How to Train Your Dragon (2010) - 9/10
I am soooo close to going back and changing this to a 10/10 because I love this movie so much. Calling it a masterpiece though, that's tougher. I feel like maybe on a revisit once I have more animation/family films under the belt the scales might tip that way. For now, I'll just acknowledge that this is a really great film for all ages.
1. Acting
The voice acting in the film is strong, but maybe not one of the strongest points of the film. I think this is more a fault of a simple script. In other words, there might not be enough for the actors to chew on as there is in the sequels to this film.
Nevertheless I really enjoyed some of the performances. Jay Baruchel has a fitting voice and approach to Hiccup. He is a bit nerdy, has a dry wit, compassionate and, not to be mean, but a bit of a weakling. These are all conveyed just via a voice performance which is a solid achievement.
Similarly Gerard Butler is a fitting voice for Stoik the Vast. Butler is able to convey Stoik's temper, frustration and 'manliness', while still retaining the ability to bring fear and sentimentality into the fold.
Craig Ferguson is also a great addition as Gobber, who plays both a mentor to Hiccup and confidant for Stoik. He also, as always, is able to bring effortless humor to his character.
The rest of the cast does well too. This is a kids film, so most character are not overly complex. But they do serve the story well and feel unique.
2. Cinematography
The camera movement in this film is fantastic. I've talked before about how nice it must be for animation directors to do anything with their cameras inside a digital world. The camera work in HTTYD is always moving and dynamically fun. The scenes involving flying in particular benefit greatly from having a camera that can both follow in close with the characters while also being able to zoom out for beautifully framed wides. Lastly, the scenery shots are great in this film. The animation and art design are done very well and the camera moves show off the beauty in everything that the art/VFX team were able to accomplish.
3. Production/Costume Design
Since were talking mostly about digital assets, the art team did a wonderful job building the world of Berk and the characters/dragons. More to follow in the VFX section.
4. Writing
As this is a family film, the plot is relatively straight forward and its central messages easily accessible. It brings thoughtful themes for kids without feeling overly elementary for adults.
However, what I really want to talk about here is an important but simple writing technique. This conversation has occurred in many different ways in many different screenwriting classes, but for ease I am going to refer to Sage Hyden's breakdown of Film Crit Hulk's '7 Basic Questions of Narrative Drama'. The basic premise is simple: a series of questions used to determine if you have a story, force you to be clear with what the conflict is and why it matters. 
Here are the questions
So, let's use this framework and take a look at the two main characters of the film: Hiccup and Stoik. (1) Hiccup wants to become a viking like his Dad. He feels ashamed and inadequate of 'all of himself'. Similarly, Stoik wants his son to stop being a screw up and he wants to keep the village safe by killing all dragons. (2) Need, as summarized by Hyden, is what the hero must fulfill within themselves in order to have a better life. Hiccup might think the he needs to kill a dragon to fulfill himself, but what he really needs is to accept who he truly is. Stoik needs to see his son not as he wants him to be, but as he actually is and to embrace that. He also needs to see that keeping his village safe may not actually require killing dragons. (3) We see Hiccup's want versus needs most clearly when he attempts to kill Toothless. His inability to follow through is the start of his journey to fulfillment. Stoik's conflict is most clear later in the film when he fully rejects his son after learning about Toothless and how Hiccup lied about it. (4) Hiccup is unlike the rest of his village. Where they all see deadly dragons who want to kill and terrorize their village, Hiccup see's the fear dragons feel from the Vikings. He is the only one who can see the truth behind the animosity. Stoik's views are more inline with the village's. His conflict with the world then, is that his view of the world is not objective reality. (5) Hiccup, through his relationship with Toothless, learns that there is a different path they can all take and that the village/father from which he seeks approval is wrong. Stoik, through his relationship with Gobber, and later Toothless, is slowly learning that his view of his son and dragons is incorrect. (6) By the time the film nears its conclusion, Hiccup has fully embraced that he is worthy of being a Viking, not by killing dragons, but by embracing who he is and his bravery/cleverness. Stoik finally learns that his son is every bit the Viking he hoped he would be and that his own view of dragons was wrong. (7) In the epilogue we learn that Stoik and the village have fully embraced dragons as brethren instead of enemies and this is all due to Hiccup's efforts and who he is as a person. 
The ability to clearly answer and follow the wants, needs and conflicts within the character and story show why this film is so easy to love. Its clear, emotional and follows through on its character and story arcs in compelling ways.
5. Sound Design
The score of this film is incredible. John Powell was allegedly told by by producers to go all out for this film and he clearly took the note. The orchestra used to record the score contained the use of over 100 instruments and was built to be 'epic' in nature. The result is highly energetic, intense, operatic and runs a complete range of dark and light moods. What especially seems to sell the score is a large contingent of choir singers and an embracing of Irish and Scottish overtones built into the medleys.
If you couldn't tell, this is one of my favorite scores ever composed.
6. Editing
If anything, I almost wish this film was longer. Coming in at a runtime of 98 minutes, the film definitely keeps things tight and succinct. The structure of the film is sound and I especially enjoyed the middle section of extended montage where Hiccup and Toothless' growing relationship parallels Hiccups success in his dragon training and his growing confidence in himself.
7. Visual Effects
The CGI is starting to finally show its age a bit. That's not to say that the animation is bad, quite the opposite really. Rather the level of detail shows that the technology's ability to render the artists' vision hadn't quite reached where it needed to be yet. This is clearly evident in the subsequent films of the series which feature much sharper levels of details and beauty.
With that said, the actual animation within the film is great. In particular, the clear standout here is Toothless. Being a main focal point of the film, the level of detail in Toothless is fantastic. More so, there is very clearly intentionality in everything about his design. Toothless' mannerism are obviously influenced by an amalgamation of real world pets. In particular he is reminiscent of both cats and and, especially, dogs. They say that eyes are windows to the soul and the animators clearly understood that when designing him. Early on we see a more animalistic approach to his eyes. They are distrustful and glare at Hiccup as the two characters feel each other out. Later on, his eyes soften resembling 'puppy dog' eyes that are meant to endear you to the character. His movements, especially when quadrupedal, are both very much like a goofy dog playing around as well as a cat ferociously chasing down prey. It is all a very smart design that subconsciously tricks the audience into loving toothless by reminding them of their own pets.
8. Originality or Strength of Adaptation
This film is based on a series of novels of the same name. However, having not read them, I will rely on anecdotal accounts that this is an instance of movie exceeding book.
As for within the context of film, this feels like a very original way to tackle very common themes. It is simple, approachable and matches its fun with a willingness to still be emotional.
9. Stunt Coordination
For animation movies, the stunt coordinator is typically swapped out for what is known as an action designer. With that in mind, the action designer for the film did a great job crafting the way characters and dragons combat each other. The real joy though, is watching Hiccup and Toothless learn to fly together and how those sequences were designed.
10. Direction
Chris Sander and Dean Debois did an excellent job crafting this film. It has fun characters who follow clear and satisfying arcs. The camera movement is dynamic, the score is outstanding and the integration of all the pieces fits perfectly together.
Legacy/Final Thoughts
HTTYD is, in my opinion, DreamWorks Animation's greatest series. It is incredibly appealing to a wide range of ages and tastes. I think there is something for everyone in this film and am excited to revisit the entire trilogy (and then revisit once again when the live action version is released).
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