If there’s a fault in Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois’ How to Train Your Dragon, it’s that at times it tries too hard. With modern computer technology and 3-D animation at their disposal, you get the impression these two artists were like two kids trying out for the varsity animation team and they pulled out all of the stops in an attempt to impress. Fortunately, after a frantic and at times confusing opening, the film finds its feet as it concentrates on one boy’s efforts to find his place in a world in which he is an outcast.

Hiccup (voice by Jay Baruchel) doesn’t fit in on the island of Berk. His father Stoick (Gerard Butler), the leader of their Viking tribe, is confused by his weakling son and has assigned him as an apprentice to Gobber (Craig Ferguson) the village’s blacksmith. However, one night Hiccup shoots down a Night Wing, the most dreaded of dragons. But when the winged reptile’s body cannot be found, no one believes him. The boy gets his own confirmation when he finds the wounded creature in the woods, cares for him and strikes up a friendship that will change the lives of all the villagers.

A medieval retelling of The Black Stallion, the film works best during its more humorous and quiet moments. Scenes in which Hiccup and his peers go through Dragon Defense Training pay off with wonderful visual gags, punctuated by Ferguson’s wry humor, while the moments where Hiccup and his pet, Toothless, earn each other’s trust give the film its heart. To be sure, the film gives its 3-D toys a workout and the flying sequences are spectacular. However, in the end, it’s the relationship between a young dragon and his boy that makes it soar.