What Do The Critics Say?

"Weaning itself entirely from the gimmicks of stereoscopic 3D, "Dragon" makes dazzling use of the format, particularly during high-flying dragon rides." VARIETY "Dreamworks may have topped itself with How To Train Your Dragon, an exciting, fun and sensationally entertaining movie for everyone." BOX OFFICE MAGAZINE "How to Train Your Dragon takes its audience on a fire-breathing, dipping, diving ride and never looks back." CINEMA BLEND "Where this highly appealing comedy adventure really excels is with awesome visuals that rival Avatar's." RADIO TIMES "It's a thrilling action-adventure saga with exhilarating 3-D animation, a clever comedy with witty dialogue." USA TODAY "A soaring, endearing adventure feature that plays smart and fierce. Now stop giving your money to Tim Burton's wheezy imagination and see something with genuine magic. An actual, effective, multi-dimensional wonderland." BRIAN ORNDORF "Based on Cressida Cowell's children's book, Dreamworks, the studio that warmed our hearts with Shrek, has created a tangible reality in which the mindset of its inhabitants who live in the "Meridien of Misery" is to slay the dragons at any cost." Louise Keller URBAN CINEFILE

"Beautifully animated CGI adventure for youngsters has dragons and Vikings and characters with names like Snotlout." FILM JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL "It's a flick full of adrenaline, and it rushes straight for the heart." ERICDSNIDER "Fanciful family fun with lots of heart." SSG SYNDICATE "A rousing adventure for families, but it's the animation that truly makes the film fly higher than others in the genre." CHRISTIANITY TODAY "Tenderness, beauty and exhilaration are the movie’s great strengths." NEW YORK TIMES "Full of wonder, charm and dragons not doubling as stand-up comics." METRO TIMES "DreamWorks has created a state of the art family movie with a young hero and all the exotic elements of a fairy tale that seems far removed from our daily life.Produced with all the elements that make a movie easy to absorb and with all the signposts that give audiences clues as to how to respond to the various characters." Andrew L Urban URBAN CINEFILE

The Inside Story From the studio that brought you "Shrek", "Madagascar" and "Kung Fu Panda" comes "How to Train Your Dragon", an adventure comedy set in the mythical world of burly Vikings and wild fire-breathing dragons, based on the book by Cressida Cowell. It was nearly six years ago when the book series of British author Cressida Cowell came to the attention of creative executives at DreamWorks Animation. With an established reputation for taking small but well-respected titles and spinning them into box office success, it didn’t take more than a Norse minute for them to see the cinematic potential in the exploits of a scrawny kid named Hiccup trying to find his niche in the brawny world of Vikings. "If you’re writing about Vikings and Dragons it has got to be something that is going to be on a grand scale," says author Cowell. "I was incredibly excited when DreamWorks expressed interest in the books, as I knew they could do the movie on a scale that I could barely even imagine!" Coming off of her success of the DreamWorks suburban adventure comedy "Over the Hedge", it also didn’t take long for producer Bonnie Arnold to become interested in the newly acquired property. She kept her eye on the project as it bubbled its way through the development process, and when DreamWorks Animation co-president of production Bill Damaschke asked her what she wanted to work on next, she chose "How to Train Your Dragon". For Arnold, one of the biggest challenges as a producer was taking an established world like the one created in Cowell’s books and adapting it into a full-length feature film. "We wanted to make the film a big event, a real action-adventure with great characters that would be appealing to a broad audience," Arnold explained. "In all our other movies, the main characters are adults or animals, but in this film, we have a teenager as our hero and that is a new direction for the studio. Hiccup’s personality and his interactions with the dragons and the different personalities of the Vikings are the basis for the humor in the story, versus humor that is more satire or topical. It’s got adventure and humor and heart, the elements were all there, but we just needed a strong writing/directing team to help shape it." To helm the project, the studio turned to Oscar® nominated writer/director Chris Sanders and writer/director Dean DeBlois. For Sanders, the attraction to Hiccup’s tale was immediate: "I think the story inside this story is one of emotional depth, which I thought was exciting, but what piqued my interest were the flying sequences. For a very long time, I have wanted to do a film that somehow involved creatures, people or superheroes flying. When sanders read an early version of the story, his immediate thought was, "Oh, my gosh! We can take that to places that you’ve never been before!" Writer/director Dean DeBlois remembers Sanders calling him on a weekend right after 2001 BAFTA Children's Award winner Jeffrey Katzenberg ("Shrek") had talked to him. "He mentioned that ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ was something that was really in my wheelhouse, specifically, a teenaged protagonist in a larger than life fantasy action-adventure. And that’s really something that I am drawn to: those are the stories that I write. I immediately was engaged and I read the book. I could see a lot of potential for what could be, and working with Chris again just sounded like an exciting thing." While the book picks up at a point where dragons have become integrated into the Vikings societal structure, the filmmakers saw that taking the timeline back a few years would prove to be key. Arnold explained, "In terms of storytelling, I think our breakthrough was crafting an origin story." And what was the origin story? "How Hiccup and his relationship with a dragon named Toothless really changed his world," says Arnold. "It was this story we wanted to tell, about how he started the relationship between the Vikings and the dragons that led to the adventures in the books, the ones that we hear about, and know and love." Cowell’s books were loosely based on the author’s childhood experiences spent on a remote, uninhabited island off of the west coast of Scotland. Without roads, houses or electricity, it was the ideal setting for a young Cowell’s imagination to run wild, the backdrop that would later provide a foundation for the world of Vikings and dragons in her stories. It wasn’t much of a stretch to see herself in the scrappy Viking-in-training named Hiccup, with a chief named Stoick for a father. Yet even though Hiccup is as far from the standard Viking physique as one can get, he still yearns and tries to become a fighter in a society of warriors. "Vikings are tough, with a code and a creed," Sanders explained. "Fighting is second nature to them. If you’re a Viking, you just don’t back down from a fight: you’re physically strong, you’re brave, you don’t flinch." That perspective helped the filmmakers shape the motivation and personality of Hiccup into that of a teenager realizing his own potential. Head of story Alessandro Carloni ("Shark Tale" & "Kung Fu Panda") offered: "There were many inspiring qualities in the book that we wanted to incorporate into the film. There was definitely a lot of charm in how the author described the everyday life of Vikings." Sanders and Deblois first animated collaboration was writing and directing together on 2005's, "Lilo & Stitch". "We seemed to connect on the same sorts of ideas," states DeBlois. "We can arrive at the same end result, but we come at it from different perspectives. We have a good working relationship. For us, the trick is to be hard on the story and test it for weakness, but not go too far and end up with a movie that’s lost its delicate parts. You want to craft a tale that makes sense, but still retains its surprises and magic." When it comes to casting those who voice animated characters, Arnold says, "The most important quality of an actor in animation, is his ability to portray something in his voice." That was a big point when it came to the charcter Hiccup. "The thing I like so much about Hiccup is that his perceived liabilities: his smarts and his offbeat viewpoint, become his greatest assets," Arnold says. "We root for Hiccup. That quality comes through in spades in Jay Baruchel. He’s smart, he’s funny, and a little bit off-center in his humor." "It’s just so much fun to work with Jay, because he really does bring your lines to life. And its more than that, he really inhabits his scenes," Sanders relates. "Showing him your material is like showing it to Hiccup himself. While we’re recording Jay would often pause and say, 'I think he’d say it more like this,' and then take another run at it. Sure enough, it would always sound more comfortable." For DeBlois, Baruchel not only sounds like what Hiccup should sound like, he brought to mind certain characteristics of him: "Jay himself kind of embodies a lot of what Hiccup is. He has a trim build, is very quick-witted, and very intelligent, and he brings that to the character, so that the lines that come out of Hiccup feel very genuine." So, if the slight Baruchel ("She's Out of My League") is voicing Hiccup, it makes perfect sense that an imposing actor, one that could believably sound like a Nordic commander in chief, would voice Stoick. How about the former King of Sparta? The man who rallied three hundred Spartans to the defend a nation against a massive invasion? "Gerry Butler became more well-known with his role in "300", and we looked at that film and thought, 'Oh, my gosh, that is our Stoick.' He’s got this great big booming voice that has to fill this giant of a man," Arnold says. "We invited Gerry in to meet and show him what we had on the movie, and he was very interested and excited." 2007 MTV Movie Award winner Butler ("300"), came loaded with great work experience. "I’m very fortunate in that I’ve played a Viking before, and I’ve played a lot of these kinds of characters. I played Attila the Hun, I’ve done a movie set in the medieval period, so I’ve also used swords and shields and spears. As well as playing Leonidas (in "300"), I’ve actually made a movie in Iceland: I was there for three months playing Beowulf, maybe the most famous Viking story of all time, who was also pitted against a monster like we have in this movie." "I think the most important conversation we had with any of the actors was a conference call we had with Gerard Butler a few days before we recorded him," DeBlois recalls. That initial phone call with Butler provided the directors with additional insights into the character of Stoick and was a turning point in the development of the film. The filmmakers were also incredibly lucky to welcome the talents of America Ferrera, an actress whom DreamWorks Animation’s Jeffrey Katzenberg had been courting to join in on a project since her TV series, "Ugly Betty," had become a national phenomenon. And the character of Astrid, the most promising Viking teen on the island, was a great part. "The character of Astrid, who’s voiced by America Ferrera, didn’t exist in the original book," Bonnie Arnold ("Dances with Wolves") revealed. "Astrid’s not playing any games, you know, she’s there to be a good Viking and learn how to defeat dragons," says Golden Globe winner Ferrera. "She’s that girl on the reality show, who shows up and says, 'I’m not here to make any friends. I’m here to win.' It was fun to get to play her: she’s not mean, and if she’s scared, she just channels it into productivity." As far as the others participating with Hiccup and Astrid in Dragon Training, while they may understand their foe, they certainly can’t handle them: yet. Along for the ride are characters who are aptly named: Snotlout, played by Jonah Hill; Fishlegs, voiced by Christopher Mintz-Plasse; and the warring warrior twins Ruffnut (Kristen Wiig) and Tuffnut (T.J. Miller). "They’re all teenagers, but they couldn’t be more different from Hiccup," says Arnold. "Snotlout, Fishlegs and Tuffnut are actually characters from the books; but, again, we thought more female characters were needed, so we gave Tuffnut a twin, Ruffnut. And they look so much alike that it’s sometimes hard to tell them apart." It didn’t hurt that both Wiig and Miller are more than adept at comedy, with the chameleon-like Wiig and the stand-up Miller often veering off-page and discovering ad-libbed gems. "I think that doing sketch comedy and voicing an animated character are very similar," Wigg, who played Maggie Mayhem in 2009's "Whip It" notes. "Watching these two record," says DeBlois, "was a great opportunity. They’re both hilarious. They have such a great vibe, and you feel that they are actually brother and sister, but are constantly at each other’s throats. I mean, it just reminds me of growing up with my sisters!" "I did do a little bit of Viking research," say T.J. Miller ("Cloverfield"). "If I wore headwear, it would have horns on it." "The pairing of Christopher as Fishlegs and Jonah Hill as Snotlout is perfect," DeBlois ("Atlantis: The Lost Empire") said. "Having seen "Superbad", I knew that these two guys were great together, and I think they’re both hilarious." What's The Storyline?

Viking teenager Hiccup, lives on the Island of Berk, where fighting dragons is a way of life. The teen’s rather progressive views and offbeat sense of humor don’t sit too well with his tribe or its chief: who just happens to be Hiccup’s father, Stoick the Vast. He envisages his son taking over his mantle as a fearless leader and dragon fighter. When Hiccup is included in Dragon Training with the other Viking teens: Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, and twins Ruffnut and Tuffnu; he is given a chance to prove he has what it takes to be a fighter. Whoever survives training will slay a dragon in front of the whole village. But when he encounters (and ultimately befriends) an injured dragon, his world is flipped upside down. What started out as Hiccup’s one shot to prove himself turns into an opportunity to set a new course for the future of the entire tribe. It's a future that doesn't impress his father, who disowns him.

The Verdict "It only gets better for Dreamworks who have hit the jackpot with "How To Train Your Dragon", a film that will entertain cinemagoers of all ages. Highly imaginative with stunning 3D, the film soars to new heights when it comes to spectacular animation and CGI effects. The flight scenes involving Hiccup and the Night Fury dragon almost defy imagination. They are both exhilirating and spectacular. Directors Dean DeBlois & Chris Sanders first met when they worked on Disney's "Mulan". The two made their debut collaboration writing and directing together on the Oscar ® nominated, "Lilo & Stitch." Unmissable! Extremely Entertaining. 5 STARS." Who's Playing Who?

Jay Baruchel Gerard Butler Craig Ferguson America Ferrera Jonah Hill Christopher Mintz-Plasse T.J. Miller Kristen Wiig Robin Atkin Downes Philip McGrade Kieron Elliott Ashley Jensen

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Hiccup Stoick the Vast Gobber Astrid Snotlout Fishlegs Tuffnut Ruffnut Ack Starkard Hoark the Haggard Phlegma the Fierce

The Production Team

Directors Story Writers Screenplay Produced Original Music Film Editor Production Designer Art Direction

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Dean DeBlois & Chris Sanders Cressida Cowell Adam F Goldberg & Peter Tolan Dean DeBlois & Chris Sanders Bonnie Arnold John Powell Maryann Brandon Kathy Altieri Pierre-Olivier Vincent

Run Time 98 minutes Rated PG [AUST] Copyright ©2010 - Dreamworks - All Rights Reserved ©1999-2010 The Movie Pages & impact Internet Services. All Rights Reserved. Protected by Australian and International Copyright. Trademark Laws and Intellectual Property Rights apply.