How to Train Your Dragon

Summary: In a fantasy Viking village, dragons raid frequently, and all Vikings take part in the defense of the village. Hiccup, the son of the village leader, seems to be a failure, not talented in fighting at all, but when his invention hits a legendary Night Fury, he discovers something that no other Viking has considered before - the Dragons might be tamable!

Warnings: Cartoon violence with lots of fighting and threats of serious harm. Hiccup is seriously hurt in the final battle (he is shown with a prosthetic foot in the film’s concluding scenes). Mild bullying.

Opinion: This is loosely based on a novel of the same name, and I have to admit, I enjoyed this movie a lot more than the book. I read the book aloud to my kids before we watched this movie, and in the book, the dragons are extremely selfish, but in the movie, they are much more likable. The motives of the Vikings are very different too - in the book, the Vikings’ initial goal is the tame the dragons, but in the movie, it is to kill them. While the book version seems more kid friendly in this respect, the overall tone of the book makes it one I wouldn’t really recommend, while the movie feels light-hearted and sweet.

Hiccup, in the movie, comes across as respectful of life. He’s unwilling to kill even an enemy, which is a positive trait, and full of curiosity. He’s not fame-seeking either, humble in the face of his tribe’s approval, and determined in the face of failure. I will admit though, I found the voice actor who played Hiccup frankly awful. The voice was both generally flat and didn’t sound like a child.

The family dynamic for Hiccup - a father who can’t relate to him and never listens (his mother seems absent, never mentioned) - is the avenue of character growth for the story. Hiccup stands up for himself, while his father is shown to be in the wrong and learns that his son is okay as he is. I don’t love this aspect of the story (at one point, the father says “You aren’t my son any more” and my children were horrified by this, turning to me during the story to ask if I would ever do this to them - I did not appreciate this fear being introduced to my children, even though they were quickly reassured). Beyond that, it is a trope of modern movies that men are shown as buffoons and emotionally disconnected and poor fathers, none of those traits are ones that I think make good stories.

Overall, however, it was a fun movie and both my six year old and seven year old gave it a thumbs up. The sensitive child didn’t cringe at the emotional conflict, and the action didn’t scare either child. I do recommend this film.

Sequels/Remakes: There are two sequels, plus a TV series. If your family enjoys this movie, I recommend all of the rest as well.

Educational Value: 1 out of 3 stars.

Cultural value: 4 out of 5 stars. This is pretty well known.

Age rating: This show is appropriate for ages 6 and older.

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