Can We Talk About How Perfect ‘How To Train Your Dragon’ Is?
Good. Because I have some things to say.
I love movies and I own many of them. But the list of films that I will happily drop everything to re-watch at any time, with anyone of any age, is a small one. It looks like this.
Casablanca. Ratatouille. How To Train Your Dragon.
You don’t need me to tell you to see Casablanca. It’s one of the best films ever made. Ditto for Ratatouille. You’re well acquainted with the delight that occurs when Brad Bird meets Pixar.
But HTTYD might be a different story. Its title sounds like a YouTube tutorial. It’s a DreamWorks Animation production, meaning it was birthed by a studio that farts out bees and sharks about as often as it releases ogres and pandas.
So if you have not yet seen How To Train Your Dragon, this is your cue to stop reading and go watch it. You can find it all over the place, including at Amazon for a $3.99 rental fee. It is absolutely one of the best animated experiences out there.
And for those of you who have already seen and cherish HTTYD, I invite you to jump aboard the love train. We are leaving the station.
It’s one of those rare Surprise & Delight movies.
Chances are, your first screening of HTTYD happened because of one of the following:
- You have kids and kids are difficult. “Honey? Let’s take them to the movies. I dunno. I think they can see How To Train Your Dragon. OMG Dylan is using Rylee’s face like a Windex rag. Let’s go let’s go let’s go.”
- Someone dragged you into HTTYD with the ringing endorsement, “I heard this is okay.” Sold!
- You saw HTTYD’s 98% Tomatometer and immediately thought, “Go home, critics. You are drunk.” 201 critics reviewed the movie. 197 liked it. There’s no WAY it’s that good.
No matter which group we started in, all of us left saying the same thing. “WOW. That movie came out of nowhere. I think I loved it.” Having our expectations shattered in the best possible way is an underrated thing about being human.
The soundtrack is bananas.
Listen to this track and try not to slay whatever it is you’re working on.
The village is named Berk.
This makes me think of Gersberms Girl.
The opening monologue is just so rad.
- It gives us our flawed protagonist. Hiccup has a weak name, a weak frame and he sucks at girls. These things need fixing, and his endearing frailty and sense of humor make rooting for him a no brainer.
- It answers our questions of logic. Hang on. Why don’t these idiots just move? Oh, they’re stubborn Vikings. Got it.
- It tells us how things have always been. The stakes are going to increase rapidly and things are going to change. But for now, the reality is primal and simple: Vikings fight dragons.
Toothless is equal parts devastating dragon and derpy doggie.
His little face! I wanna friggin squeeze it.
The flight scenes are genuinely exhilarating.
That video below is the test drive scene. When Toothless first drops, the music soars. That combination is guaranteed gersberm fuel. If you aren’t moved by this scene, you are most likely dead. I am sorry to have lost you, and I wish you a blissful afterlife.
