Kevin Kirkham

Spoiler alert My god for some reason as a kid this franchise never interested me so I’m barely getting around to seeing it at 21 and man do I wish I saw it when it first came out. The scene where Toothless and Hiccup bond and Toothless puts his head in Hiccup’s hand for the first time moved me to tears. It reminded me of myself as a kid who was also a bit socially awkward and my dog often being my only source of companionship during those times. That combined with a beautiful score and great animation (at least for 2010) makes this a must see, and one of DreamWorks’ best movies.

Was very boring and predictable. Was the person who makes their entire persona being melancholic and/or depressing in movie form. Felt no attachment to any of the characters. The animation was good, but that’s about it.

I was hoping to really love this movie from all the talk and adoration for it but it was just sorta meh for me. The movie didn’t do a very good job at explaining what certain things were and why they were acting or behaving in the way they did outside of a few main characters. *Spoilers*: Why was No Face following her for half the movie only to live with a random twin sister introduced 3/4ths of the way through the movie to do crocheting with her? What was the point of the stink spirit taking up so much time just for it to bathe and fly away only to never return again and have no effect on the plot for the rest of the movie? I felt little to no attachment to any of the characters and didn’t feel invested enough to care about what happened to them. The animation and score are gorgeous but the story left a lot to be desired. Maybe it’s just not for me.

I hardly ever write reviews for any media, only when I truly enjoyed it and want others to experience it, I will. With that said, I absolutely adore this movie. Without spoiling anything, the movie tackles very adult themes that the marketing for the movie doesn’t do justice. One’s own mortality, anxiety and fear, trust issues, and found family are all major themes in the movie. It does all this wonderfully while simultaneously having funny moments as well. It made me laugh and cry multiple times in one viewing. It knows when to be lighthearted and when to be serious. All of this on top of some beautiful Spider-Verse like animation and an art style that makes it look like a storybook, great performances from Banderas and the other voice actors, and a wonderful score makes this movie one of the best animated movies, if not the best animated movie I’ve ever seen. I’ve seen it 8 times now with different people and every single person I’ve watched it with loved it. I even preordered the Blu-ray for this movie. Yes I bought a physical copy of a movie in 2023, something I’ve never done in my 21 years on this earth, that’s how much I love it. Please do yourself a favor and go see this movie.