Talk to the hand dude.

Ahhh, any regulars will know that I’m a bit of a sucker for animated films. How to Train Your Dragon is no exception either – but then it is almost impossible not to like it.

Hiccup is the son of Stoick the Vast, chief Viking in his village. He might be a bit weedy looking, but little Hiccup wants to follow in his mighty fathers footsteps and help slay the dragons that raid the villages sheep each night. Trying to prove that he can kill dragons alongside the hardest of Vikings, Hiccup manages to shoot down the most feared dragon of all, the elusive “Night Fury” which falls to the ground some distance from the village, where Hiccup promptly goes in search of proof of his magnificent kill.

Only, things don’t go quite as planned, as Hiccup soon finds that the dragon has only been injured and he just can’t quite bring himself to finish the job he started. Wanting to help the injured dragon instead, it’s not long before a beautiful man and beast friendship grows and Hiccup quickly realises that dragons aren’t all he’s been lead to believe.

Ok, I probably made that sound a whole lot soppier than it actually is. You won’t be roffling, but it’s still pretty damn good. Plus it looks fantastic and puts the 3D to good use, which is always a bonus. Now that I think about it, How to Train Your Dragon has a lot in common with Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, in that they’re both colourful, imaginative and feature a main character looking for the approval of their widowed father. Both main characters also try to do things for the good of their own town and both have to find their own path in life. Oooh, that’s deep. The basic plot might not be totally new, but if you liked CWACOM, you’ll already know roughly what to expect with How to Train Your Dragon.

Anyway. I’ve rambled enough. Dreamworks still aren’t quite in Pixar’s storytelling league, but they’ve certainly become a whole lot closer with How to Train Your Dragon. 8/10.