granted, Toy Story 3 wasn’t the strongest Pixar film ever, but the real reason for Dragon’s victory in the category, is that it represents Dreamworks’s strongest outing ever. Instead of producing yet another film with a basic plot as nothing but a frame for endless pop culture references, Directors Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois crafted a fantastic story about breaking through social expectations to challenge the misconceptions that guide them. Better yet, they did it with a visually superb film that was an absolute roller coaster ride in 3D, but retains all its charm and visual splendor in 2D Blu-ray. Without question, this is one of the year’s best Blu-ray purchases.
Ever since the Vikings inhabited their small island town, they’ve had to contend with dragons; they swoop down, steal sheep, and deliver one heckuva fight for the Vikings in a flurry of wings and fire. From the moment a young Viking is born, they begin training to fight the dragons so they can help in the cause whenever the reptilian predators stop by for a meal. Unless your name is Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) and you’re the hapless, clumsy albeit brainy child of Stoick (Gerard Butler), the chief Viking. To keep his son out of trouble and despite his pleas to begin training, Stoick assigns his son to study under the peg-legged mechanic of the town, Gobber (Craig Ferguson). Everything changes for Hiccup though after one fateful night raid by the dragons, when he uses a large crossbow that he rigged and manages to take down a Night Fury, the most fearsome type of dragon known to exist – only no one believes the pathetic Viking when he tells them the next day. He goes off into the forest to find any proof, only to discover the injured dragon. Eventually he befriends the Night Fury, naming it Toothless, and learns about a side of the dragons the Vikings never knew: they’re actually just giant kittens with wings. Hiccup’s intimate knowledge of dragons helps him with dragon slaying training, but eventually his forbidden friendship is discovered and he and his friends Astrid (America Ferrera), Snotlout (Jonah Hill), Fishlegs (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), Tuffnut (T.J. Miller), and Ruffnut (Kristen Wiig) must use a newfound friendship with dragons to save Hiccup’s father before he attempts to storm the dragons’ nest where a huge, unknown terror awaits.
For many reasons, How to Train Your Dragon rises to the top of Dreamworks Animation’s pile of films. The story doesn’t rely on cheap pop culture jokes to be funny and has a setting notably different from anything in recent memory: Vikings and dragons fighting for survival, mixed with themes of father-son acceptance and overcoming first impressions. The animation represents the most creative style the studio has produced. The dragons have a varied selection of appearances from bug-eyed to stout in figure to two-headed. The barrel-chested, burly Vikings are rather plain in their modeling with the kids all being lankier and all the adults being tanks; it works given the context, but the creativity clearly favors the design of the dragons. Plus, even without the 3D which made for an incredible cinematic experience, the flying sequences remain breathtaking in HD and prove the Blu-ray format’s merits for delivering a superior viewing experience.
The greatest shortcoming of the film is the characterization. By the end of the film, only about 4 characters have defined themselves as having distinct personalities with the rest being rough-and-tumble Vikings or wily dragons. Obviously Hiccup is the most fleshed out of the cast, but the animators did a stellar job of imbuing Toothless with a personality using little more than physical cues. If you swooned over Wall-E’s ability to express himself, Toothless easily outmatches him. You’ll find yourself realizing just how pathetic Wall-E’s characterization was in comparison (and not in the cute sympathetic way). Stoick ranks as the next most developed character thanks to his touching father-son moments with Hiccup, and Craig Ferguson’s Gobber brings up the rear as the film’s constant source of comic relief. Beyond those four, the other kids come never have much opportunity to distinguish themselves as more than just the random kids on the playground who rally around the geek-turned-hero when emergency strikes.
Despite this last factor, How to Train Your Dragon is a remarkable animated film worthy of your purchase for the whole family to enjoy.
Blu-ray Bonus Features
This combo pack includes both a Blu-ray and DVD version, though the meat of the extras is on the Blu-ray disc. After finishing the main feature and the bonus short adventure packed with it, you can choose between watching the film again with a great advanced picture-in-picture commentary or a pop-up trivia track, both run the entire duration. The simpler extras for the kids include a little mini-game, a how-to guide for drawing Toothless, and a Viking Personality test that matches your kid up with a character from the film based on their answers. Finally, deleted scenes and a small featurette on the author of the children’s books closes out the set. The DVD disc includes a basic audio commentary, a look at how the aesthetic for the dragons was decided upon, and a look at the members of the cast.
"How to Train Your Dragon" is on sale October 15, 2010 and is rated PG. Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Fantasy. Directed by Chris Sanders, Dean DeBlois. Written by Cressida Cowell (novel), William Davies (screenplay). Starring America Ferrera, Christopher Mintz Plasse, Gerard Butler, Jay Baruchel, Jonah Hill, Craig Ferguson.
