English: It took this photo personally with a permission required. Waived now to Commons, free use to public no copyrights apply (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
This weekend we purchased a fairly big (55″) 3D HD TV and a 3D BlueRay DVD player. This is a big thing for me, because I’m old enough to remember my parents’ first tv, a 10″ screen in a large wood console full of tubes that glowed and could be replaced by going to the hardware store! Our new television came with 12 pairs of passive 3D glasses (sans batteries) which are light, comfortable and really work. (By now I bet you’re wondering what this all has to do with the title of this post. Hang on!)
So last night we christened it by running the movie How to Train Your Dragon. The 3D worked beautifully, and if you have a 3D tv you should get a copy of this movie because it is a sweet, ultimately satisfying cinematic experience. When I finished viewing it, I wondered to myself, “Why does that movie touch me so?”
How to Train Your Dragon (film) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Based on one of a series of books by Cressida Cowell set in a fictional Viking world, the film explores the relationship between a young Viking geek named Hiccup and the black Night Fury dragon he names Toothless. Hiccup uses a catapult to shoot a net of ropes into the night sky and brings Toothless crashing to the earth, breaking off one of his tail fins and making it impossible for him to fly away to safety.
Much of the poignant part of the cartoon deals with Hiccup’s attempts to befriend Toothless. He brings the dragon fish, which Toothless promptly swallows and brings up half the carcass to share with Hiccup. And then there is a moving moment when Hiccup stands next to Toothless, with his hand outstretched and his eyes averted, hoping to touch the dragon. A pause, and then Toothless moves his head into Hiccup’s hand. Contact!
Anyone who has ever had an animal would recognize that the first moment of voluntary contact is like a drug. And each time thereafter, when a beloved cat reaches out a paw to get your attention, or your faithful dog rests with her head on your feet, you get that same sensation. That connection between species, that feeling of love from one animal to another, is almost impossible to express in words. And that is whey I think this movie works so well. It shows you that connecting taking place, and you feel it deep in your heart.
Even now, as I try to type this post, one of my cats named Callie has crawled into my lap and is laying there purring. And I won’t disturb her, even though it would make typing infinitely easier. Because I really appreciate her desire to be next to me. Now that is love with capital letters!
(It could also be Toothless’s resemblance to my youngest cat, Boo!)
Related articles
- How To Train A Dragon (personalmoviereviews.wordpress.com)
- DreamWorks ‘ How to Train Your Dragon Live Spectacula r Launches North American Tour (therogersrevue.wordpress.com)
- Toothless (cutoutandkeep.net)
- New dimensions – 3D TV and beyond (johnlewis.com)
