Reel Critic:

For decades, Disney had a virtual monopoly on feature-length animated films. Having invented the format with the groundbreaking “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” in 1937, Disney had a formidable stable of animators that churned out one classic after another over the next 40 years.

Animation fell out of favor in the late 1970s but enjoyed a resurgence in the late 1980s. The biggest challenge to Disney’s supremacy came with the advent of computer-generated animation. This allows production of the thousands of separate images required for an animated feature without having to employ hundreds of artists or animators to do so. With Disney and its partner and later subsidiary Pixar enjoying tremendous success in the 1990s by employing such techniques, competition was inevitable.

DreamWorks, launched in 1994 by Hollywood moguls Steven Spielberg, David Geffen and former Disney executive Jeffrey Katzenberg, sought to challenge the established studios on every front. Not surprisingly, it entered the animation feature arena in 1998 with the mildly successful “Antz.” DreamWorks Animation was launched in 2000 and now represents Disney’s biggest competition with the very successful “Shrek” and “Madagascar” franchises.

DreamWorks Animation’s latest offering, “How to Train Your Dragon,” continues to place it at the forefront of animation both in terms of technology and entertainment value. “Dragon,” set in a mythical world of a remote Viking village cursed with constant attacks by a variety of flying dragons, is disarmingly charming and engaging.

The Viking village is ruled by Stoick (Gerard Butler), a burly and brave Viking who is a famed dragon killer. His teenage son Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) is puny and seemingly not fit for the manly art of killing dragons.

Working for the village blacksmith, Hiccup invents a contraption that miraculously downs a Night Fury, the most feared species of dragon. Hiccup tracks the downed creature to the forest intending to kill it and establish himself as a useful member of the community. However, once he is poised to skewer the helpless beast, he finds he doesn’t have the stomach for it.

What transpires is a classic tale of man and beast as Hiccup slowly gains the trust of the dragon he names Toothless. Eventually, he mounts Toothless like a horse and flies him over the forest and village. Of course, his daily excursions into the woods don’t go unnoticed, especially by the girl of his dreams, Astrid (America Ferrera).

Once the village discovers he has encountered dragons and not killed them, Hiccup is ostracized by everyone, including his father. Hiccup knows the dragons are completely misunderstood and must somehow persuade the other Vikings to stop killing them.

“How to Train Your Dragon” is another film available in 3D. This technology certainly enhances the action sequences of the film, especially the thrilling flying scenes. All the latest technology is utilized to great effect as the villagers, creatures and landscapes are incredibly detailed.

Most important, though, is the amusing and heartwarming story. This is the one thing shared by all great animated features, and all successful films, for that matter.

No matter how impressive the special effects, the movie cannot engage an audience without a good story and sympathetic characters.

“How to Train Your Dragon” is one of those rare animated films that offers both flash and substance and will be enjoyed by audiences of all ages.

VAN NOVACK is the assistant vice president of institutional research and assessment at Cal State Long Beach and lives in Huntington Beach with his wife, Elizabeth.