If you ever wanted to go and watch a warm hearted family movie, then we think we’ve found 2010′s answer to Up. How to Train Your Dragon by Dreamworks Animation is a fantastic journey into the animated world of the Vikings. The story is surrounded by Vikings and Dragons battling a war of attrition with the Vikings battling to save their food from being taken. You meet the films main protagonist in the well named Hiccup whom isn’t really cut out for beast slaying in any shape or form. His father, who is the leader of the Viking camp is jaded that his son hasn’t turned out like him, until Hiccup manages to capture a Night Fury (a legendary dragon feared by the Vikings) where his whole life changes as he learns that the Dragons are not malicious at all. The film’s plot construction is well balanced and naturally we don’t want to give away the storyline, so as usual here we tend to give you a little information and then back off from spoilers.

The awesome Night Fury

Hiccup is played by Jay Baruchel (Milion Dollar Baby) and credit is where it is due to the casting director for the role. Not only is Baruchel perfect for this movie and puts in a stunning performance, the fact that his voice sounds unique and isn’t over used for film narration means that he cannot be addressed or compared to another actor, a problem which Dreamworks were known for in the past. How to Train Your Dragon actually started out as a 2003 book by Cressida Cowell. The mixture of love between Hicucp and the Night Fury and the on-going battle for admiration by his father played by Gerard Butler rebounds and compliments itself so well that the film will bring upon a mix of emotions ending on a real high for the audience.

Animation is once again superb, with Viking characters having realistic hair that could be passed off as real and the Dragons featured in the film also had a realness about them, whether it be the Teflon like skin of the Night Fury for instance. Some of the film runs at a frenetic pace and whilst we never saw it in 3D we could see how certain moments would of benefitted from paying the extra price, however an additional £7.00 simply isn’t worth any additional immersion. Another area we really loved about the film is the creation of the Dragons themselves, they are quirky, colourful and all have their strengths and weaknesses that Hiccup manages to utilise inside the Dragon Arena. You could see how this movie will transcend into a video game and hopefully we’ll get to review the game to round off our coverage. To celebrate the release of the game we were actually invited to a press event regarding the game released by Activision where we got to see Kimodo Dragons up close and personal. Whether you see the twin headed Zippleback or the sight of a Gronckle you are never left believing that the additional characters are a simple after thought.

The friendship shows

How to Train Your Dragon is a real surprise movie and isn’t done justice by it’s trailer. You are actually going to get not only an engaging plotline, but an entertaining experience from start to finish that warms your heart to its very core. Dreamworks and especially director Dean Deblois (Lilo & Stitch) has done a magnificent job and in many ways have surpassed last years animated blockbuster UP. Do yourself a favour and make sure you check this movie out before it finishes it’s run at the cinema, it is truely worth it!