Review of How to Train Your Dragon (2010) by Sammy M — 16 Jan 2014

I came in with high expectations of How to Train Your Dragon, what with it having a 98% and all, but I was immediately disheartened upon seeing the opening scene abundant in cliches; portly, ridiculous looking animated vikings, a misunderstood kid, an us vs.

them dynamic, and general frenzy -- it was all so familiar, and still wasn't funny or entertaining this time around. It took a while to get there, but How to Train Your Dragon turned out to be a beautiful story told with endless heart.

It was never more than smile-worthy funny, and the story is entirely the same as thousands before it, but what makes this tale a winner is how amazingly heartfelt it is. We empathize with and feel for all the characters and their relationships.

How to Train Your Dragon has beautiful visuals -- especially the flying scenes, which make everything else melt away and pull you into this special world. It could have been better, but heck, this was the best animated film I've seen in a very long time and I think it would rank among my favorites, as much as it pains me to say so (sorry Disney Renaissance! You're still my real favorite).

It's a real treat.