Geez i LOVE this movie
Bumped it from 4 —> 4 1/2 stars
Its just such a pure and distilled adventure movie. Hyper-palatable, ultra likable. Theres a reason this movie stuck in my memory and made me want to rewatch it. The music is bliss, too.
There is a half second “shot” where Hiccup and Toothless bait the tyrant dragon into the sky and it shows the massive dragon silhouetted against the clouds as it flies up. One of my favorite snippets from any scene ever.
This is the child of “Castle in the Sky” and “Spirited Away”
Stand alone: 4 1/2 stars easy
In the context of the porfolio of Ghibli: 3 1/2
I genuinely enjoyed it, and it felt like a story worth telling.
Unlike Spirited Away.
But it didnt capture me, it let me go sometimes to think about real life and about the next day. Most Ghiblis have not done that, and I cannot fault the pacing or plot. I just felt…
The movie builds in such amazing emotions for each and every character: you love some, some turn your stomach, you hate some, you’re rooting for some. The acting was sublime.
Amazing, revolting, breath catching. It was an amazing film start to finish.
