It’s not easy being a geeky Viking teenager named Hiccup (Jay Baruchel), especially when your dad is the macho dragon slayer, Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler). When Hiccup is included in Dragon Training with the other Viking teens, Hiccup sees his chance to prove his manly worth, but his plan goes awry when he befriends the dragon he’s supposed to dispatch.
Dreamworks animation used to pedal snark where Pixar traded in class, but the studio that brought you such bubblegum hits as Shrek and Madagascar is finally edging away from the pop trivia that once defined it. Based on the 2003 children’s novel by British author Cressida Cowell, How to Train Your Dragon feels a good deal more timeless than, say, Shark Tale.
Continuing on from Kung Fu Panda and Monsters Vs. Aliens, the visuals are fluid, stylish and pretty, this all-ages comedy suggests John Lassiter may finally have to start looking over his shoulder.