In order to explain why I feel so strongly about this next movie I must put it in context to my situation. For several years (and the past few months in particular), I’ve been going through kind of a rough patch. I really identified with the characters in the movie because I see a little bit of myself in some of them, especially the main character and especially the main character at the end of the story.
You see, coping with disability is one of the themes in How to Train Your Dragon. It’s subtle enough that you might miss it if you’re not looking out for it, but it’s definitely there and it’s especially evident in the movie’s final scenes.
This is the kind of movie that is has two layers. On the surface, it’s a story about a boy and his dragon. On a deeper level, the movie is about overcoming adversity when you are differently able. I’ll give one example and I’m sorry, but it’s a spoiler. It’s a minor spoiler, so you can read it. The dragon the boy befriends can’t fly properly after a fall that destroyed one of its tail fins. The boy creates a prosthetic for the dragon and, in the process of perfecting the prosthetic, the bond between them strengthens. Another example (I’ll keep it vague): At the end of the movie, the main character takes a major setback in stride and it didn’t come off as unrealistic.
This movie was touching, funny, and inspirational. (Plus I saw it in IMAX 3D and the effects were very cool.) I give How to Train Your Dragon a rating of -9.5 on the B.E. scale.
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