Sean’s Weekly Review: How to Train Your Dragon

This might be the exact kind of movie that makes people think: they don’t make them like this anymore. Which, in theory, is somewhat true — How to Train Your Dragon belongs to a bygone era of animation. 2010 brought three massive Dreamworks hits — How to Train Your Dragon, Shrek Forever After, and Megamind. Pixar was riding the critical and commercial success of Up and Toy Story 3, two of three of the only animated films to ever be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. 

However, in this particular case, it’s hard to say they don’t make them like this anymore when its shot-for-shot remake is soaring in theatres, #1 for two weekends in a row. But in an era of remakes, sequels, prequels, and IP, it does, in a way, feel good to reminisce on what is already deemed an animated classic by reveling in what it does best: tell an exciting story effectively and efficiently. 

This is what stands out the most in How to Train Your Dragon. All movies tell a story, of course, but that doesn’t mean they’re all made or received the same way. Pixar, for example, has earned its reputation for charming children and adults alike with emotional complexity and narrative and structural ingenuity. Dreamworks, on the other hand, has a knack for making straightforward narratives feel adventurous and one-of-a-kind. Shrek is essentially a road trip movie. Madagascar operates as a classic fish-out-water story. How to Train Your Dragon feels like a bedtime tale you’d hear when you were a child, an adventurous quest where the protagonist eschews expectations by making a bold, curious choice that leads them to a life-changing adventure. There is no wrong way to tell story, so long as you’re captivating the audience. 

Which is exactly what How to Train Your Dragon does. An adolescent boy named Hiccup — voiced by Jay Baruchel, who really shines in this role — introduces viewers to the viking island of Berk, a stunning and serene village frequently at war with dragons. He explains the stakes, introduces characters, and we’re immediately drawn in. It’s honest, effective storytelling. 

It’s difficult not to feel immediately drawn to Hiccup — he’s an outcast burdened with heavy expectations to continue his father’s legacy as a hunter and dragon killer. And if it’s hard not to feel drawn to him and his dilemma, it’s impossible not to feel attached to Toothless, the adorable, affable dragon companion who imprints on our protagonist. Their bond constitutes much of the movie and takes us to places — both literally and emotionally — we didn’t know we were capable of going. 

This is a long way of asking: what’s not to love about an underdog duo aiming to teach their village an important lesson? What’s not to love about this movie?  

Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ (4/5)

How to Train Your Dragon is available to stream on Peacock and Max. 

How to Train Your Dragon, the live-action remake, is in theatres now, and will be available to stream on Peacock sometime this Fall.