How to Train Your Dragon

Toothless and Hiccup

How to Train Your Dragon is a family friendly, heartfelt children’s comedy. It’s got a good mixture of laughs for the parents and plenty of laughs for kids. I wasn’t convinced by the trailers I saw. It looked way too stock; too many silly kid jokes and I thought the main kid’s voice was too mature. But it all worked in the end. My niece giggled incessantly throughout at all the jokes that were more kid friendly and I got to chuckle at the sarcasm of the movies’ “unlikely” hero Hiccup (Jay Baruchel).

The story opens with a brief history of his people narrated by Hiccup and we quickly learn that he is and has always been the “blacksheep” of the town. Hiccup works as the apprentice to the blacksmith, Gobber (Craig Ferguson), even though Hiccup can barely hold a sword. Hiccup wants badly to prove to the town and his father that he has what it takes to be a dragon slayer but he‚Äôs always being told that he‚Äôs too much him to be anything else. This gets pointed out a few times in the movie and they really make it work. Yes, this is another story about discovering who you really are by facing terrible odds and winning in the end. But isn‚Äôt that how life really is? There is a pot of gold at the end of that rainbow. If you make it all the way through graduate school and have that coveted degree then all the happiness in the world awaits you. I mean, that‚Äôs what would happen in the movie version anyway. I love these kinds of movies because in the end they remind us older people what means to dream. Yes, a story about Vikings and dragons can do that.

More than just that, this is a story about 1) being friends with your enemies (the Pilgrims could have learned this lesson) and 2) finding your destiny. These are lessons that people everywhere need to be reminded of. I do believe that you can find deep meaning in just about anything. Just ask the people I work with. You could call me a “down to earth bringer” because I have a terrible habit of taking other people’s sarcastic and funny stories and find a way to bring them down to earth. I’m like “hey, what you just said is annoying when it happens, but did you know that cultures all over the world do that and isn’t that neat!?” Geez, I’m a nerd. But like I was saying, a story with a simple moral is usually the best and those kinds of stories tend to stay with us throughout life.

Hiccup realizes that he doesn’t want to fight dragons after he meets Toothless and can’t kill him but he allows his dad to talk him into dragon slaying training before he can tell him his true feelings. While training and befriending his “captured” dragon, Hiccup learns all kinds of tricks to taming dragons. Tickle them under the chin and they fall asleep. So of course, he becomes the champion trainee where his final prize is to actually kill a dragon. But alas, Hiccup cannot complete the final task. He instead tries to show the crowd that he can pet the dragon he is supposed to slay. His father becomes so enraged that he disowns Hiccup and goes after the dragons nest. Yes, I’m leaving plot points out but that’s ok because you’re going to dig through your pocketbook and under the couch cushions to find the cash to see this in the theatre right? The 3D is really great and is worth the few extra dollars to see it. My niece couldn’t stop pretending to be the Six Flags guy with those huge 3D glasses on. Normally that fake old man is veritably enraging but when my cute as a button niece does the voice I can’t help but laugh.

There are some really cute moments in this movie. It’s an honest kid’s flick without bawdy humor thrown in for the adults and I like that. Sometimes it’s just best to kick back with an Icee, put on a pair of dorky glasses, and laugh like a kid, pretending to fly a real dragon.

Recent posts by Desiree

• The Joneses - April 26th, 2010
• Death at a Funeral (2010) - April 19th, 2010
• Date Night - April 12th, 2010
• Newsworthy: "Wizard of Oz" on the Silver Screen - March 16th, 2010
• Shutter Island - February 22nd, 2010

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