Rewatched a very good movie (May Post #4 of 5)

  

 

If you asked me to tell you one universal truth, there's a nonzero chance I would tell you that the How to Train Your Dragon soundtrack is good. 

 

This is a movie I've always been a fan of. I've watched it many times since it came out in 2010. I watched at least one of the sequels; I even watched some of the TV show that aired on Cartoon Network. But I guess I've never thought about How to Train Your Dragon in any critical manner. It's also not one of MY favorite things from my childhood, so I don't have that intense nostalgia associated with it (it's no PJO is what I mean). 

 

The movie is good though, really good. That is my opinion having rewatched with my critic glasses on. Critic-me has zero criticism. The script is exactly funny enough without feeling over-the-top. There's some good circular storytelling going on. At its heart, this is a wholesome tale of unlikely friendship and a son just trying to make his dad proud. To quote my very wise friend Zainab, "toothless ily you big cat." 

 

THE MUSIC HOWEVER—I've always known the soundtrack was full of bangers, even as a kid. Test Drive has had a place on my Spotify Liked Songs list for many years now. So when I got Instagram ads about the Boston Pops playing the score of this movie, it took me approximately 30 minutes to decide to get tickets for myself, and I dragged my sister along as well. 

 

So I rewatched the movie this time around in Symphony Hall with Jason Seber conducting the Boston Pops. Test Drive scene with a live orchestra was almost enough to make a girl cry, and it might have changed my life. 

 

I feel like live music gives this movie another dimension that I can't really explain in words. The event really just made me want to attend more orchestra concerts, maybe classical or maybe not. Watching the conductor as he cued this music was extra interesting because I know the soundtrack pretty well. I grew up playing viola in a school orchestra, so I know that conductors are important, but it also takes a lot of skill that some people (and maybe me too) might take for granted. You need to know the music inside and out to do a good job. The Pops music director Keith Lockhart wasn't conducting that day, but Jason Seber did a wonderful job. 

 

I'll plan to spend more time in Symphony Hall in the future, and I would highly recommend How to Train Your Dragon as a movie in this format or just on your TV at home. (Is it presumptuous of me to assume you have a TV? Possibly, but even I have a TV as of two weeks ago. It's still sitting on my floor, not connected to the wall...) 

 

Rewatched on: May 31, 2026

Rating: ★★★★★ / 5