How To Train Your Dragon

Think of the way people talk about Pixar.  Now think of the way people talk about Dreamworks Animation.  Pixar has become a studio-auteur, where people go in expecting a certain level of intelligence, emotion, and outright beauty that most reserve for the latest picture by their favourite director.  Of course, Pixar is made up of individuals, and though the only one ever really singles out is Brad Bird (mostly, perhaps, because The Iron Giant is an oft-heralded but little-seen masterpiece), there exist their talented people with their own unique input.  Dreamworks, on the other hand, is an ugly studio with limited ambitions.  They made name for themselves with Shrek, and then proceeded to run that brand into the ground whilst simultaneously infecting a whole score of animated films for years to come with its heavy reliance on pop-culture parody and smirking, adults-will-laugh-too humour.  It’s easy to say that in our modern, cynical world the average moviegoer demands a certain amount of self-awareness.  It’s only a movie, guys, so let’s not get carried away.  Then again, it’s not so easy to say that when you consider Pixar’s incredible (and incredibly successful) run, all of which are grounded in deep, honest emotions.  With How To Train Your Dragon, Dreamworks has made what is easily their best film yet, but it’s tempting to say that it is a one-off or a fluke.  Nothing this quality could come from a studio that only desires a quick buck and maybe a franchise.  While there seems little doubt that Chris Sanders and Dan DeBlois (previously of Lilo and Stitch) have an awful lot to do with the success of the work after being brought in half-way through, credit should go to the studio for letting it happen, and we can hope that they’ve discovered the simple truth that all you really need is a good story well told.