Backstage

| Friday April 23, 2010 00:00

How To Train Your Dragon (2010) is now being showing at the New Capitol Cinemas. It is the latest from DreamWorks Animation following on their previous serial hits, Shrek, Madagascar and Kung Fu Panda (Mmegi, August 15 2008).

'Our Dragon is both innovative and repetitive. Most of what it contains you'll wonder, 'Haven't I seen this before'.It is a Viking tale set in old Iceland, a place you have been to in a variety of films like Journey To The Centre Of The Earth (2008). Then there was Beowulf (Mmegi, 21st December 2007), which was also about the old world. One expects Asterix to show up to greet his Viking friends, but he doesn't.

This strange, ancient world of Vikings and a multitude of flying dragons are derived from a children's book by British author Cressida Cowel. It features a boy, who after 300 years of Viking settlement on the remote island of Berk, says, 'I was the first Viking who wouldn't kill a dragon'. So why is he a reluctant cannibal?

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III (voice of Jay Baruchel) is slim and tall, and though he aspires to be like his giant, burly father, Stoick (voice of Gerard Butler), who is the village's chief and leads them in their dragon slaying. Dragons are the external enemies of his people. The Vikings believe their survival depends on eliminating the dragons. The dragon master is Cobber (voice of Craig Ferguson). Every adolescent Viking learns how to kill a dragon. Becoming an adult is dependent on being a successful dragon slayer. Hiccup's father has mixed feelings about his son. He can see that he's a wimp, but he still hopes he will become something. Whatever Hiccup puts his hands too he seems destined to make mistakes.

His father says to him, 'Every time you step outside disaster happens ... stop trying so hard to be something you are not'. The village has a 'rite de passage' called Dragon Training. Both young men and women embark on it.

On the course is the one girl that Hiccup is attracted to, Astrid (voice of America Ferrara). She says to him, 'Our parents life is about to become ours ... figure out which side you are on'.

They are instructed to study a Book of Dragons with illustrations, descriptions and warnings. The page for Night Fury is marked 'Unknown'. No one has ever seen one. But Hiccup has. The warning in the book is, 'Never engage one'. Hiccup has. When Hiccup tested his launcher using a multiple weighted net, he thinks he has caught something, but it has escaped in the dark of night. Or has it?

Hiccup works in his father's forge, but he loves drawing and walking in the forest. A hike takes him to a mountain lake where he finds the downed Night Fury wrapped in the ropes he had shot into the sky. Now is his chance to kill a dragon. He raises his dagger at the captive beast, whose eyes plead, and sighs appeal. Hiccup can't do it.

Instead he names the creature Toothless and cuts him free.

When the Night Fury tries to escape he cannot manoeuvre. One of his rudders has been damaged. The innovative Hiccup will find a way to manufacture one in his father's forge. Then the flying lessons will begin - and a true friendship and mutual dependence develop. This is all fascinating, as it is happens, slowly, silently, wondrously.

Hiccup has a way with the beasts, as if he was a Dragon Whisperer. Hiccup realises to his core that he is, 'Not one of them'. How can a pacifist Viking survive in such a violent social system and environment? Perhaps Hiccup will have to become an outcast - difficult when you are on an island surrounded by the ocean.  Hiccup keeps his secret to himself.

He visits Toothless daily, bringing him fish to eat (the dragon regurgitates a piece for Hiccup to consume). He learns that dragons fear snakes, and uses this to his advantage when in his Dragon Training class they get to face real dragons. He learns from Toothless other things that dragons are attracted to. Astrid begins to wonder why suddenly Hiccup has a way with the beasts. Hiccup's real lessons come through Toothless. He says to his black dragon, with yellow eyes, that behaves often like a giant pussycat, 'Everything we know about you guys is wrong'. But is it too late. Because of his acquired skills in relating to dragons, Hiccup comes first in the class.

He is the one in the arena under a giant dome who has earned the right to confront and kill the most ferocious dragon yet. His father says, 'Today my boy becomes a Viking'. Astrid has discovered Hiccup's secret. Will she keep it? Is this film a lesson from Hollywood on how to deal with so-called 'terrorists'? Part Three of this film takes us to the battle, the first chase, then to the second chase and on into a full war. Can you guess what the outcome will be? This is a film for the young at heart, Viking lovers, dragon lovers, no matter how old you may be.

Note, it does require PG for the little ones-all that fire being thrown about can be scary.  How To Train Your Dragon is one hour and 30 minutes long. It is rated PG.

The directors are Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois who also wrote the script with Will Davies. It is derived from Cressida Cowell's children's book. The art director is Pierre-Olivier Vincent. The production designer is Kathy Altieri. The visual-effects supervisor is Craig Ring and the cinematic consultant is Roger Deakins. E-mail: sasa_majuma@yahoo.co.uk