How To Train Your Dragon (2010)

Screenplay Genre: Animation / Adventure / Family / Fantasy

Movie Time: 98 minutes

1. INCITING INCIDENT

A puny Viking boy named Hiccup shoots the deadly Night Fury dragon out of the sky with a bolas-shooting cannon, but no one believes him, so Hiccup goes out alone to prove it, but when he finds the dragon, he can't make himself kill it. Instead, Hiccup releases it, whereupon it also refrains from killing Hiccup before flying and crashing through the trees. (00:11:53)

2. LOCK IN (End of Act One)

After discovering the Night Fury (which he eventually calls Toothless) is trapped in a steep-sided valley because it can't fly due to a missing tail fin, Hiccup comes back to feed the injured dragon a fish. Toothless eats the fish, then spits up half for Hiccup, who forces down a bite. After sharing the fish, they exchange a smile: instant friends. (00:27:40)

3. FIRST CULMINATION (Midpoint)

Back at the village, Hiccup subdues a practice dragon during the final day of dragon training, unintentionally placing first among the other kids and earning the honor of killing the dragon during the public final exam. This of course makes Hiccup's father, Stoick, proud beyond belief, but Hiccup, knowing he can't kill a dragon, runs away with Toothless. (00:49:44)

4. MAIN CULMINATION (End of Act Two)

At the dragon-killing ceremony, Hiccup discards his weapon in an attempt to show the Vikings that dragons only fight to defend themselves, but Stoick intervenes, causing the dragon to attack. Toothless comes to rescue Hiccup, but is captured by the Vikings, and when Hiccup tries to explain to his father, Stoick disowns him. (1:04:43)

5. THIRD ACT TWIST

At the dragons' island, Stoick and Gobber prepare to sacrifice themselves by distracting the Giant Dragon in order to save the others when suddenly Hiccup, Astrid, and the other kids arrive through the mist to join the battle, all mounted and flying on the practice dragons from dragon training. (1:15:45)