How to Train Your Dragon

Leaving aside the wonders of computer animation and digital 3-D, there’s something comforting in the familiarity of this likable kids’ movie. If we tell you that the hero is young Viking Hiccup (Baruchel, whose voice so perfectly captures early puberty that you can almost hear the acne), you’ll be able to work out that, like all heroes of kids’ movies, he doesn’t quite fit in, which in this case means he’s better at inventing things than he is at fighting the dragons that plague his people. You’ll be less than shocked to hear that his father, Stoick (Butler, thankfully allowed to milk his Scottish brogue rather than hide it), just doesn’t understand his awkward kid. You’ll take in stride the idea that Hiccup befriends a dragon and realizes that the Vikings have things all wrong.

DeBlois and Sanders make smart use of 3-D, giving depth to locations (for some reason, interiors like the Viking meeting hall work especially well in 3-D) without poking us in the eye, as many 3-D films do. And when Hiccup and his new friend Toothless take to the sky, the giddy feeling of flight is exhilarating. Familiar? Sure. But enjoyable nonetheless.