Though, much to my surprise, the film was actually based on a children's book of the same name by Cressida Cowell. Published in May 2004 by Little, Brown Books for Young readers, the mid-grade board book was released to fantastic reviews by Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and School Library Jounral, among others. I personally missed the boat on this one (tee-hee! Vikings, boats. *nudge nudge wink wink*), but I certainly didn't missed out on all Cowell's brilliant story has to offer movie watchers everywhere.The Dreamworks-animated film was pure genius. I laughed, I cried, I cringed, I bit my nails, and best of all, I was smiling as the finishing credits began to roll. I love when movies do that--suck you in and make you run the gamut of emotions before leaving you perfectly content. Cowell's story was delightful and accessible in its complexity. I'm definitely interested in tracking down a copy of the book to do a little contract and compare with the film.
The script was smart, funny, and flowed so naturally, I never once thought about the fact that it was a script in the first place. The animation and cinematography were perfectly executed and Dreamworks' use of 3-D did everything to enhance the experience (I also saw it in IMAX, which is more expensive, yes, but totally worth it in this case). And of course, the dragons were creative and fun, and Toothless was particularly adorable (even if he kind of resembles Stich, from Disney's 2002 film, "Lilo and Stitch") both in his appearance and behaviors and in his powerful bond with Hiccup.
I highly recommend you splurge and take yourself out to see this one in 3-D. You won't be sorry.
Check out the trailer:
