A hapless young Viking who aspires to hunt dragons becomes the unlikely friend of a young dragon himself, and learns there may be more to the creatures than he assumed.

More and more animated films have been relying on pop culture references and fart jokes to mask the fact the story is lacking. It doesn't make for a necessarily bad film as much as it doesn't make for much of a lasting film. But the filmmakers behind How to Train Your Dragon have gone to the "story and character first" well and come out shining. This is a film that feels all its own with fantastic animation, characters you believe in and a finale that really, really works.

Perhaps the marketing is the film's largest fault, selling it as "from the studio that brought you Shrek, Madagascar and Kung Fu Panda." Of those three Kung Fu Panda is the best comparison in terms of tone and the film's ability to let comedy come naturally rather than forcing it through outrageous characters, and those previously mentioned pop culture references and/or fart jokes. Come to think of it, I don't think there is a fart joke in this entire film, which is a miracle if you ask me.