How to Train Your Dragon

A wonderful story about a special friendship that also has considerable resonance. Of course, it can be seen as a simple narrative where "the son, against his father's expectations, takes a path other than the predetermined one and actually opens everyone's eyes in the end." How to Train Your Dragon offers much more than that. It is, in fact, about a precipitous change in deeply ingrained thinking and beliefs. Here the means to achieve it is an extraordinary interspecies relationship that until now has been considered fundamentally unacceptable. I'm not afraid to say that this is truly one of the best animated films I've seen yet. And the cool thing about it is that it works for all ages. There's something for everyone that grabs them by the heart. (24/02/2019)

I was originally a bit scared of How to Train Your Dragon - I didn't like the dragons in the photos at all. And that includes the main character Toothless. But as soon as he first appeared in the film and I saw his movements and expressions, I fell in love with him. And the other dragons, too. That was the first big plus. Others include the amazing aerial scenes, Powell's music, the humor... Just about everything. Yet isn't it all cliché? So what? (19/02/2011)

This is an animated movie that simply somehow engraves itself into your memory. Lately, I have the feeling that there are quite a few high-quality animated films being made. "How to Train Your Dragon" completely astonishes with some scenes, both in terms of the plot and visually. It's also nice that the second installment is definitely worth watching as well. (13/03/2015)

If I were in my boyhood, I would undoubtedly be thrilled by the dragon spectacle, because the creators have catered to the child audience to the utmost. For an adult, the film does not have a significant impact; it uses motifs that have appeared in a number of past films and is at times overdone and childish, such as when the dragon learns to play with dolls and resembles a cute little rabbit from fairy tales for the youngest children. Also, the logic of the plot, especially in the second half, somewhat lags. However, the action scenes - and there are plenty of them - are breathtaking, the dragons are lively, and there is no shortage of jokes, which certainly do not fall flat throughout the entire runtime. Furthermore, the film can surprise at times, for example, when the hero does not come out of the decisive encounter undamaged. Of course, there are the typical love and parental motifs, and friendship in various forms. Those who have children between the ages of 5-12 should see it with them - it is an ideal choice. Overall impression: 65%. (30/04/2010)

Another great animated film that wasn’t pretentious and didn't try to fool me into believing that it had a deeper meaning (no, I'm not talking about Anomalisa). It did make me laugh and reminded me that we need to help each other, even between species. Both the animation and the story were great. The older I get, the more enjoy a good animated film. (16/08/2016)