This is one of my favourite films of 2010. I went into it expecting something good, but I wasn’t prepared for how much I was going to enjoy the film. It’s a simple story that we’ve all seen before, young boy is out of place, finds his place, is ridiculed for it, fights against the ridicule and succeeds despite the odds. But above this is the way the film delivers a movie inspiring honour, humour and heart.

How to Train Your Dragon centres on Hiccup (Baruchel) and his very much out-of-place place in the Viking colony he calls home. His father is the Viking Chief and is disappointed that his son isn’t as ‘Viking’ as every other Viking in the town. But he’s got more worries to deal with as the town is frequently attacked by vicious dragons. Yep, dragons of all types and sizes. But when Hiccup discovers a secret about the dragons, it’s up to him to change the course of the town’s history and, hopefully, change his father’s mind.

The animation is astounding, the amount of character they are able to imbue into a mute creature is wonderful and so are the airborne scenes that are essential for a story such as this. It’s aimed at children (though a bit scary for quite young ones) but by no means are children mandatory to enjoy the film.

Following the death of his wife, Charlie (Hogan) is taken on a fishing trip in North Queensland by his estranged son Boots (Jacobson). In essence, this is a road movie. But it is a road movie that covers some fairly iconic Australian locales along the way as Charlie and Boots drive the amazing journey north from Victoria.

The drama is pretty standard with the two men dealing with sentimental family issues, but it isn’t forced down your throat. None of this film is forced upon you, which is part of its charm. The jokes are pretty laid back and they work well delivered in those terms. There are a few particular comic set-ups, the best being the unwelcome advances to Charlie – one by a rather masculine, female truck driver

The movie doesn’t live up to its potential given the comic backgrounds of the main stars, though their chemistry is very good. What it does deliver though is a sweet and endearing story which at times runs deeper than you might expect as buried feelings come to the surface. Take the opportunity to watch this well-made, entertaining and sometimes poignant film. There’s also a bonus laugh at the end of the credits, if you’re able to stick around.