In theory, Pixar and the Dreamworks animation studio are competing with each other. You know, the same way that the “Harry Potter” books compete with the “Twilight” series, or that Dr. Pepper competes with Dr. Thunder, or that “MAD” magazine competed with “Cracked” back when anyone cared about either of them. They both serve the same function, but most people would only choose the latter when the former isn’t available.
Still, that doesn’t mean that animated Dreamworks films have to be bad. Case in point: “Kung Fu Panda,” starring Jack Black as the titular panda. Sounded like a pretty stupid concept to me, but actually turned out to be a thoroughly enjoyable film. “How to Train Your Dragon” isn’t at that level of quality, but it’s at least better than the insufferable “Ice Age” series.
The “you” in the title refers to Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel), a scrawny teenager in a Viking village full of bearded, burly behemoths. Hiccup wants to participate in the battles his town is forced to wage against marauding dragons, but he’s too much of a weakling to accomplish much beyond getting in his compatriots’ way. Then one night he manages to take down a mysterious “Night Fury” dragon with a homemade catapult. When he goes to check on the beast he finds that it is too injured to fly away on its own, and too docile to kill Hiccup when it gets the chance. A bond begins to form between the two. Could this cute, doe-eyed dragon (nicknamed Toothless) be the key to the village’s salvation?
Although this is a fine premise, none of the film’s characters are all that intriguing. Hiccup is a standard wisecracking, mensch-y lead, complete with an overbearing father figure (Gerard Butler) and a bland love interest (America Ferrera) who looks like she stepped out of a Disney Channel sitcom. (The fact that Ferrera’s character is animated to look as Aryan as possible seems kind of offensive at first, but this is, after all, a movie about Vikings.) The plot proceeds predictably, with a lame twist in the middle that makes it too easy for everyone to all just get along.
The imagery, however, is impressive, perhaps due partly to the presence of famed cinematographer Roger Deakins as visual consultant. The soaring rides Hiccup takes on Toothless’s back were thrilling and immersive in the 2D print I saw, so I imagine that they would be even better in 3D. They’re also reminiscent of “Avatar,” but there’s nothing wrong with re-doing a good scene well. The dragons themselves err on the cartoony side, but some of them are threatening enough to provide a few fairy-tale thrills.
Most importantly, “Dragon” avoids the most irritating pitfalls of Dreamworks animation. The cast is stocked with celebrities–in addition to Baruchel, Butler and Ferrara the roster features Craig Ferguson, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Kristen Wiig–but for the most part these familiar voices don’t call undue attention to themselves. The humor is drawn from the interactions of the characters rather than supposedly witty pop culture references. The story, despite its limitations, will be identifiable for young people, as opposed to the mid-life crises that seem to be the fodder for too many modern “kids’” movies.
Don’t get me wrong; “Dragon” isn’t about to knock “Up” off its pedestal. If you’re thirsty enough, though, sometimes a Dr. Thunder can really hit the spot.
