In celebration of this week's DVD/Blu-ray release of the animated action flick How to Train Your Dragon, I had the great privilege of speaking with Cressida Cowell, author of the book series that inspired the movie. In reading Cressida's fascinating biography, it's easy to see where she got her inspiration for a story about dragons and Vikings. Spending much of her childhood on a small island off the west coast of Scotland, her family lived off the land, and her father often told her stories about Vikings. What stood out to me, though, was that Cressida points out that during those times on the island, she had no TV, and that allowed her to focus on other things, like writing stories.
Naturally, I was curious as to how that experience shaped her views on kids and TV time. When I asked her about it, she laughed saying, "It ought to have!" Turns out, Cressida has a laid back view of kids and TV, and while she does view unplugged family time as very precious, she pointed out that TV is about stories as well. "I would never say no TV," she said.
Good thing, because when Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois got a hold of Cressida's unique story, a fantastic movie was born. The big screen version of How to Train Your Dragon is quite a bit different from the book. The changes in storyline didn't bother Cressida at all. She relates that it was important to her that her story worked in the film medium, not only that, but her feeling is that, "A movie can take over a book, if you're not careful." She also loved the surprise ending in the movie (I won't give it away if you haven't seen it yet and are waiting for the DVD), saying, "I thought it was a very powerful thing to have happen."
How to Train Your Dragon will be available on DVD and Blu-ray, and also exclusively available on Blu-ray 3D as part of Samsung's 3D starter kit for a limited time period, on October 15. The movie is a great family film, and if you are planning to purchase it as a gift, consider getting the book by Cressida Cowell to go with it. The experience of reading a book and comparing and contrasting it with the movie is both fun and very educational for kids. Also, let kids check out Cressida's online biography, and discuss with them how the influence of her personal experiences carried over into her writing. This one little story can open kids up to a whole world of creative thinking.
- How to Train Your Dragon - Movie Review for Parents
- How to Train Your Dragon - Movie Trailer and Info
- How to Train Your Dragon - Movie Photos and Characaters
(Photo © Little Brown & Co., Photo © Paramount Home Entertainment)
Family Films
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