How To Train Your Dragon
The interaction between Hiccup and his new pet is frankly squeal-inducing at moments, reiterating the magic of animation.
Dreamworks Animation have brought to life Cressida Cowell's cute story about a young Viking who befriends a dragon, and it's their biggest success in years.
Jay Baruchel voices Hiccup, a young outsider in the centuries-old village of Berk, where all the houses are new. Why? Because, as we see in the fantastically energetic opening sequence, dragons swoop in, steal the comical sheep, reduce homes to cinder, and laugh in the face of the wrathful Vikings who dwell there. And these firebreathers come in all shapes and sizes; from the ridiculous bumblebee shaped creature with tiny wings, to the double-headed gas factory. Hiccup is a skinny teenager who wants to start dragon fighting training with his peers, but is the butt of all their jokes. He makes up for his lack of brawn with a specially-made device to snare the elusive Night Fury, the invisible bane of the village. However, when it comes to the crunch, he looks into the eyes of the jet black beast, and cannot slay him. There begins a friendship between the two, with Hiccup using his metal-wielding skills to fashion a new tail feather for the injured Toothless (so named because of his initial gummy appearance). If you think the adorable Toothless looks familiar, it's because he is the creation of directors Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois, previously responsible for Lilo & Stitch. In the book, our winged friend is a tiny garden dragon, but here Toothless is a large, potentially vicious creature. However, he retains a painfully cute appeal, looking and acting like an overgrown kitten. The interaction between the boy and his new pet is frankly squeal-inducing at moments, reiterating the magic of animation.
Unfortunately for Hiccup, his father happens to be Berk's fearsome warrior Stoick, voraciously voiced in the Scottish brogue of Gerard Butler. With Toothless a secret in the forest, Hiccup begins dragon training with his friends, and uses his new-found knowledge to become an awesome dragon whisperer, much to the chagrin of the brave young Astrid (America Ferrera). Naturally, the object of Hiccup's affections has to be the pointedly only skinny girl in a village of stocky women. And while we're on a rant, it's a shame that the existence of these dragons can only be justified by the invaders of their land if they can service the humans in some way. And the relationship between Hiccup and his father is borderline emotionally abusive, with the fickle Stoick wreaking more havoc with his son's heart than he does with dragons. Way to go Dreamworks.
Okay, back to the scheduled gushing about the pretty onscreen. The 3D is unnecessary, as the action is breathtakingly beautiful. The colourful dragons outshine the humans, who are composites of cartoon staples (Jonah Hill as the lumbersome bully Snotlout, Christopher Mintz-Plasse as the nervous and geeky Fishlegs) in a village which seems to be inhabited by both Yanks and Scots. It becomes heart-soaringly joyous whenever the silent but unforgettably expressive Toothless is onscreen, making How To Train Your Dragon a fun-packed delight.
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