I did not see a movie in theaters until I was 16 years old. This may come as a surprise to some who view me as a lifelong geek and movie buff. Others, who have followed this blog since the beginning may know better. In any case the first movie I saw in theaters was
How to Train Your Dragon. Because of this it holds a special place in my heart.
My heart stirred when Hiccup first put his hand on Toothless' snout. I marveled watching Hiccup and Astrid riding Toothless among the clouds accompanied by John Powell's stirring score. I thrilled as he and his viking friends arrived in the nick of time to save the rest of the villagers from the Red Death. I have the same relationship with these scenes as many, who saw
Star Wars in the theater in 1977, have with the binary sunset or the battle of Yavin. This is not to suggest that
How to Train Your Dragon is on the same level
(culturally or artistically)
as
Star Wars it just has a similar significance for me personally.
The story is a spin on the classic boy-and-his-dog scenario with our protagonist, Hiccup, befriending a dragon which changes his life (and the life of his village) forever. One thing that I really like about this film, and that I didn't appreciate back in 2010, is how nuanced the relationship between Hiccup and his father, Stoic, is. Usually, in these kinds of stories where the protagonist is a misunderstood outsider, the father is a one-dimensional tyrant who tries to "make-a-man" out of his son or some such nonsense (in
E.T., probably the definitive boy-and-his-pet film, the father is entirely absent). Here, though Stoic wishes that Hiccup was more like him, he accepts the fact that he is different. It's Hiccup himself, longing for a sense of status (or at least belonging) in Berk, who struggles to come to terms with lack of physical strength. Stoic encourages him to accept his own limitations and not to put himself, and the other villagers, in danger.
After finding and befriending Toothless, Hiccup begins to accept that he has his own gifts (mainly his creative mind) and to accept who he is. These skills allow him to do well with dragon training and Stoic is, of course, surprised to hear this but also delighted. When he discovers that Hiccup has actually befriended a dragon and is secretly keeping it as a pet, he flips out and chains Toothless up, hoping to use him to locate and destroy the local dragon nest. Given the context this is actually a completely understandable reaction. After all, Stoic has spent his whole life protecting Berk from dragons
and his son has a habit of recklessly endangering the village.
This is also partly Hiccup's fault. He has, up to this point, hidden the truth about Toothless from his father. He can't exactly be blamed for this, it is not an easy thing to reveal given its earth shattering implications for the Berkians but, if he had revealed in a more subdued setting, it is possible that Stoic might have listened to reason. Hiccup lacks the fortitude and the wherewithal to do this. This leads me to another point, that the film does not try to belittle Stoic's overtly masculine personality. Indeed, during the climax, as he and Gobber bravely set out to fight the Red Death, it is even celebrated. Similarly, Hiccup lacks physical strength but his real flaw is his lack of courage and conviction. A flaw he finally overcomes in the end.
For all my talk about Hiccup and Stoic, the heart of the film is Hiccup's bonding with Toothless and this film really shines in it's production, particularly the animation and score, which make Hiccup's journey all that much more emotionally resonant. I did not see
How to Train Your Dragon in 3D
but I wish I had. The animation is a sight to behold. Sweeping Icelandic, vistas, majestic dragons soaring through cloudy skies and over mighty ocean, the city of Berk itself hanging over the ocean like something out of Dr. Seuss, all of this is brought to life beautifully by the animation team. The smaller details too are not overlooked. Facial features are expressive and movement fluid. The character design is consistently quirky and cartoonish, befitting the whimsical tone of the film. John Powell's score is absolutely magnificent. Dominated by stirring percussives supported by a rich mixture of strings, choir and brass, it is densely orchestrated score, driven by leitmotif and filled with sweeping romantic moments. It's Celtic, vaguely medieval, flavor fit the world of the film perfectly.
The voice cast is rock solid. Jay Baruchal is perfectly cast as the awkward, eccentric Hiccup. Gerald Butler too, seems a natural fit for Stoic the Vast, with all of his exaggerated masculine features. America Ferrera does a fine job as Astrid, the all-business girl with something to prove who turns out to be pretty understanding once Hiccup gets to know her. Craig Ferguson provides most of the films comic relief as Gobber, the blacksmith who Hiccup is apprenticed to and who also trains the young vikings. The cast is rounded out by Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Jonah Hill, T.J. Miller and Kristen Wiig who are also well cast as Hiccup and Astrid's colorful classmates.
How to Train Your Dragon will always hold special place in my heart. Most people (I suppose) have fond memories of going to a movie for the first time. I can't think of a film that is much more conducive to that experience then this one.
Score: 9/10
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