"How to Traiin Your Dragon"

I loved this film when I saw it with my son and granddaughter in the theatre. I knew after watching it that I wanted to own it. I've waited for the October 15th DVD Release date for months. Yesterday I purchased the last copy at our local Target. It was on sale. Somehow my world is a bit more complete.

So far, I have watched the movie all the way through once. After that I watched the movie all the way through with the Commentary. Now I'm watching the shorts about the making of the movie. I am a Film Geek and proud of it.

The movie first caught my eye because Hiccup, the main character, looks a bit like my son. Hiccup's personality and place in his world even reminds me a bit of my son.

Night Fury and all the Dragons certainly caught my attention. Who doesn't like Dragons?

Then there were the Vikings. Well, being an overtly proud Norwegian; of course, I needed to see this film.

Astrid is a strong girl, so taking my granddaughter to see this movie became important. It was the second film that we went to together.

Our first film was "The Princess and the Frog." Taking my granddaughter to that film had its own special significance.

I love both movies for their beauty and the important messages that are contained in both of them. The stories really aren't that different if you really analyze them; their both about young people coming into their own and more. "How to Train Your Dragon" delivers its messages in such a fun and seamless manner that it's mind-boggling to imagine how packed it is; how much is contained in less than two hours. If I was a teacher, I would show this movie to my class just to have the discussion about what they got out of it. I suppose it goes without saying that it doesn't hurt that this transformational story is told through the Vikings, either.

Craig Ferguson, Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, and all the other actors who do the voice-overs are fantastic. The animation and lack of dialogue is something worth noting, too, of course. All the words in the movie are there for a reason, and this is called "good writing."

After watching the movie and listening to the commentary, I have to mention the "niceness" factor. Niceness has become paramount in my life these days. I'm all about being nice. Nice may be my new favorite word replacing love, but we'll see. I aspire to work with nice people and create niceness in the world. It is my prime objective. I have transformed into a nicer person over the years, and I'd like the whole world to become nicer. It is my selfish dream to make this happen somehow. Haven't really got a clue on how to do this, but maybe promoting this film is one way. I mean, couldn't we all use a little tender loving care? Niceness is not to be associated with being a doormat, either. It's just that there are ways that niceness can aid in solving problems. It's a tool that is under-used. I'm working to change that.

Lastly, I have to mention that I fell in love with Night Fury because of the creature that he is modeled after. Actually, many of the Dragons have elements of this creature, and it works so well for me. I won't spoil it, in case you haven't seen the film; but I will say that Night Fury's physicality and emotive qualities have given me new appreciation for these real-life creatures and the people who love them. In fact, this too reminds me of my son and a certain dear, departed, old friend. Then again, I am also reminded of another dear, departed old friend and two very much alive friends.

Well, that's it for today's post. I have officially watched all the movie and all the Special Features once through. I'm off to watch the movie again. Oh, and when I say "watch", well, I know how to multitask; so I've been doing other things, too, like have a phone interview for a part-time job as an Administrative Coordinator for a Physical Therapy Rehabilitation clinic.

Rent this movie, or better yet, buy it. It really is worth seeing and enjoying many times over.