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Avg. Critic Score: 74 out of 100 Generally favorable reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
8 OK for kids 8+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 91
    Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman

    Rouses you in conventional ways, but it's also the rare animated film that uses 3-D for its breathtaking spatial and emotional possibilities. Read full review

  • 88
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    Who would have thought a fire-breathing monster could be one of the most adorable on-screen critters since Babe? Read full review

  • 80
    Variety |

    A thrilling drama interspersed with amusing comedic elements (rather than the other way around). Read full review

  • 80
    Los Angeles Times | Betsy Sharkey

    There are times the action lags, and when the dialogue falls back on pop cultural references it feels contrived and forced but, mostly, like the mythical creatures at the heart of this tale, the movie soars. Read full review

  • 80
    The New York Times | A.O. Scott

    The reason it deserves to be seen in a theater with special glasses on, rather than slapped on the DVD player when the children are acting up -- lies in those airborne sequences. Read full review

  • 75
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    Works enough miracles of 3-D animation to charm your socks off. Read full review

  • 75
    San Francisco Chronicle |

    The multiply authored screenplay is based very loosely on Cressida Cowell's popular children's books, but it owes just as much to "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial" and the John Lennon songbook. Read full review

  • 75
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    Some movies seem born to inspire video games. All they lack is controllers and a scoring system. How to Train Your Dragon plays more like a game born to inspire a movie. Read full review

  • 75
    Washington Post |

    A briskly paced computer-animated entertainment that uses the format to maximum effect, the way "Avatar" does. Read full review

  • 70
    The Hollywood Reporter | Kirk Honeycutt

    A 3D movie that will intrigue kids and adults alike but might play raggedly in both camps. Read full review

View more reviews for How to Train Your Dragon on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says OK for kids 8+ Thrilling 3-D adventure sends brains-over-brawn message.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this excellent adventure comedy about a clever young Viking includes some fantasy violence and potentially frightening images of dragons which could scare some young movie-goers. The dragons attack the Viking village, causing mass destruction, and in a couple of cases, they cripple characters. There's some mild flirting and two brief kisses between teens, and one bittersweet discussion about a deceased mother (and her armored breast plate, which has been fashioned into two helmets). Because the 3-D effects up the intensity level of the action sequences, easily scared older kids may jump out of their seat in the dragon-fighting scenes. On a positive note, with a strong female character and an honorable, brainy protagonist, kids will learn the value of cooperation, teamwork, and seeing beyond the surface of a situation.
  • Families can talk about what makes Hiccup a misfit. How does having Stoic the Vast for a father make him feel about himself? How is the relationship between Hiccup and his dad portrayed? What changes in their relationship throughout the movie?
  • Astrid looks like a "blond bombshell" type, but she's not the typical pretty blond girl. In what ways does her character rise above stereotypes of unattainable beauty? Is she a good role model for girls?
  • What did you think of the use of 3-D in the movie, especially in the dragon scenes? How did it compare to other 3-D movies? Was anything too scary?
  • Every hero on a journey has some help. Who helps Hiccup? Does he have any mentors or teachers? What about his friends?
The good stuff
  • educationalvalue true2 Educational value: Kids will learn a bit about Vikings and mythology.
  • message true3 Positive messages: Hiccup's actions prove that cooperation and teamwork can be better than competition and animosity. By looking past the superficial, Hiccup discovered that the dragons weren't the blind, ruthless killers his people thought they were, and that training a dragon had far more benefits than killing a dragon. Another important message is that the love between a parent and child is unconditional and not based on whether the child is following in the parent's footsteps. There's also the message that girls and women (the Vikings are surprisingly pro-girl-power) can be tough and fearless too, and that brains can be just as powerful as brawn.
  • rolemodels true3 Positive role models: Hiccup may not look as tough as other Vikings his age, but he's smart and courageous and caring. His eventual popularity and his sacrifice to save his fellow Vikings demonstrate that just because someone looks like a "wimp" doesn't mean much. Astrid is a positive role model for girls. Yes, she's beautiful, but it's not her looks that make her notable. She's tough, hard-working, fearless, and loyal.
What to watch for
  • violence false3 Violence and scariness: Some of the dragons -- particularly in the opening and climactic sequences, along with the dragon training scenes --  are scary looking and cause a lot of destruction. The dragons have burned down homes, killed random characters and maimed a couple of central characters. The huge "queen dragon" is big and imposing and is just as likely to swallow a smaller dragon as she is to crush humans in her way.
  • sex false1 Sexy stuff: Mild flirting and two brief kisses between Astrid and Hiccup.
  • language false1 Language: Exclamations like "Thor almighty!" and "By Odin it was rough" that substitute the word God for the names of  Norse gods. Some mild taunts and insults like "coward" and "useless" and one joke about a "breast hat" (a Viking hat formed from a breast plate). One use of "hell."
  • consumerism false1 Consumerism: Expect lots of branded merchandise to accompany this movie.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false0 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Not an issue
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

Looking for more reviews? Movies.com Critics Say:

Dave White

4.5

Dave White Profile See Dave White's Profile

Worth the uncomfortable 3D glasses. Read full review See Dave White's on MOVIENAME on Movies.com

Jen Yamato

4.5

Jen Yamato Profile See Jen Yamato's Profile

Dragons = They're a Viking's best friend. Read full review See Dave Jen Yamato's on MOVIENAME on Movies.com

Read more movie reviews at Movies.com

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