How to Train Your Dragon

A closer look at the story

For years the Vikings of Berk have been at war with the dragons that steal their livestock and burn their homes, and every young islander on the threshold of adulthood is expected to slay a dragon as proof of his courage. Hiccup, the shy and somewhat odd son of the chief, Stoick, hardly seems cut out to follow in his father's footsteps. When he manages to bring down a rare and feared dragon with a contraption of his own design, Hiccup realises he cannot bring himself to kill it. Between him and the creature, which he names Toothless, a secret friendship begins to grow, one his warrior father would never approve of. Directed by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois, this 98-minute animation from 2010 features Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, America Ferrera and Jonah Hill in its voice cast and tells a heartfelt story of an unlikely bond.