How to Train Your Dragon - Movie Review

Director: Dean DeBlois, Chris Sanders
Cast: Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, America Ferrera, Craig Ferguson
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure
Runtime: 98 minutes

In the middle of the sequel fever that inflamed Hollywood this past year, DreamWorks Animation released on March 26, "How to Train Your Dragon", a fantasy 3D film that is going to enchant both children and grownups.

"How to Train Your Dragon" is based on the book for children with the same name, published in 2003 by the English writer Cressida Cowell, and tells the story of a young Viking hero, Hiccup, who aspires to become a dragon slayer, much like his father Stoick the Vast, the Viking Chief. As any other atypical hero, Hiccup is clumsy and nothing he does comes out right, to the disappointment of his father and the entire tribe.

The entire action takes place "in a mythical Viking world", more exactly on the Island of Berk in a Viking village, where inhabitants have to fight, besides harsh weather, also dragon attacks. During such an attack Hiccup, wounds a dragon and to prove his deed to the entire tribe he rushes into the forest to find his prey. There he discovers a wounded little dragon about his age, which was already chained up. Not finding the courage to kill the dragon, Hiccup decides to set him free. Having a wounded tail, the dragon can't fly too far away, and it will be Hiccup to make Toothless (that's the name Hiccup gave the little dragon) an artificial tail. In the end the two of them become friends, and embark in a series of adventures which will prove that dragons aren't so mean and scary as Viking elders were saying.

The movie calling card is definitely action, and you'll have plenty of that, including extended battle and flying scenes, all in 3D (of course). I have to admit that I enjoyed the most the part when Hiccup trains Toothless so that he can ride him with a saddle.

The voices of the characters are borrowed from Jay Baruchel (Hiccup), Gerard Butler (Stoick), America Ferrera (Astrid), Craig Ferguson (Gobber), while the directors of the movie are Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders.

The action/comedy "How to Train Your Dragon" has every ingredients to become a memorable movie both for children and adults: a story about a boy and his pet, a story about a boy and his friends, a story about a boy and his father and of course a story about a boy and a girl. All these parts come together in a remarkable animation which will charm everybody for years to come. So, if you want to feel the chills of childhood again you should definitely go and see this movie :)

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