How to Train Your Dragon is a classic story of a coming of age boy vying for the acceptance of his peers and father; Hiccup is a teenager growing up in a colony of Vikings, but unlike all of the other teens in this colony, Hiccup is skinny, weak, and amazingly clumsy. The Vikings see him as a burden to his father, the Viking leader and the best dragon slayer in the entire village.

The story truly begins when Hiccup shoots down a Night Fury, a dragon that “never misses”. This dragon has never been seen before, but leaves devastation in its wake. When he find the dragon in the forest tangled up in his net Hiccup finds that he cannot bear to kill the creature. After hundreds of years of war between Vikings and dragons, he is the first Viking that will not, or could not kill a dragon. After befriending the dragon, he realizes that they are not as frightening as the Vikings make them, they are just as afraid of humans, as humans are afraid of their kind.

A main theme of this movie is understanding others and that not everything that seems scary is deserving of that harsh emotion.

The voicing is perfect, and the animation will easily capture the attention of the audience. Each character has been well thought out and blends together to make a wonderful story; although the critters in this movie aren’t as cute and cuddly as in other films, they each provide an important aspect to the reoccurring theme of understanding the thoughts and feelings of others, even if those others are frightening.

Many people say that animals are just as afraid of humans as humans are of them, and that is another important concept in this film.

With so many themes, this movie provides learning to the younger audience and insight to the older audience,and the ideas implied through the script are universal. Children as well as parents and even teens will be able to enjoy this movie. With a score of 97% on Rotten Tomatoes and high ratings on many other sites, it is clear that this film is worth the hour and a half taken out of your day.