March 23: How to Train Your Dragon

"A hapless young Viking who aspires to hunt dragons becomes the unlikely friend of a young dragon himself, and learns there may be more to the creatures than he assumed."

   Dreamworks has always been the little kid brother to Pixar when it comes to animation. Dreamworks has Shrek and Pixar has Toy Story, but you really can't compare the two (Shrek can die unhappily ever after for all I care). Pixar is king of animation and it's damn near impossible for anything to ever rival their annual releases. Although How to Train Your Dragon did come out the same year as Toy Story 3 (cue tears), it's much better than a couple of past Pixar releases...*cough Cars cough*. 

"Let's make a NASCAR movie so we can profit off of all the merchandise! Oh, it sucked? Let's make a sequel!"

   How to Train Your Dragon is full of action, humor, and of course dragons. The action sequences play out better than anything you would see in Avatar or Transformers and the entire film feels like a 90 minute ride. The story is fresh, unique, and full imagination. The mythology is deep and each species of dragon is more creative than the next. The film really leaves you wanting to know more about all the different kinds of dragons that exist and you desperately want to own one yourself (like a Pokemon!). 

However, no one is cooler than Charizard. No one. 

   The best part of How to Train Your Dragon is Toothless, the main dragon befriended by the viking boy, Hiccup. Toothless acts like a combination of a dog and a cat, and the animators made a creature that does not talk, one of the most lovable things possible. The best scene in the film is when Hiccup befriends Toothless for the first time, and for five minutes, and no dialogue, the two's friendship begins with a sense of amazement, awe, and a dash of cute. How to Train Your Dragon's score, by John Powell, is magnificent and adds so much emotion to the film, especially that scene. The film's voice cast is stellar, as are the sound effects, and everything comes together perfectly.  I would highly recommend How to Train Your Dragon and I eagerly anticipate the second installment. 

The Good:

incredible visuals that play out a very imaginative story

The Better:

equally incredible sound effects and score that compliment the visuals

The Best:

a world so creative you keep praying it's real... just to have your own fire breathing friend

Overall: 9.3/10

Best Quote:

The names of all the dragons. The Deadly Nadder. The Hideous Zippleback. The Monstrous Nightmare. The Gronckle. The Night Fury. 

Trailer: