How to Train Your Dragon Review

How to Train Your Dragon

Release Date: 25th March 2010 – Australia

Production Companies

DreamWorks Animation (presents)

Mad Hatter Entertainment

Distribution

Paramount Pictures Australia

Genre: Animation/Family/

Fantasy

Rating: PG

Runtime: 98 minutes

Budget: $165,000,000

Box Office Gross: $494,879,471 (Worldwide)

Plot Summary
On the island of Berk, where Vikings rule the land, Hiccup, the son of the tribe's chief, desperately wants to kill a dragon to impress his father, who has low expectations of the scrawny youngster. When he captures a rare Night Fury dragon, he unexpectedly befriends the beast and starts on a journey to learn more about dragons beyond killing them.

Voice Cast

Jay Baruchel – Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III

Gerard Butler – Stoick the Vast

Craig Ferguson – Gobber the Belch

America Ferrera – Astrid Hofferson

Christopher Mintz-Plasse – Fishlegs Ingerman

Jonah Hill – Snotlout Jorgenson

T. J. Miller – Ruffnut Thorston
Kristen Wiig – Tuffnut Thorston
David Tennant – Spitelout

Crew

Screenplay/Directors – Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois

Based on the Book "How to Train Your Dragon" – Cressida Cowell
Screenplay – William Davies

Collaborating Writer – Marc Hyman (Uncredited)
Additional Screenplay

Material – Adam F. Goldberg (Uncredited)
Executive Producers – Kristine Belson and Tim Johnson

Producer – Bonnie Arnold
Co-Producers – Doug Davison, Roy Lee,
Michael A. Connolly and Karen Foster
Production Designer – Kathy Alteri

Art Director – Pierre-Olivier Vincent

Character Designers – Nicolas Marlet,

Ricardo F. Delgado, Takao Noguchi

and Tony Siruno

Head of Story – Alessandro Carloni

Head of Layout – Gil Zimmerman

Layout Supervisor – Melissa Beery

Production Managers – Jennifer Dahlman,

Lori Kornigiebel, Craig Rittenbaum and

Kate Spencer

Head of Character Animation – Simon Otto

Supervising Animators: "Hiccup" –

Jakob Hjort Jensen and David Torres

Supervising Animators: "Toothless" –

Cassidy Curtis and Gabe Hordos

Supervising Animator: "Astrid" – Steven Hornby

Supervising Animator: "Stoick" – Kristof Serrand

Supervising Animator: "Gobber" – Fabio Lignini

Character Technical Directors – Jeffrey B. Light

and Nathan Loofbourrow

Modelling Supervisor – Matthew Paulson

Head of Effects – Matt Baer

Visual Effects Supervisor – Craig Ring
Visual Consultant – Roger Deakins

Stereoscopic Supervisor – Phil 'Captain 3D' McNally

Editors – Maryann Brandon and
Darren T. Holmes

Additional Editor – John K. Carr

Associate Editors – Mary Blee,

Susan Fitzer and Mark A. Hester

Sound Designer/Supervising Sound Editor/
Re-Recording Mixer – Randy Thom

Sound Designer – Al Nelson

Supervising Sound Editor – Jon Null

Assistant Supervising Sound Editor –

Brian Chumney

Re-Recording Mixer – Gary A. Rizzo

Foley Mixer – Frank Rinella

Foley Artists – Dennie Thorpe and

Jana Vance

Music – John Powell

Score Mixer/Additional Score Recordist –

Shawn Murphy

Awards

2011 Academy Awards

Best Animated Feature – Chris Sanders

and Dean DeBlois (Nominated)

Best Original Score – John Powell (Nominated)

Review

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON is a superb CGI animated film that was amazing in 3D. It was one of the first movies I saw in this format when I watched it for the second time. It has a familiar, heartwarming story that focuses on the relationship between the main hero, Hiccup, and the dragon, Toothless. When I looked at the latter character, his facial appearance reminded me of Stitch, which made sense when I learned that the two gentlemen who directed this movie also made Lilo & Stitch.

Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, America Ferrera, Craig Ferguson and Jonah Hill were terrific in their voice acting for this movie. The animation is gorgeous, even for a film with interesting characters, witty dialogue and great action sequences (particularly the aerial battles). The music soundtrack by John Powell has turned out to be one of the best scores in an animated motion picture.

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON is dear to me as it is a feel-good animated feature that I regard as one of the greatest I have ever seen and will hold this superior status for decades. It is one of the best of all the animated movies made by DreamWorks. I recommend this film highly.

Star rating: (5/5) Best Movie Ever

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