D&D Dragon stats you say? Well, let me just check my trusty Monster Manual.
We’ll start with Black Dragons. 
As my moniker probably indicates, I take my movies pretty seriously. How to Train Your Dragon is going to make my top ten list this year along with movies like Inception and The Social Network (oh, and Scott Pilgrim). I have had fellow critics sneer at me for thinking so highly about this brilliant film (although they also enjoyed it as well). When asked why, this is what I tell them:
On an intellectual level, HtTYD is about generational change and learning from your mistakes. Emotionally, the film is about a boy who desperately wants to connect to a father who cannot understand him. There is no doubt there is love between these characters, but there are moments of silence that are more devistating than any teenage angst found in other movies. This is a community of thinking and reasonable people who has personality. And the dragons has just as much personality without being cute.
And at the same time, this film isn’t stuffy with intentional artistry. I got lost in this world and its characters. I loved the visual feel that doesn’t put emphasis on realism but character. When we fly with Hiccup and Toothless, we are breathless with excitement. And it leaves wanting more. That is the sign of a truly great film.
You, sir, are a man of taste and discrimination.
I didn’t listen to the part about the movie itself yet since I haven’t seen the movie. Sorry if this is redundant. Cartoon Network announced a How to Train Your Dragon TV series:
http://animatedtv.about.com/b/2010/10/15/how-to-train-your-dragon-will-land-on-tv.htm
And I was really glad to get the heads up on the Sherlock series. Loved the first episode, especially Dr. Watson’s character.
Finally, on the subject of Disney’s The Black Hole: when my family saw it in the theater, the scene where the evil robot kills a guy with his twirling blades disturbed my sister so much that she had to leave the theater. The whole movie seemed very powerful back then.
Then I watched it about a year ago and can report that it is has not aged well. Not just talking about the effects either. My review would be titled, “The Plot Hole.”
[center]May your Halloween be full of GUILDty pleasures!!!
Happy Halloween to the crue and all fellow GWCer’s
:D[/CENTER]
Did anyone else notice Hicup’s Dad’s (Stoick the Vast?) eyes during the final fight between Hiccup/Night Flury and the big Empire Strikes Back asteroid cave creature with wings? Stoick looked scared out of his skull! He was probably both afraid for Hiccup’s safety and in terror-awe over the size of the big dragon.
Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk
Thanks for this arc. Really enjoying it. Saw HtTYD with my 12 yr old nephew and we shared some hearty laughs. It was good to find something that keeps us connected.
Ditto. Can’t wait for this to hit DVD/BluRay on the 9th. Gonna pick it up and consider inviting friends over for a screening. 
Cool another fan of cinema! Good breakdown of HtTYD, though to be honest, while I enjoyed the film, it (as well as Scott Pilgrim) just barely won’t be making my top ten (Black Swan and Never Let Me Go impressed me a lot more).
I still have six more slots and those two are already on my radar, especially Black Swan. But those four a definates because they didn’t just reach me on intellectual levels, but bore into me where most films don’t touch. HtTYD on its own merits goes beyond all animated films in the last two years (yeah, I said it. Toy Story 3 wasn’t as good.)
I agree - Toy Story 3 was no where near as good. As far as the two I mentioned, Never let me go is the better of the two (but that is sorta like saying Citizen Kane is a smidgen better than Casablanca). I had the pleasure of watching it at a test screening back in January and recently saw the final release two weeks ago here in NYC. It is astounding.
Oh and please do join in on the Dystopian thread!
Of course I will join in on the dystopian conversation. But my disappointment in Toy Story 3 was the fact that Pixar told this story better in Toy Story 2. Lotso took Pete’s place as the resentful toy and the mood for most of the movie was uneccesarrily depressing. It was like the screenwriters were looking for the most painful things to do to a toy. In a way, it was children’s version of The Bicycle Thief with a dash of Saw.
If anyone is interested, the audio books for the How to Train your Dragon series are great. The narrator is David Tennant (for any Doctor Who fans) who does a great job with voices for all the characters. His voice for stuttering Toothless is especially good. They are available on Itunes and various other locations.
I just finished the podcast. I started last night. But, as the crew started discussing httyd, I felt I had to watch it first before continuing. While browsing for movies, I remembered Sean’s Stitch story (you got me with that story btw, I didn’t tear up or anything but it tugged my heart strings) and grabbed Lilo and Stitch as well.
Wow, I wish I could have watched httyd sooner. Loved Astrid’s slo-mo into. I’ll agree with most of what the crew said.
But, I have to say, as a person with a disability, I was immensely surprised and gratified with the ending. I don’t believe there are enough people with physical disabilities as lead characters. The scene showing Toothless and Hiccups mirror disabilities plus Hiccup’s leg mechanically mating with Toothless’ tail wing control was both explicitly and subtly saying they (the characters) were made for each other.
So, yeah, httyd is now an all-time favorite for me. I’ve watched it twice in 24 hours. Thanks for the push. (:
Lilo and Stitch was a great trip as well. I hadn’t seen it in about 7 years.
Heh. I had to read that several times to parse ‘httyd.’ I thought it was some web protocol I was unaware of.
HyperText Transfer Your Dragon?
Uh… I just copied from what other people did…
Huh, I gotta admit this is not a comment I was expecting. I have not seen the movie and plan to, and this makes me want to see it more.
And is why I love GWC.
I like Toy Story 3 more than you; I think it’s better than the sum of its parts. But I see what you’re saying. My major knock against it (which is minor in my book) is that it’s a genre piece at its core. And, as you said, ultimately it echoes 2, but in a way that’s less glaring that the Shrek movies’ redundant themes. I thought so, anyway.
No doubt that Toy Story 3 is vastly superior to most Dreamworks releases and I still like this installment. But its strange for me to admit that Dreamworks has made a better film this year than Pixar. But it looks like HtTYD is going to be a fluke after the last Shrek movie and Mastermind (the Dr. Horrible remake - in 3D!!!).
Yeah, and I would have totally missed this great movie if not for the crew. So, thanks to them again. (:
YMMV now that we’ve (and I’ve) hyped it up so much though. d: