Book v. Movie: How to Train Your Dragon

So How to Train your Dragon was suppose to be the Book v. Movie for January but I just couldn't get it all done and last month was just a crazy month around here. So here it is finally.

NOTE: There will be Spoilers involved (otherwise how would I be able to compare the two?)

 

Synopsis: "Chronicles the adventures and misadventures of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III as he tries to pass the important initiation test of his Viking clan, the Tribe of the Hairy Hooligans, by catching and training a dragon."

My Review: I loved this movie so had to read the book as soon as I found out there was one. It is actually quite a bit different than the movie, but I really enjoyed it. I think that it is great that the boys have something to get them into reading. I really enjoyed the Viking personality along with the dragon attitude. Hiccup & Toothless are fantastic, underrated heros. It was a great adventure to read and I want to read more (can't wait for Munchkin to get into these books so I can read them along with him)!        

 

My Rating: I enjoyed this book and it will definitely appeal to Munchkin when he gets older, a great adventure for little boys. I give it a rating of Three Paws and a Stump Wag!

 

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Synopsis (From Wikipedia): "How to Train Your Dragon is a 2010 American 3D computer-animated fantasy film by DreamWorks Animation loosely based on the English 2003 book of the same name by Cressida Cowell. The film was directed by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois, the duo who directed Disney's Lilo & Stitch. It stars the voices of Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, T.J. Miller, Kristen Wiig, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and David Tennant.

The story takes place in a mythical Viking world where a young Viking teenager named Hiccup aspires to follow his tribe's tradition of becoming a dragon slayer. After finally capturing his first dragon, and with his chance at finally gaining the tribe's acceptance, he finds that he no longer has the desire to kill it and instead befriends it."

My Review: I loved this movie! Toothless is so awesome, I kind of want a Night Fury for myself. The Sub-characters are fantastic too. The story line was great, Hiccup learning secretly about dragons and developing a relationship with Toothless.  I loved watching the training as Hiccup used his secret methods against the dragons. The animation in this movie was fantastic as well, so much detail and brilliant colors! All around I loved this movie.

My Rating: I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and am glad I have it so I can watch it again and again! I give it a rating of Four Paws and a Stump Wag!

 

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To say that the movie is loosely based on the book is really an understatement. All the movie took from the book is the setting, names, title and the fact that there are dragons. While the story lines were completely different, I think they were both fantastic in their own ways. With that said I think I might have liked the movie a little better. I enjoyed the dragons more, and the drastic change in the tribe's take on dragons better.  However, I think Hiccup becomes even more of a hero in the book than in the movie (and considering they had to defeat not one but two giant dragons made it even more fantastic).

 

I definitely preferred the movie Toothless to the book Toothless. In the movie he is clearly a very special dragon, a Night Fury, but in the book he is a common dragon that they had to make up a name so Hiccup could look like the chief's son. I also think that Hiccup was a more likable character in the movie as well, he made a much bigger change in the tribe than the book Hiccup did.

 

While I did really prefer the movie to the book this time, both were great stories in their own respects. I really did like how the book will encourage young boys to become readers.

 

 

So have you read the book? Seen the movie? What did you like or didn't you like? Which did you like better?