How to Train Your Dragon

Thames is an incredible actor and this felt like a role he was meant to play.

To my own surprise, I liked the new version of How to Train Your Dragon about as much as I do its ancestor. Both, to me, are above-average bits of children’s entertainment that struggle with the same problems.

...what’s the point of going from animation to live action if not to bring the story closer to the real world?

It may be completely unnecessary but this live action remake is still a great story. The story is heartwarming, the visuals are exciting, and the themes of courage used for a deeper understanding are still worthy.

“How to Train Your Dragon,” in any form, remains one of our most heartening tales.

The adaptation moves along smoothly and confidently, but rarely manages to surprise.

It’s long enough to get the story across without overstaying its magic. There are slapstick giggles for the young, and sly adult fare for the perpetually twelve. It doesn’t skimp on the flying or action, and you won’t feel cheated by the climax.

Overall, apart from a few wobbly non important contextual plot points but in essence, HTTYD live action has the same beating heart of the original animation.

It doesn’t surpass the animated original, but it respects it, honors it, and delivers cinematic magic where it counts.

The latest example of tracer cinema may have terrific FX and Gerard Butler bringing some needed emotion, but Mason Thames is painfully miscast and the whole enterprise is a reminder that animation and reality are different entities with different demands.