How to Train Your Dragon (animation): Difference between revisions

* [[Aerith and Bob]]:

** Most of the Vikings have strange names, except Astrid, which is a real Viking name.

* [[All Animals Are Dogs|All Dragons Are Dogs]]: Toothless behaves much like a dog, but more like a cat, with the purring, the dragon-nip and pouncing. Physically, he looks like a salamander crossed with a cat, with bat wings. He also sleeps like a bat. The animators studied a number of animals to get his movements, including cats, dogs and birds. One of the animators confirmed that the choice to make Toothless's behavior and appearance catlike came after watching a screensaver of a black panther.

* [[Alliterative Name]]: Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III. Of course, it's [[All There in the Manual|never said in full]].

* [[All There in the Manual]]: The Green Death's name, Hiccup's full name.

* [[Alternative Foreign Theme Song]]: The Japanese version uses a J-pop song called [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8k35k5OgTo "Emerald"] written by Becky♪♯.

** Also the running theme of the tie-in shorts, particularly [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnVwp5T9jKU& the] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hm0yNMtCV4E Olympics] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3ti0jRSeRg shorts] and the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZapnEiKdEu8 Dragon] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZpgqsIrEbw Training] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aNxELQVZ_Y Lesson] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uizSzFooXME teasers.]

* [[Anachronism Stew]]: Why are the Vikings Scottish?

* [[Arbitrary Skepticism]]: In a world that's populated by dragons, Gobber gets an odd look from Stoick when he mentions trolls that steal socks.

* [[An Arm and a Leg]]: Gobber certainly had this happen to him, several times. Surprisingly, also happens to {{spoiler|Hiccup.}}

* [[Artificial Limbs]]: Quite a few, though on the low-tech side.

** Gobber has a pegleg and a hook, [[Swiss Army Appendage|that can be changed out for a mace, hammer, tongs, paddle, or tankard]].

* [[Chameleon Camouflage]]: According to the "Book of Dragons", the Change-wing can use its colorful scales to disappear into any environment.

* [[Chekhov's Gun]]: "A downed dragon is a dead dragon."

* [[Chekhov's Skill]]:

** Almost every dragon training scene either comes from an earlier one with Hiccup and Toothless, or gets used later.

** The main motif piece of the movie which is found in the track "Test Drive", is reprised near the end when {{spoiler|Hiccup discovers that he's lost his foot, and must get used to walking on a crude prosthetic limb.}}

** Both inverted and played straight with the Hiccup and Toothless friendship theme, heard most prominently in "Forbidden Friendship". The first time we hear it is in an ominous manner during the first encounter between the pair, and it then becomes lighter for the majority of the film. However, it is heard in a similar tone to the beginning when {{spoiler|Hiccup inadvertently betrays Toothless by revealing that he knows how to access Dragon Island. There is also a slower, sadder version that plays at certain moments, including when Toothless is captured in the Kill Ring, and when he is about to drown in the battle with the Green Death.}}

** Pretty much almost everyone with a speaking role in the movie at some point.

** Even ''Toothless'' gets into the act a couple of times. Watch him roll his eyes and shrug elaborately (mimicking Hiccup) during Hiccup's "Dehdehdeh, we're dead" scene. He also rolls his eyes at Hiccup's timid pacing during the Test Drive flight - you can practically hear him thinking, "Come on, this is fledgling stuff."

** One of the funniest scenes from the trailer was Hiccup's "Thank you for nothing, you useless reptile." followed by Toothless smacking him with his ear. Both scenes happened, but were separate and unrelated to one another. {{spoiler|The line was issued when Toothless tried his level best to throw Astrid off, but he'd whapped Hiccup earlier, when Hiccup made a mistake with his new flying rig.}}

** Gobber's line "Welp, there go my undies" was never in the film. He has two lines that mention his undies earlier in the film, but never that particular one.

** Not to mention commercials for it on Nickelodeon try to imply that Hiccup tries to [[Batman in My Basement|hide Toothless in his house]]. However, the scenes shown for this were actually {{spoiler|at the end, when the Vikings had already accepted dragons.}}

** Averted by the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1huZhKwhIQc&feature=channel_video_title final trailer], which did a pretty good job of conveying the film's dramatic aspects.

* [[One Dialogue, Two Conversations]]: Stoick appears to have discovered Hiccup's friendship with Toothless and asks why his son has been keeping it a secret from him. Hiccup tries to apologize, Stoick says he's actually ''proud...'' and Hiccup then realizes that his dad is talking about Hiccup doing a good job in Dragon Training.

* [[Organ Autonomy]]: The two heads of a Hideous Zippleback are distinct and do not share each other's thoughts. If the heads start arguing, the dragon can stall out, leaving it completely vulnerable to attack.

* [[Outrun the Fireball]]: Commonly done, and Astrid once [[Unflinching Walk|outwalked]] the fireball. Also notable, at the climax, ''[[Crazy Awesome|along the back of a humongous dragon]]''. {{spoiler|Subverted in that Hiccup doesn't make it out unscathed.}}

* [[Papa Wolf]]: Twice in one scene! Hiccup is in the arena with one of the biggest and most dangerous dragons--the Monstrous Nightmare. On hearing Hiccup tell the entire village that they don't have to kill dragons, Stoic the Vast erupts in fury and slams his hammer on one of the metal bars, denting it. Then {{spoiler|when the noise startles the dragon into attacking Hiccup, Toothless hears the boy's scream of fear from miles away, and although he can't fly at this point, claws and tears his way through the forest, breaks through the metal of the arena's cage, then attacks and successfully drives off a dragon ''three times his size''. Stoick also charges in to rescue Hiccup from the Monstrous Nightmare as well, pulling Astrid to safety but unable to rescue Hiccup before Toothless does.}}

* [[Picky Eater]]: A dragon which happily devours fish won't touch a smoked eel, probably what made it such an almighty stink to dragons. This gets a bit silly as, in the tie-in video game, there are certain items that some of the breeds won't eat. And in the game, a Night Fury (which is the breed of dragon Toothless is) will not eat fish.

* [[Pint-Sized Powerhouse]]: The Terrible Terror looks small and harmless, and it can actually be quite friendly. But that doesn't mean that it's any less dangerous than the other dragon species; Tuffnut discovers this the hard way.

* [[Poor Communication Kills]]: Hiccup and his father are having two different conversations before his final exam, and only Hiccup is aware of this. This leads to misery later when Stoick discovers the truth about Hiccup and the dragons.

* [[Positive Discrimination]]: Astrid is established from the get-go as not only the most competent trainee, but the ''only'' competent trainee. The others (almost all of whom are boys) can barely swing their axes in the dragons' general direction.

* [[Redhead in Green]]: Stoick and Hiccup.

* [[Reptiles Are Abhorrent]]: Played straight by everyone's feelings towards dragons, ultimately subverted.

* [[RPG Mechanics Verse]]: Fishlegs spouts these.

* [[Running Gag]]: Several.

** A random viking crying out "NIGHT FURY!" whenever Toothless is sighted. {{spoiler|Even at the end, when there's clear there is no danger from him -- except being stampeded out of enthusiasm to get to Hiccup.}}

** Astrid saying, "That was for [''insert crime here'']. [[Slap Slap Kiss|And that's for everything else]]."

{{quote|'''Gobber/Stoick:''' You need to stop all...this. *gestures*.

'''Hiccup:''' You just gestured to ''all of me!'' }}

{{quote|'''Hiccup:''' ''Thank you'' for summing that up.}}

* [[Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl]]: {{spoiler|Hiccup and Astrid.}}

** The scene when Hiccup first tries to put the saddle on Toothless looks like the scene when Little Creek tries to put the saddle on [[Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron]]. He even says the same thing Little Creek did: "Today, dragon/horse, I am going to ride you".

** Gobber's advice to during dragon training, "[[300|Your most important piece of equipment is your shield! If you must make a choice between a sword or a shield, take the shield]]" Also [[Gerard Butler|Stoick]] says "Form your ranks! Hold together".

{{quote|'''Hiccup:''' Then I won't Speak. Just let me show you.}}

* [[Shown Their Work]]:

** All the writing in the movie is in real Younger Futhark runes. The runes are used to spell out English text, though, and it almost never matches what the characters say it says.

** The dragons exhibit many behaviors found in real-life animals. Hiccup's confrontation with and subsequent rapport with Toothless are almost entirely consistent with real animal behavior, though Toothless turns out to be much smarter then your average beast.

* [["Shut Up" Kiss]]: {{spoiler|Astrid to Hiccup.}}

{{quote|[''*momentary [[Post-Kiss Catatonia]]*''] "I guess I could get used to it."}}

* [[What Do You Mean It's Not Awesome?]]: Hiccup and Toothless' first maneuver in Test Drive is a left turn.

* [[What Happened to the Mouse?]]: The "a wet dragon head can't light its fire" dragon lesson is pretty much the only dragon-related [[Chekhov's Gun]] that doesn't get fired.

* [[Who Names Their Kid "Dude"?]]: Hiccup points out how ridiculous his name is, but explains the reasons for awful names (scaring off gnomes and trolls) and says that there are other people with worse ones.

* [[The World Is Just Awesome]]: Toothless' flight scene. That is all.

** The ship Gobber managed to wreck in ''Legend of the Boneknapper Dragon'', no less.

* [[Christmas Episode]]/[[Christmas Special]]: See [[You Mean "Xmas"]].

* [[Genki Girl]]: Astrid seems to be developing into this.

* [[Gilligan Cut]]: Hiccup says it's a good thing that the {{spoiler|the explosive eggs won't hatch on Berk.}} Guess what happens next.

* [[Happiness in Slavery]]: {{spoiler|Toothless rejects and ''smashes'' Hiccup's gift of a new tailfin that lets him fly on his own.}}

{{quote|'''Snotlout:''' You can really taste the yak.}}

* [[Made of Explodium]]: {{spoiler|Hatching Gronckle eggs}} explode rather violently. The adult dragons offset this by pushing them into pools of water.