How to Train Your Dragon (2010) - A well-made, dazzlingly animated family favorite

♥♥♥♥

1 Film Excess nomination:

Best Animation (lost to Toy Story 3) 

+ Best 3D Movie of the Year

The poster for Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders' How to Train Your Dragon seems to promise kids everywhere the chance to meet a cool dragon almost first-hand

Hiccup is a scrawny young guy, who fits in very poorly with his father's macho-viking world. But then he meets a different kind of dragon and learns something that might change the world for everyone...

How to Train Your Dragon begins with an action sequence that can exhaust adult audiences unduly. Because after its end follows a good story with fun and strong character animations, - in particular the dragons are done with great skill and inspiration, - and sweepingly handsome landscape-, fire- and sky animation. The flying scenes are rich with wow-moments.
How to Train Your Dragon is written by William Davies (Johnny English (2003)) and co-writer-directors Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders (Lilo & Stitch (2002), both), based on Cressida Cowell's (How to Be a Pirate (2004)) same-titled 2003 children's book. It is a fine family favorite, (if not quite as great as the directors' Lilo & Stitch.)

Related posts:

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 165 mil. $
Box office: 494.8 mil. $
= Box office success
[How to Train Your Dragon was released March 26 and runs 98 minutes. It competed for 3D screens with Alice in Wonderland. It opened #1 with a 43.7 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it grossed 217.5 mil. $ (44 % of the total gross) and stayed in the top 5 for 8 weeks, taking the #1 spot back in its week 5. The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 26.4 mil. $ (5.3 %) and South Korea with 25.1 mil. $ (5 %). It is the 5th highest-grossing animated film of the year and the 10th highest-grossing film of the year overall. It got Oscar-nominated for Best Animated Feature (losing to Toy Story 3) and Best Score (losing to The Social Network). It is currently #162 on IMDb's Top 250. Roger Ebert gave it 3/4 stars, equal to the rating here. It has sold more than 6.5 mil. DVDs and Blu-rays, accruing more than 121.8 mil. $ additionally. A sequel came out in 2014 and another one is set for 2018. How to Train Your Dragon is certified fresh at 98 % with a 7.9 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of How to Train Your Dragon?