Monday, April 9, 2012

How To Train Your Dragon

“This is Berk. It snows nine months out of the year, and hails the other three. What little food grows here is tough and tasteless. The people that grow here, even more so. The only upsides are the pets. While other places have ponies, or parrots… we have dragons.”

That's how the film opens up. And boy does Berk ever have dragons. Ever since I was a kid, I've been fascinated by them. I thought (wrongly) that they could never be reinvented. That dragons were a thing to be respected and feared. I probably got that from playing Dungeons & Dragons. But I just couldn't envision the cute, interesting, and fascinating variety of the ones that are in this movie. And I was pleasantly surprised. It worked. And it worked well. But honestly, what boy doesn't like dragons? I'd say they're pretty popular with girls too...provided that they aren't being sacrificed to them.
Here's what the author said about her dragons and it's a lesson to all of us writers that even the most jaded of creatures, the most overdone, from vampires to werewolves to mermaids and beyond can be reinvented. You just have to get out of the box and think about what it is that you want to do. Then you need to write about it before someone else does.

‎”The dragons I would write about would not be the rather generalized, big, green things that I had read about in storybooks. What I wanted to create was a multiplicity of different dragon species, of all shapes and sizes, adapted to their environment and habitats in the same way as birds or other animals we see today.” 

             - Cressida Cowell, author of How To Train Your Dragon
And then there is Hiccup. He is a stand in for every awkward, non-athletic boy who wanted desperately to fit-in and just never could. This is the boy with the overbearing father who is unsupportive of a son's endeavors because there is only one correct path to follow in life. This is the kind of father who looks at his son, decides with great disappointment that his boy cannot follow this one correct path, and then sets out to makes sure that they live the most mediocre of lives. The angry man. The drunk man. The selfish man. The man that should never have had kids.
But to this, Hiccup says, “Winter in Berk lasts most of the year.. And hangs on with both hands and won’t let go. And the only real comfort against the cold are those you keep close to your heart. I gave my best friend a pretty great gift.. but he gave me a better one.”
I wish I had a pet dragon when I was a kid. That would have been so cool. Well at least I have the series slated to come out on Cartoon Network this fall. Check out the preview for it below.

41 comments:

  1. I love, love this film. Seen it many times. The part where Hiccup touches Toothless for the first time always makes my heart skip a beat. "Excuse me, barmaid, I'm afraid you brought me the wrong offspring..." XD So many great lines in this movie too. Thanks for the post.

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  2. We absolutely love this film too. We're mad on dragons here. Plus we think that Toothless looks a lot like our cat Neko!

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  3. Loved the movie but people who read the book gave it terrible reviews. I could watch it over and over.

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  4. I haven't seen this. The commercials and clips look great.

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  5. Thought the film was great - should've won Best Animated Film that year on originality alone. And they are working on a sequel!

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  6. Loved the movie. I had no idea they were doing something for the cartoon network. Cool.

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  7. No commercial TV, so no Cartoon Network BUT I love Hiccup and Dragons.

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  8. it was my fave film last year! Dragons are my fave animals :) the good ones off course. My people actually have a rich history of dragons in poems, tradition and legends, and unlike English lg, Serbian has at least four different words for dragons :)

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  9. Dragons are weird. I mean flying lizards that breathe fire? It's crazy. Yet there are dragons in pretty much every culture, or so I've heard.

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  10. I hope the TV show is just as good! I grew up loving dragons too. I'd doodle them on my notebooks and stuff.

    My favorite was Pete's Dragon, Elliot. He was kinda like the Marry Poppins of the flying dragon kind.

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  11. How to Train a Dragon is such a classic. My kids love this movie and so do I. Great life lessons in this one.

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  12. Am i dumb that i didn't know about the cartoon network series? Yes? Yes.
    I can't watch videos on my work PC, but i'll make sure to catch it later

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  13. I never wanted a dragon as a child but I think that movie was wonderful.

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  14. I'm pretty much completely ashamed that I didn't know this was a book first.

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  15. I'm psyched for the second movie. It's gonna be awesome. Dragons are fun in any story, but especially when they aren't bad guys.

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  16. This was such a cute movie. We also have a book, that doesn't seem to be based on the movie, about how to train a dragon and all the dragon types.

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  17. Aww! How to Train Your Dragon is just the cutest film. I love dragons too, but I think it might have something to do with my love of dinosaurs as well. :)

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  18. Loved this movie. I'm saddened when parents look for carbon copies of themselves. I hope there were parents out there who took a lesson from this movie. It wasn't just for kids.

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  19. I LOVE this movie. Absolutely love it! They made it so much fun and I love that things can be reinvented. That's so important to remember. Great post Michael!

    And thanks for your fun comment on my post today. I always love hearing from you :)

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  20. A TV series? Oh, I can't tell my son that. Not unless they stream it on the Website.

    The movie is fabulous. I haven't read any of the books, though.

    Erin

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  21. I heard good things about this movie from one of my observatory friends. I haven't seen it yet though. I'll have to remedy that.

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  22. I think everyone likes dragons. I've been meaning to see this movie. Good to know it's morth watching.

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  23. I think everyone likes dragons. I've been meaning to see this movie. Good to know it's morth watching.

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  24. Dezzy recommended this to me, and I've got it on my Netflix list. Looks adorable. I love dragons. :))

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  25. This movie totally exceeded my expectations. I loved every bit of it and never get tired of seeing it again and again.

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  26. I definitely luuurve dragons. I came to it late in life though--not sure why I never encountered books with them early. Not sure why that is. I love the variety though, too. And the books with the dragons bonding with their people.

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  27. I've got to see this movie. I've only heard good things. And yes, girls like dragons too. :) I recently saw the COOLEST dragon at the top of the White Tower in the Tower of London - he was made all of weapons.

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  28. Yep yep... love dragons. My very first real idea for a novel was about a dragon. Or, rather, about a man that found a dragon. I still think it's a good story.
    I wonder what I did with that draft...

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  29. As usual, I haven't seen this movie, but it sounds like a lot of fun. The author is smart in her approach to creating the characters.

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  30. Looks like something I would enjoy! Sounds like lots of fun with appealing characters.

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  31. I so love this movie. It's on the list of my favorite movies of all time. I can watch it over and over and over...

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  32. Dragons are cool. I can't get enough. I definitely have had enough vampires and werewolves to last me a while (in movies and books).

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  33. You wanted a dragon, I wanted a flying horse like Pegasus. But now that I see dragons in more movies and stories I've realized how wonderful they are.

    LOL! I just now remembered how in grade school we learned "Puff the Magic Dragon." Loved that song.

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  34. I love this movie. I wish I hadn't waited so long after the release date to watch it!

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  35. I believe dragons existed. They simply evolved into bats.

    Dragons are what started my love for writing. My very first story was about a dragon. That was my whole idea. A story about a dragon. XD No wonder I never finished.

    I still haven't seen this movie.

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  36. Crap. Another thing I haven't seen ;)

    It's been on in the background of our house, but I've tuned it out having been writing or whatnot. Must. Watch. Now. I told you, Michael, you're my "go-to" guy with any book or film! :D

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  37. I loved this film. My boys and I watch it on occasion at home. My little one still asks me if Dragons are real. It's such a great movie. I'm so excited, I have your book on my Kindle ready to take to RT with me tomorrow. I hope I can find some time to read while I'm away.

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  38. I've never seen this, but I've heard only good things about it. I should probably find the book at least.

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  39. You only have to have read The Dragon Riders of Pern to know how totally a girl can fall in love with dragons :) Lessa was every bit as engaging as Jaxom.

    I've been reading through your last few posts - being on blogger break has it drawbacks. Your sensitivity and lovely thoughts continually hearten me Michael.

    .....dhole

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  40. Animated movies seem to be much better than the live action stuff these days.

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  41. Toothless is so adorable. I didn't realise that there was a series too, shall have to check it out :)


    Jamie
    Fellow A-Z Bloggy Buddy
    Mithril Wisdom

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