“Everyone is good at something.” This phrase is one that has been said by loving parents to discouraged children, caring mentors to disheartened students, and understanding friends to downcast pals. There are times that people have to find where they fit and flourish. This could take anywhere from days to weeks to years. People who are very lucky find the thing they are good at early in life, while some don’t discover it until some strange event occurs. Once this talent is found however, the person is changed for the better and seen in a whole new light. For the young protagonist, Hiccup, in the family-friendly animated film, How to Train Your Dragon, he has quite a long road ahead of him to discover this talent.

Hiccup is a young Viking boy (voiced by Jay Baruchel) who is the exact opposite of the everyday Viking. He is skinny, short, weak, and easily intimidated. This keeps a rift between Hiccup and his father Stoik (Gerald Butler) who is also the tribe leader. The only way for a Viking to prove his manhood is to slay a dragon. Dragons come in all shapes in sizes in their land, but they all have one thing in common: they are stealing crops and must be destroyed. Through a series of events that all start with Hiccup trying to impress his father, he befriends a wounded dragon that later is named Toothless. Everything about their friendship is forbidden and against everything the Vikings have been taught to believe, but with determination and courage, can Hiccup show his tribesmen that there is room for dragons and even dragon riders?

This film surprised me. A hesitant attitude towards kids movies is naturally expected for anyone past their teenage years, but this movie certainly knows how to keep the older audience engaged. With explosions, wild dragons, and peg legs, people of all ages will be captivated by the visuals and amount of action. The graphics used for the film were seamless and imaginative. The different species of dragons are all memorable for different reasons, and chances are your child will have a favorite one by the end of the picture. Even though it is just voice acting from the cast, each and every person gave such a wonderful performance. In another life, I would not be surprised to find out that Gerald Butler was a Viking. His booming voice and amazing accent were perfect. Even the smaller voice roles played their parts well and created a vibe that just was perfect for any movie viewer. The plot was also an important and interesting part of the picture. Despite the fact that the “different and misunderstood” films are usually predictable and ho-hum, Dragon knows how to create a unique scenario and interesting characters.

How to Train Your Dragon is rated PG for sequences of intense action and some scary images, and brief mild language. For a younger child, this film can be intense at times with the explosions and angry dragons, but the sight of blood never occurs and the serious violence is usually followed by a comedic act of violence. As Vikings-in-training, it is expected for them to curse and say… “butt munch” and things of that sort, but the language never gets to a ridiculous and uneccisary point. I would most definitely recommend this film to any kid, and kid at heart.

I give How to Train your Dragon five out of five blades of grass. With its witty banter, memorable characters, and heartwarming message, you would think this was a Disney film, but the explosions and crazy dragons definitely make it a Dreamworks piece. People can be good at something, and movies can be good too, and this one was definitely great.