How to Train your Dragon

[blamebrampton]

One of the few upsides of Evil Mag TM is that I am back reviewing in print rather than just for web formats. Which is why tonight I watched How To Train Your Dragon (DVD release). I know that at least one of my flistees loved this in its cinema release, and I have to agree, it's wholly charming!

The animation is vibrant and refreshing, the characterisation consists of actual characters rather than entirely stock, the hero is a natural philosopher rather than a classic Viking -- it was all the things I tend to adore. But what made me burst out with laughter is that it slips in a Norse gravegoods misinterpretation joke! Someone on that writing crew is at least friends with a costume historian, and this amateur one appreciates the wink!

Thoroughly recommend this for everyone with small people, or with an adult academic interest in the postmodernist approach to storytelling through technology exemplified by Dreamworks (feel free to use that excuse next time someone raises an eyebrow when you buy a ticket to a kids film without a kid in tow, I have a Very Dull lecture that goes with it if you need more.)

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/_aurora_sky_/]

omg. THAT MOVIE. I went and saw it in theaters 4 times. I absolutely LOVED it. The Lion King has been THE animated movie for me literally since it came out -- nothing could compare, and nothing had moved me as much as the Lion King did... Until Hiccup and his dragon came along. <3

I honestly can't remember the last time I loved a movie that much. Like I came out of the theater and immediately wanted to buy another ticket. Everything about it was perfect and smart <3 Let's just hope Dreamworks doesn't KILL it with the sequels :\

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I suspect you may have been the person who wrote about it several times and convinced me it was A Good Thing long before I had a chance to see it. You were COMPLETELY right!

And yes, I could do with one or two shorts set in that world, as they sometimes do, but a franchise would rip it up.