IMAX NEWS
Dragon slays the reviews
Thursday, April 1 by Julie Brown
"This film easily stands alongside Coraline and Avatar as one of the finest theatrical 3D experiences thus far."
Don't just take our word for it. These film reviewers also happen to think How To Train Your Dragon 3D is one of the best animated films to come out of Hollywood in recent years. The 3D animation is a real highlight, but it is the emotional heart of the story - the friendship between Viking teen Hiccup and the dragon he is meant to slay - that elevates the the film to another level.
Could this be an AVATAR 3D for kids? Read on and decide for yourself.
“The animation is beyond beautiful and the 3D is genuinely immersive. With all of the current hub-bub about studios racing to convert their live-action films into 3D, here is a shining example of how powerful a tool it can be in animation, especially if it was planned that way from the start. This film easily stands alongside Coraline and Avatar as one of the finest theatrical 3D experiences thus far.”
Scott Mendelson, The Huffington Post, online

“What really elevates the film above the pack, though, are its strong characterisations, generous lashings of humour, distinctly Disney feel - directors Dean DeBois and Chris Sanders made Lilo & Stitch - and great state-of-the-art visuals. The dragons have a cartoonish ferocity, the finale's big beast looks like Godzilla's big brother and the film's flying sequences are every bit the equal of anything we saw in Avatar. And this film has way more jokes.”
- Jim Schembri, The Age, Mebourne

“The animation is staggering. The look of the Vikings' coastal village, lined by massive rock formations that jut out from the sea, is sublime, while the fantastical dragons that terrorise the townsfolk have been unleashed from wildly fertile imaginations… it's the friendship between a boy and his beast that's at the warm heart of this film, and what a beautiful friendship it is.”
Annette Basile, Filmink Australia

The action hots up with spectacular fiery, flying dragon battle sequences, as well as a battle between father and son. The spectacle never comes at the cost of the emotional return and I admit to shedding a tear in the lead up to the climactic finish - all delivered in striking 3D. Just like the fire the dragons exhale, this film is hot.
Louise Keller, Urban Cinefile

The first thing you notice about this film - not surprisingly - is the superb animation, which quickly vanishes and becomes a given. DreamWorks has created a state of the art family movie with a young hero and all the exotic elements of a fairy tale that seems far removed from our daily life. Or is it? I daresay the 10 to 14 year olds for whom the film is primarily made will find the soaring rides as exciting as a simulation video game (only better, faster, louder) - but adults may discern some lessons for mankind, intended or not.
Andrew Urban, Urban Cinefile

And the real distinction of “How to Train Your Dragon” — the reason it deserves to be seen in a theater with special glasses on, rather than slapped on the DVD player when the children are acting up — lies in those airborne sequences. Movies and aviation grew up together, and at least since William A. Wellman’s “Wings” won the first best-picture Oscar back in 1929, filmmakers have been obsessed with using the medium to capture the feeling of flight. When Hiccup first climbs on Toothless’s back and urges the dragon to take wing, the hearts of the audience soar with a primitive and durable delight.
A. O. Scott, New York Times
“…features some thrilling flying sequences that make the movie enormous fun.”
Paul Byrnes, Sydney Morning Herald
How To Train Your Dragon 3D is showing daily at IMAX in Darling Harbour over the April School Holidays.
If you haven't seen it on the World's Biggest Screen, you've only seen it small.
Don't just take our word for it. These film reviewers also happen to think How To Train Your Dragon 3D is one of the best animated films to come out of Hollywood in recent years. The 3D animation is a real highlight, but it is the emotional heart of the story - the friendship between Viking teen Hiccup and the dragon he is meant to slay - that elevates the the film to another level.
Could this be an AVATAR 3D for kids? Read on and decide for yourself.
“The animation is beyond beautiful and the 3D is genuinely immersive. With all of the current hub-bub about studios racing to convert their live-action films into 3D, here is a shining example of how powerful a tool it can be in animation, especially if it was planned that way from the start. This film easily stands alongside Coraline and Avatar as one of the finest theatrical 3D experiences thus far.”
Scott Mendelson, The Huffington Post, online

“What really elevates the film above the pack, though, are its strong characterisations, generous lashings of humour, distinctly Disney feel - directors Dean DeBois and Chris Sanders made Lilo & Stitch - and great state-of-the-art visuals. The dragons have a cartoonish ferocity, the finale's big beast looks like Godzilla's big brother and the film's flying sequences are every bit the equal of anything we saw in Avatar. And this film has way more jokes.”
- Jim Schembri, The Age, Mebourne

“The animation is staggering. The look of the Vikings' coastal village, lined by massive rock formations that jut out from the sea, is sublime, while the fantastical dragons that terrorise the townsfolk have been unleashed from wildly fertile imaginations… it's the friendship between a boy and his beast that's at the warm heart of this film, and what a beautiful friendship it is.”
Annette Basile, Filmink Australia

The action hots up with spectacular fiery, flying dragon battle sequences, as well as a battle between father and son. The spectacle never comes at the cost of the emotional return and I admit to shedding a tear in the lead up to the climactic finish - all delivered in striking 3D. Just like the fire the dragons exhale, this film is hot.
Louise Keller, Urban Cinefile

The first thing you notice about this film - not surprisingly - is the superb animation, which quickly vanishes and becomes a given. DreamWorks has created a state of the art family movie with a young hero and all the exotic elements of a fairy tale that seems far removed from our daily life. Or is it? I daresay the 10 to 14 year olds for whom the film is primarily made will find the soaring rides as exciting as a simulation video game (only better, faster, louder) - but adults may discern some lessons for mankind, intended or not.
Andrew Urban, Urban Cinefile

And the real distinction of “How to Train Your Dragon” — the reason it deserves to be seen in a theater with special glasses on, rather than slapped on the DVD player when the children are acting up — lies in those airborne sequences. Movies and aviation grew up together, and at least since William A. Wellman’s “Wings” won the first best-picture Oscar back in 1929, filmmakers have been obsessed with using the medium to capture the feeling of flight. When Hiccup first climbs on Toothless’s back and urges the dragon to take wing, the hearts of the audience soar with a primitive and durable delight.
A. O. Scott, New York Times
“…features some thrilling flying sequences that make the movie enormous fun.”
Paul Byrnes, Sydney Morning Herald
How To Train Your Dragon 3D is showing daily at IMAX in Darling Harbour over the April School Holidays.
If you haven't seen it on the World's Biggest Screen, you've only seen it small.
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