Sunday, July 17, 2011

How to Train Your Dragon (2010)

Originally written January 30, 2011 at 8:28 pm
I am a big kid at heart. I enjoy watching the occasional cartoon with my daughter (my son looses interest in the TV after about 10 minutes). So I decided to give "How to Train Your Dragon" a spot on my Netflix DVD queue. I'm glad I did.


How to Train Your Dragon is an animated film about a small, clumsy, teenage viking named Hiccup. Hiccup happens to be the son of the village chief Stoic the Vast (voiced by Gerard Butler). Their village is constantly raided and attacked by dragons, and the vikings view killing dragons as a rite of passage and the measure of ones prowess. Hiccup is nothing like his father, and has been relegated to the apprentice to the blacksmith Gobber the Belch (voiced by Craig Ferguson). When Hiccup uses his inventions to capture a dragon he begins to study it and in so doing learns about himself and the creatures he had been raised from birth to hate.


This film is a delightful family movie. The story is unique, the characters are funny and the voice acting is well suited to each character. I just really enjoyed all aspects of the movie. My 4 year old daughter on the other hand... At one point she was so scared she started crying. She started to stop watching the movie. She came back in a couple minutes later and continued watching. She eventually said "Maybe it is a good movie after all." After watching the movie, I mailed the DVD back to netflix and she got upset the next day because she couldn't watch it again. The movie is rated PG and netflix recommends it for ages 8+. That seems on the safe side. I'd say 6+ should be fine. Younger children may find it a bit too scary.


I'd highly recommend watching it for yourself, and with your kids if they are age appropriate. For a family animated film I give it a 8 / 10.

No comments:

Post a Comment