If you haven’t yet watched the beautifully animated movie trilogy that is “How to Train Your Dragon,” now is the time to introduce yourself. Already familiar with the films? Introduce them to the kids in your life. If you have Netflix, pop some popcorn and set your kids, grandkids, cousins, siblings or children you are babysitting down on the couch and press play!
warning: contains spoilers
What makes the “How to Train Your Dragon” films worthy enough to show the kids in your life?
It’s simple. In just the first “How to Train Your Dragon Film,” there is so much for kids to unpack and explore about growth, open-mindedness and courage.
Between the themes of acceptance and change for the better and the relationship between the main characters Hiccup and Toothless – who is a dragon, by the way – the kiddos will be sobbing, smiling and learning the whole way through the trilogy.
The Themes of Acceptance and Change
At the beginning of the first movie in the trilogy, “How to Train Your Dragon,” Hiccup tells Gobber – the veteran warrior who Hiccup works as an apprentice for – that he wants to fight and kill a dragon so he will fit in. Gobber bluntly tells a 15-year-old Hiccup to “stop being all of you.”
Hiccup uses humor to deflect the statement that clearly hurts him because he believes he needs to change his whole self and takes Gobber’s words to heart.
The young apprentice knows he is different from the other Vikings in his community, and this ultimately paves the way for the choices Hiccup makes throughout the rest of the film as he tries to fit in but realizes it’s okay to stand out.
Similar to many other teenagers, Hiccup experiences a conflict with who he is and who he thinks he needs to be to fit in with society. He experiences bullying and exclusion from his peers throughout the first film because he does not fit the typical Viking stereotype of being a big, strong dragon killer. He desperately wants to be accepted.
This is an important predicament for children to witness and talk about before they begin to experience it for themselves. The “How to Train Your Dragon” trilogy explores this conflict between change and acceptance through the lens of Hiccup.
When Hiccup finally accepts himself as a dragon lover rather than a dragon killer, everyone else around him begins to accept him, too — and they even start to grow themselves. “How to Train Your Dragon” will give the kids in your life the idea that self-acceptance is the most important form of acceptance.
At the end of the film, we see the once-battle-ridden village where Hiccup lives surrounded by dragons and humans living in harmony. Because of Hiccup’s self-acceptance and resistance to becoming what everyone expected of him, he was able to change the Isle of Berk from a place where people murder dragons into a place where people love dragons the same way he loves Toothless.
This powerful message of changing for the better and being true to your unique self is what makes “How to Train Your Dragon” a perfect watch for the kids in your life!
The Relationship Between Toothless and Hiccup
Throughout “How to Train Your Dragon,” the kids in your life will also learn about love and relationships through the lens of a nontraditional friendship. The two main characters bring love and loyalty to the next level through only the use of their eyes.
When Hiccup first tries to kill a trapped Toothless in an attempt to fit into society, he continuously looks into Toothless’s innocent green eyes that blink with sadness and defeat. Exchanging these glances, Hiccup establishes his first connection with his future best friend and decides to use the knife he has to free Toothless rather than slay him.
Toothless and Hiccup never speak using words but use their eyes to communicate. When Hiccup brings an injured Toothless a dead fish to eat, Toothless spits part of it back out onto Hiccup. He then uses his eyes to gesture towards the fish as if to tell Hiccup “eat the fish.” As an audience, we understand what Toothless is communicating and so does Hiccup just by a simple movement of the eye. This particular scene emphasizes the importance of patient communication between your kids and their peers, family or teachers.
Toothless and Hiccup’s relationship is progressed when Toothless mirrors Hiccup’s body language throughout the films. For example, When Hiccup draws a picture of Toothless in the dirt with a stick in the first film, Toothless grabs a tree branch and draws in the dirt all around Hiccup. Mimicking body language is a common practice between people who are close, and watching this film will help your kids realize that when their friends mimic them, it is a natural action of love rather than something they should be annoyed by.
Hiccup later tells his friend Astrid that he could not kill Toothless because he saw himself in the dragon. He said that the giant creature was just as frightened as he was. Through Hiccup meeting Toothless and developing his friendship with him, he learned more about himself and accepted the things that made him different because of the love he felt for Toothless.
We see the relationship between Toothless and Hiccup come full circle at the end of “How to Train Your Dragon” when Toothless does what Hiccup did for him when he was injured. Toothless has Hiccup lean on him to help Hiccup walk with his prosthetic leg, just as Hiccup rode on Toothless’ back to help him fly with his prosthetic wing.
The themes of acceptance, change and relationships so thoughtfully explored in the first film continue throughout the next two movies. For example, these films are sure to help any kid in your life learn how to navigate self-acceptance, change and friendships. After my recent re-watch of “How to Train Your Dragon,” the next time I see my 7-and 4-year-old cousins, I will be sure to introduce them into Toothless’ world!