Even with somewhat elevated expectations, I was genuinely surprised at how good How to Train Your Dragon was. I had heard nothing but good things about it, but I wasn't really convinced that it could be considered in the same league as Toy Story 3.
Thankfully, I took off my "I know everything" hat and finally gave Dragon a shot, and I can honestly say that if TS3 hadn't come out this year, How to Train Your Dragon would have easily been my favorite animated movie of the year, not to mention the best movie Dreamworks Animation has done thus far.
One of the best things about Dragons is that it doesn't talk down to its audience. The movie deals with death, friendship and forgiveness all in a way that lets any children watching to be able get sucked in and actually feel the danger when a character is in trouble, something which most animated movies nowadays tend to shy away from. It's refreshing, honestly.
As with most animated films today, there is plenty of humor for both adults and children, but Dragon in particular has some of the very best jokes I've heard all year. One in particular was so sharp and so fast that it almost went right over my head and I didn't get it for quite a few seconds. Not even the best R-rated comedies this year have done that to me.
Finally, Dreamworks not only stepped it up in terms of story but also the quality of the animation itself. Dragons is on par with even the best of Pixar, offering stunning looks at mountain views, oceans and especially sequences of the main character flying with his dragon. Truly epic stuff.
If Dreamworks keeps up with this quality, they will have no problem becoming Pixar's main competition.
i saw this one too. yippee
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