 ***PLEASE NOTE: A Blu-ray 3D disc is only compatible with 3D Blu-ray players.*** A winner with audiences and critics alike, DreamWorks Animation's How To Train Your Dragon rolls fire-breathing action, epic adventure and laughs into a captivating and original story. Hiccup is a young Viking who defies tradition when he befriends one of his deadliest foes - a ferocious dragon he calls Toothless. Together, the unlikely heroes must fight against all odds to save both their worlds in this "wonderful good-time hit!" (Gene Shalit, Today). Storyline: Long ago up North on the Island of Berk, the young Viking, Hiccup, wants to join his town's fight against the dragons that continually raid their town. However, his macho father and village leader, Stoik the Vast, will not allow his small, clumsy, but inventive son to do so. Regardless, Hiccup ventures out into battle and downs a mysterious Night Fury dragon with his invention, but can't bring himself to kill it. Instead, Hiccup and the dragon, whom he dubs Toothless, begin a friendship that would open up both their worlds as the observant boy learns that his people have misjudged the species. But even as the two each take flight in their own way, they find that they must fight the destructive ignorance plaguing their world. Written by Kenneth Chisholm (kchishol@rogers.com) Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Martin Liebman on October 27, 2010 -- Killing a dragon is everything around here. --- With How to Train Your Dragon, DreamWorks Animation seems on the cusp of finally matching in overall quality the typical Pixar effort. Long since the industry-standard for computer-animated entertainment, Pixar's movies are not only gorgeously rendered and impeccably scripted, but they're centered by moving story lines and thematic subtexts that make them not only fun for the kids but worthwhile movies for more demanding parents. How to Train Your Dragon is, on the other hand, constructed around a story that's as predictable as they come but that's nevertheless endearing and plenty of fun. DreamWorks' latest is also home to some breathtaking animation the likes of which has never before been seen in a movie not bearing the famed Luxo Jr. logo. Dragon is a movie for the kid at heart in every viewer, a picture that's one part sweeping adventure and two parts childhood fantasy; combined with its touching story elements that speak on the importance of being true to one's self, the strength that's found in the bonds of friendship, and the importance of acceptance based on character rather than appearance or past actions, the movie serves as both worthwhile entertainment and subtle moral reinforcement all in one. While it doesn't break new ground from a thematic perspective or reach the level of soulfulness of the best Pixar films, How to Train Your Dragon is nevertheless one of the best of its kind for both its impeccable visuals and quality story line. In the time of the Vikings and on the fictional island of Berk lives a scrawny teenager named Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel, She's Out of My League) who wants nothing more than to fit in and kill his first dragon. The island is under nearly constant siege by powerful dragons, and the resistance is led by Hiccup's father, a stout warrior named Stoick (Gerard Butler, Law Abiding Citizen). The island's denizens have learned to fend off each of the many species of dragons that aim to lay waste to the Vikings' humble abodes; except, that is, for the powerful and rarely-seen Night Fury, a ferocious beast capable of attacking with great precision from vast distances. Hiccup, a burgeoning blacksmith and an inventor of various gadgets, constructs a weapon he hopes will prove capable of bringing down a Night Fury, which he hopes will earn him the respect of his father and maybe even land him a date with the best-looking girl on the island, the young warrior-in-training Astrid (America Ferrera, Our family Wedding). Hiccup, to his own surprise, actually manages to knock the feared beast out of the sky -- but nobody believes him. He sets out to find his prize but when he stumbles upon the frightened and injured beast, he can't bring himself to finish it off. Instead, he builds an amicable relationship with the dragon that turns into a full-blown friendship between man and beast. Hiccup is forced to keep his new friend a secret, but when he's not mending the dragon's wounds, feeding it fish, or learning how to fly on its back, he's forced into dragon-fighting classes under his father's orders. As Hiccup grows closer to his new friend he's named "Toothless," he comes to learn that dragons aren't so bad after all. He just needs to convince his blood-thirsty father and rowdy fellow Vikings of the same. How to Train Your Dragon in an interesting movie in the way that it manages to create so much feeling and heart yet build its narrative around a completely predictable story. Even the title, more or less, gives away the film's major turning point, but with a picture such as this, that's OK. Its characters are very well conceived, and it's through their genuine interactions and the honesty and themes of the story that the movie is able overcome its trite arc. These characters are the heart and soul of the movie, and were they simply automatons meant to advance the plot rather than lend to it a welcoming, heartfelt tone, How to Train Your Dragon would have gone down in flames faster than a building hit by a dragon's fireball. Fortunately, there's a depth to the characters that centers the story in all the right places, allowing the supportive elements to be just that rather than focal points that would have reduced the movie to a smoldering pile of rubble with no shape, character, or purpose. Not only is the father-son dynamic nicely constructed -- even if the father figure is little more than a hulking cliché -- but the bond between Hiccup and Toothless is believable and touching, built not around trite dialogue but through looks, actions, and understanding. For a relationship grounded in feeling rather than empty words, this one is exceptionally realized; it's not only a credit to the incredible script that does so much with so little, but to the animators who capture the very essence of the human-dragon bond and make it work through character actions and unspoken feelings that take the movie to heights not often achieved by even the top-tier animated titles. The film additionally and effortlessly meshes several elements to create a complete feel; there's not much new to say about an animated movie constructed around equal parts humor, heart, and adventure -- a combination DreamWorks has used to great success in both Kung Fu Panda and the Shrek films -- but How to Train Your Dragon does it in style and with a sense of purpose and confidence that makes it better than most. Although the film rightfully puts its characters first, it doesn't forget the importance of its secondary elements, and the result is a picture that's as polished as most anything else out there. The animation is top-notch; one look at the intricate detailing says it all and shows just how far computer animation has come. It's an exciting time to be a movie lover; Dragon sets the bar about as high as it's ever been, and the challenge is now out for another movie to top this in terms of sheer visual eye candy. Better still, the voice acting is impeccable, finishing off the characters not only at a superficial level but at a much deeper one that allows the combination of visuals and dialogue to truly ground the story where it needs to be; all of the primary voice actors seem to have found the very essences of their characters, and that there's so much heart in the performances is one of the film's greatest assets. It's reminiscent of the way Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs really found its center through its impeccable voice acting and touching father-son relationship, and How to Train Your Dragon is its equal in that regard. Putting the finishing touches on the movie is John Powell's (Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs) fantastic score; it's big, heroic, and heartfelt and deserves recognition as one of the year's best. Is the computer-animated film home to the next great wave of movies? Studios like Pixar and DreamWorks just can't seem to miss, and it's hard to find another genre or style that's cranked out as many successes as this. How to Train Your Dragon is just the latest in a string of computer-generated film that have not only dazzled with their incredible visuals, but entertained through pitch-perfect stories that find just the right balance between humor and heart. While it's true that Dragon plays as entirely predictable, it's also true that it brings to the table an honesty and approachability that will allow audiences of all ages to find value in the story and its themes of friendship, trust, perseverance, acceptance, and the importance of laying aside differences and finding commonalities that altogether forge a bond that's unbreakable even in the face of the oldest traditions or the most violent of histories. That the film is made of some of the most stunningly beautiful animation is merely icing on the cake, making How to Train Your Dragon a great movie and another example of why the computer-animated film is here to stay. This Blu-ray 3D transfer of How to Train Your Dragon is strong but not leaps and bounds better than any of the other animated 3D titles currently available. Blacks are a bit too overwhelming and both the 3D elements and the overall look of the transfer suffers as a result, but daytime scenes look about as good as can be expected. DreamWorks' inclusion of a soundtrack that's superior to even the tremendous offering available on the standalone 2D disc is commendable, but the fact that the disc is yet another exclusive linked to the purchase of a brand-specific television takes all the air straight out of the excitement surrounding this release. This is the sort of release that could sell the format and not just a television, and it seems like a wasted opportunity to advance Blu-ray 3D in the public eye. Even considering the absence of extras, How to Train Your Dragon 3D would receive an enthusiastic recommendation were it actually available in stores. Cast Notes: Jay Baruchel (Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III [voice]), Gerard Butler (Stoick the Vast [voice]), Craig Ferguson (Gobber the Belch [voice]), America Ferrera (Astrid Hofferson [voice]), Jonah Hill (Snotlout [voice]), Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Fishlegs [voice]), T.J. Miller (Tuffnut [voice]), Kristen Wiig (Ruffnut [voice]), Robin Atkin Downes (Ack [voice]), Philip McGrade (Starkard [voice]), Kieron Elliott (Hoark the Haggard [voice]), Ashley Jensen (Phlegma the Fierce [voice]), David Tennant (Spitelout [voice]). IMDb Rating (07/24/14): 8.2/10 from 314,364 users Top 250: #152 IMDb Rating (03/22/12): 8.2/10 from 132,825 users Top 250: #173
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