Dean DeBlois

A young viking who's not good at fighting lives in a village frequently raided by dragons.

Don't be fooled by the bad marketing and horrible title (like I was). This is a sincere adventure story, entertaining from beginning to end. There are no pop-culture references. There is no crude humor. The voice actors (while they might not have been the best choices) were clearly chosen for their voices, not box office draw. It almost seems like DreamWorks is coming to their senses and trying to do show more what Pixar does - tell a good story with strong characters. But, the thing is, this isn't really "a DreamWorks Film" - because, come on, that doesn't even mean anything; they're just a f***ing movie studio. What this movie secretly is is the long-awaited (or would have been long-awaited in a perfect world) second film from the writing/directing team that made Lilo & Stitch.

Concept: B
Story: B
Characters: B
Dialog: C
Pacing: A
Cinematography: B
Special effects/design: C
Acting: C
Music: C

Enjoyment: B

GPA: 2.7/4 show less

I wish this book were longer! This comic takes place after the second movie and ties in some of the happenings from it- so it's a great continuation of the story of the characters from there. The illustrations are amazing! Gritty and dark but still retain that toon-animated feel the movies/TV show had. The plot of this comic is original, fast-paced and showcases that thought-provoking, action-packed and emotional style of writing DeBlois is known for that made the original movies a cut above show more the rest. It introduces a new comic-exclusive villain and you'll finish it in an hour or two after being hooked by the first few pages. The movie series is some of my favorites, so It definitely feels like you are following along with an episode from the canon Dreamworks Dragon TV show and doesn't feel out of place at all. This comic can hold the attention of adults and children- any age, any type of HTTYD fan. show less

A solid story that gets the character voices and looks right and feels like it naturally fits in the universe of the films, dealing with the immediate aftermath, both practical and emotional, of the second film.

This computer animated film adaptation of the book by Cressida Cowell tells the story of Hiccup, a disastrous failure of a Viking who can't defeat a dragon, embarrasses his father (a hearty Viking named Stoick), and fails to catch the attention of the girl of his dreams, Astrid. However, when Hiccup encounters and eventually befriends Toothless, a wounded Night Fury (which is, of course, the most dangerous dragon alive), life begins to change for Hiccup and the other Vikings on his island. show more Though rather different from the book, the adaptation is exceptionally well done and very entertaining. The film is full of visual and verbal humor that works on levels so younger and older viewers will be entertained, though perhaps for different reasons. The plot is exciting and moves along quickly, and the film nicely conveys a range of emotional responses, for instance, the scenes when Hiccup first approaches Toothless are quite suspenseful and mildly frightening. The dragons are cute, and humorously cat-like in their behavior, and the animation and the epic, soaring soundtrack wonderfully convey the excitement of flying with dragons in the scenes with Hiccup and Toothless. How To Train Your Dragon is an entertaining story with nice messages about cooperation, peaceful conflict resolution, being proud of yourself for who you are, and family relationships. The movie does have some frightening scenes and violence, and is appropriate for children over the age of seven. show less