Talking Pictures

Rich’s Quickie: Avatar-quality looks with humor and heart… and only a little bit of moralizing.

And How! Another in a series of high-quality, animated films for the whole family to enjoy from Pix- I mean, from Dreamworks! This cute film is so much fun that kids will love watching it (especially if they can keep the 3D glasses on for a quick 98 minutes), and so well-done that it’s enjoyable for adults as well – and that’s without sneaking in kid-inappropriate humor for the adult crowd. Additionally, if you want to see it in IMAX 3D, you’d better do it soon – The Clash Of The Titans is coming! Either way, Dragon is a well-rounded story populated by lovable characters (especially Toothless the main dragon in questions), with a timeless message that only the most cynical among us will resist enjoying.

Why? And those same cynics will no-doubt cite the message of this film, no matter how carefully delivered, or how lightly it tapped them on the shoulder; that even supposed enemies could just be misunderstood. That enemies who attack you might just be trying to protect themselves from a larger threat. That with a little understanding we all might just get along. Yes, the basic structure of the movie is an old one, and some of the characters are stock, but when done this well, I’d still accept just about any message it had to deliver.

Movie Grade: A-

Rated PG for sequences of intense action and some scary images, and brief mild language.

Directing: Dean DeBlois & Chris Sanders
Writing: Cressida Cowell (story), Dean DeBlois (screenplay), Adam F. Goldberg (writer), Chris Sanders (screenplay), and Peter Tolan (writer)

How to Train Your Dragon is one of the year’s best surprises. A 3-D animated film with a lot of heart, “Dragon” also manages to slip in a message about tolerance and friendship without cracking skulls while doing it.

You may have heard the line before – “It’s not just for kids” – but in this case it’s very true.

The film is so well written that it resonates with any viewer, And when you add sparkling animation, seamless 3-D and a good solid story the audience comes out the real winner.

How to Train Your Dragon gets an A and is rated PG.