I'll admit it, I'm a major skeptic when it comes to non-Pixar animated movies. I've sat through too many animated flicks that feel like 90-minute attempts to emulate Pixar's success. However, every once in awhile, we get a movie like Shrek, Surf's Up or Kung Fu Panda. These show us that other studios can indeed craft quality animated movies.
I'm happy to say that DreamWorks' How to Train Your Dragon is another resounding success in that category.
Dragon is the story of Hiccup (Jay Baruchel), a young Viking who lives in a village that happens to be constantly at odds with, you guessed it, dragons. The problem is, Hiccup isn't very good at being a Viking, much to the chagrin of his father, the village leader (Gerard Butler). When Hiccup manages to get lucky enough to shoot down a Night Fury, the most feared and mysterious of all dragon species, the young Viking must choose: kill the wounded dragon or befriend it (I'll give you one guess).
This is a wonderful movie. The cast is excellent, with Baruchel and Butler both providing the perfect voicework for each of their characters. Baruchel is his usual self, nerdy and insecure and Canadian-sounding. Butler sounds a lot like 300's King Leonidas, minus the dining in Hell tonight, which works perfectly. The supporting cast includes Craig Ferguson and America Ferrera, along with a bunch of Apatow regulars like Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Kristen Wiig. They all manage to provide a great deal of comedy, just like in their live action roles.
There's a surprising amount of drama present here, and it never feels cheesy or forced. There's just enough of it packed in to make the story serious enough to matter. The conflict between Hiccup's dragon-hating father and Hiccup himself is at the center of the story here, and it's well-done at every turn. The movie drags a bit in the middle, but the slow pacing there isn't a major issue. It still keeps us interested, and that's the important part.
That said, let's face it, at the end of the day, the action and comedy reign supreme, and Dragon is both hilarious and action-packed.
It wouldn't all be a complete package without the impressive animation. There's something about the hair and fur in Dragon that's massively impressive. It looks incredibly real, and that's just a superficial detail. This movie is just one more example of how studios up the technical ante each time they release a new animated film. The action is breathtaking to behold, and my stomach was turning like I was on a roller coaster.
Sadly, when discussing the technical aspects of this film, we can't escape talking about 3D. I saw Dragon in 3D, despite the fact that movie theaters across the country raised their prices by as much as 26 percent, specifically for this movie. This obviously comes in the wake of the success of Avatar and Alice in Wonderland.
Put simply, reviewers who say Dragon's 3D gives Avatar's a run for its money either A.) didn't see Avatar or B.) apparently don't remember seeing Avatar. Dragon can't touch Avatar in terms of 3D, and that's a reality that shouldn't be surprising. There are some cool moments, but not cool enough for that kind of a price hike.
It's nice to know that we don't have to count on Pixar to deliver the only quality animated fare each year. Sure, movies like How to Train Your Dragon can't touch the quality of, say, Up, but they're definitely a joy to watch, and not just in the superficial department. I feel like a crotchety 23-year-old harping on the 3D, but it honestly just doesn’t appeal to me. That fact doesn’t detract from this movie at all, though. Dragon puts forth a lot of heart to go with its huge serving of action, and it all mixes together nicely to make a very impressive animated movie.
Score: 4 out of 5 stars
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