How to Train Your Dragon

Set on the island of Berk, where Vikings have long battled dragons, the film follows Hiccup, a lanky, inventive teenager who is nothing like the sturdy warriors around him. The son of the tribe's chief, he is expected to prove himself by killing a dragon. When he instead encounters an injured Night Fury and befriends it, his new bond forces him to question everything his people believe about the creatures they fear. The story is based on Cressida Cowell's children's books.

Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois directed, having previously worked together on Lilo & Stitch. For DeBlois, it began a series of Dragon films, and it followed his earlier directorial work; Sanders went on to The Croods and The Wild Robot, among others. William Davies, Sanders and DeBlois wrote the screenplay, with Bonnie Arnold producing. Jay Baruchel voices Hiccup, Gerard Butler plays his father Stoick, Craig Ferguson is Gobber, America Ferrera is Astrid, and Jonah Hill and Christopher Mintz-Plasse voice young Vikings.

Made by DreamWorks Animation and Paramount for about 165 million dollars, the film took roughly 495 million dollars worldwide, a strong return on its budget. On IMDb it holds 8.1/10 from 888,000 votes, and on TMDB 7.9/10 from 14,741 votes, while its critics' rating stands at 8/10 from 210 reviews, showing audiences and reviewers broadly agreed.