How to Train Your Dragon

Director: Dean DeBlois & Chris Sanders
Cast: (Voices of) Gerard Butler, Jay Baruchel, America Ferrara and Jonah Hill
Releasing in cinemas: 18 March 2010
Rated: PG

DreamWorks finally soars

It’s no secret that in recent years, DreamWorks’ animation arm has been outpointed by arch-rival Pixar in the animated movie stakes. Despite the success of its tentpole Shrek franchise, DreamWorks Animation has lagged behind its competitor – so much so that Jack Black made a very funny quip about it at last year’s Oscars. But the studio might have cause for optimism with the release of How to Train Your Dragon.

Despite a couple of annoying features (which I’ll come to), this is an engaging and consistently entertaining 98 minutes of cinema. Unlike previous efforts such as Kung Fu Panda and Monsters vs. Aliens, the DreamWorks team has clearly put a lot more effort in where it really counts – in the script – while retaining the ‘whiz-bang’ animation that they’re noted for. Sure, it might not reach the heights of Up; but then its core 8 – 14 year-old demographic will hardly care.

Our hero is the oddly named Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel), a young Viking who’s not exactly in the fierce warrior mould of his father, the fearsome and brave dragon-slayer Stoick (Gerard Butler). They’re both residents of a small, remote village that happens to be plagued by dragons. They steal the sheep and fish, burn buildings and generally make life miserable for the villagers. During a dragon attack, Hiccup – who’s constantly stuffing things up – manages to do something right and hits a particularly dangerous dragon known as a Night Fury with a homemade bola. Although the villagers scoff at his suggestion, Hiccup sets out to see if he can locate the beast. In a secluded clearing, he finds the Night Fury injured and still entangled in his bola. Thinking that killing the dragon will win his father’s favour, he draws his knife; but he can’t do the deed. When he returns, he slowly begins to win the trust of the dragon, which he names Toothless.

The story – featuring as it does flying, flame-breathing reptiles – is tailor-made for animation. The CGI team at DreamWorks certainly don’t let the audience down on that score. Many of the sequences are flat-out spectacular, demonstrating the versatility of the animated form. I perhaps could have done without the “Disney-fication” of the various dragon species, but that doesn’t detract from the majesty of the work. It’s also notable that the film also features some exquisite detail, not just showy set-pieces.

On the down side – and yes, I know it’s nitpicking – I found the mix of accents distracting. Why the teenagers all sound American when everyone else speaks with a Scottish brogue (neither of which seem particularly apt for Vikings, if you ask me) one can only speculate about. I suspect it has more to do with the marketing department than the filmmaking, but I guess you have to expect that these days.

The film however is held together by its solid script that cleverly weaves a “green” message into the baseline plot about friendship and finding your own place in the world. There are of course the mandatory “daddy” and “misunderstood teen” issues on the sidelines, but even these are just about made palatable by the screenwriters.

How to Train Your Dragon is certainly a technically brilliant animated film. What elevates it above the ordinary however is its compelling story. While it may not entirely escape the heavy hand of market research, it is nonetheless a wonderful film for both kids and adults. The fact that at the preview screening the audience spontaneously burst into sustained applause is testament enough to that.

David Edwards