Cressida Cowell's successful children's book gets an exciting animated adaptation here from co-writers/directors Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois (Lilo & Stitch). Teenager Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) belongs to a belligerent Viking tribe that sees dragons as their mortal enemy. But Hiccup is a secret dragon-whisperer and when he helps, rather than kills, a wounded Night Fury dragon nicknamed Toothless, he sets a new course for his family and friends. The film's constantly amusing script boasts plenty of strong characters (including Hiccup's father, Stoick, voiced by Gerard Butler), is poignant where it counts - Hiccup and Toothless getting to know each other - and is consistently cute, clever and touching. But where this highly appealing comedy adventure really excels is with awesome visuals that rival Avatar's. The flying sequences, such as a dazzling trip through the Northern Lights, are stunning and the battles are equally spectacular - although some younger viewers might find them rather too scary.

As the son of a Viking leader on the cusp of manhood, shy Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III faces a rite of passage: he must kill a dragon to prove his warrior mettle. But after downing a feared dragon, he realizes that he no longer wants to destroy it, and instead befriends the beast – which he names Toothless – much to the chagrin of his warrior father.