Saturday, March 19, 2011
EXCEPTIONAL
Today's film was the animation feature
How to Train Your Dragon (2010)with Jay Baruchel voicing as a young man who doesn't quite come up to his father's or the Viking tribe's expectations. He is witty and clever and mechanically adept but he is not big and is definitely a lover not a fighter.
The Vikings are beset by dragon attacks. The young man finds an injured dragon and finds ways to make friends. The rest is a familiar animation story arc. Unique talents brought to bear to save the tribe and the boy's reputation. A mild love interest. A pact of love between man and beast. Conversion of the world view of Vikings and dragons to find a way to coexist and triumph over the monster who sort of causes it all in the first place.
This one is unique in many respects. There are little triumphs that grow into the final denouement. There is not the visible attempt to adult-erize a kid's story. It hits all ages at the same level. This takes real expertise. No one gets left out.
Universal themes hit the emotions hardest and this one hits them all. Fear, doubt, insecurity. Joy, relief, love and kindness. Good acts. Without straining. No agony for them or us.
Just effort. Perseverance. Practice. Focus. Self value.
I laughed and cried and did all the stuff the expert animators wanted me to just on time.
I really, really like Jay Baruchel. We do not see him but he carries the character of his image. And the image carries his character. Beautifully integrated. He has a kind of off hand style which is very engaging. A Canadian, he is not after the big star thing but has settled for a series of small, beautifully produced films, mostly Canadian, and is devoted to his work.
This film has spawned the sequel, the games and so on. He will make a good amount of money out of this. Good for him for being good.
I wouldn't mind seeing this again sometime. I will give it a 4 out of Netflix5.
Labels: films
