Dreamwork’s have obviously looked at Disney who have been milking their
animated films for everything they’re worth and thought we could have a
piece of that pie. But unlike Disney, with most of their animated films
containing fantasy characters, Shrek, Madagascar etc, Dreamwork’s haven’t a
lot to play with. The one animated film that they have milked in the past
with theme park rides, sequels etc is How to Train Your Dragon.
If you’re a fan of the 2010 original then you’re going to enjoy this live
action remake (calling it live action might be stretching it given that
nearly everything other the human cast is CGI generated) as it sticks to
the original’s storyline like glue.
In the off chance you’re not familiar with How to Train Your Dragon the
story involves a bunch of Vikings, who live on the rugged island of Berk
where they’ve been bitter enemies of dragons for generations. Chief of the
Vikings is Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler, reprising his voice role from the
animated franchise) who has a son called Hiccup (a terrific Mason Thames)
who is not as enthusiastic about killing dragons as his father.
Defying centuries of tradition Hiccup befriends Toothless, a feared Night
Fury dragon and the pair form a bond that might just prove that dragons
might not be the threat that the Vikings believe they are.
With a terrific supporting cast, led by Nico Parker and Nick Frost, How to
Train Your Dragon is every bit as wonderful as the original animated
version and should delight both fans of the original and those visiting the
story for the first time.
Highly recommended
