June Review: How To Train Your Dragon (2010) (Patreon)

Included in this post is an image of my own cat, Ziggy, frequent podcast guest and I think, a pretty good look-alike for Toothless.

Okay, with that out of the way, let's talk about How To Train Your Dragon (2010), an animated fantasy-adventure film that spawned a franchise that would feed the Tumblr community for many years. The first entry in the series, How To Train Your Dragon (2010) is loosely based on the series of young readers novels of the same name, but the film takes that inspiration and crafts its own story, landing as more of an in-name-only adaptation.

That story is part coming-of-age, part bestiary assembly. Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) is a young viking with no combat skill in a village of dragon-slayers. After injuring the fiercest dragon of all, the Night Fury later named "Toothless," he finds himself bonding with and learning from the creature. As he trains in the village in dragon-slaying, he also observes and grows to understand Toothless. This bond at direct odds with the expectations of his father and their world, is proven in a final battle where his understanding of the dragons allows him to save his father, his village, and the dragons themselves.

The story is well-paced, wasting no time in establishing the rules of the world, the main characters, and kicking off the plot all in a single opening battle. From there, we learn with Hiccup, watching his confidence grow and the dragons become less and less of a fearsome foe and more of a friend. This arc is perfectly charming, showing you don't need violence, but understanding and acceptance to lead a happy, safe, life. Targeted for children and younger teens, this film tells a tale that can resonate with it's target audience in it's straightforwardness, but has enough heart and complexity to live beyond a child's favorite movie-of-the-week and a hopeful ending you can't help but smile at. You'll be wearing out this DVD for years to come.

Despite the earlier CGI, How To Train Your Dragon (2010) holds up pretty well. The thoughtful lighting, colorful world, and carefully rendered textures still look cohesive, and bringing it all together is the endlessly charming dragon designs. Inspired by the goofy illustrations in the original books, the dragons are lively, and at once fierce and adorable. I'm not the first to point out Toothless' cat-like-ness, but it undeniably endears the dragon to the audience. No matter how crisp the animation over time, the film is still a delightful feast for the eyes.

Outside of the titular dragons, the viking characters also breathe life into the film. Hiccup is an underdog you can't help but root for, clever and humble. Astrid (America Ferrera) an elevated love interest and literally strong female character is rendered all the more agreeable by her willingness to accept the dragons. The rest of the children too, while typically a comedic chorus in the background, show a youthful acceptance critical to stories where adults really should be talking to their kids more. Of those grow-ups, Stoick (Gerard Butler) and Gobber (Craig Ferguson) provide good foils not only to the kids, but each other, approaching Hiccup with varying levels of understanding.

The other notable element is the score. Composer John Powell crafts a memorable suite that perfectly echoes the hopeful feeling of the film. Swelling at the right moments, this score makes the soaring dragon rides feel as epic as they should.

How To Train Your Dragon (2010) is a beautifully told tale of growing up, family, and acceptance, that just happens to have a bunch of dragon fights in it. It's easy to see why so many saw this film, and were enchanted with the world it presented, and resonated with Hiccup and Toothless' journey. While it isn't the first film to tackle coming-of-age with a fantasy twist, it's cohesive aesthetic, endearing characters, and exciting flights set the standard for what films of it's kind can be. Perhaps most importantly, it really makes you want to train a dragon all your own.

9 out of 10 tasty tasty fish