Awesome Music / How to Train Your Dragon (2010)

• "Test Drive". Chills every time. If there was ever a piece written about the thrill of flying, it's "Test Drive". And for further proof of its epicness, NBC Sports used "Test Drive" for its recap of Rory McIlroy's historic 2011 U.S. Open run (setting the lowest score in the major's 100+-year history) during its coverage of the golf event. And it's brilliant in context, in that it interweaves Toothless's leitmotif and Hiccup's, bringing their respective themes into perfect harmony at the very moment Hiccup discards his cheat-sheet instructions and the duo begin flying intuitively, as one, for the first time.
• "The Cove" plays during Hiccup and Astrid's scene at the cove near their village and gradually becomes a soft, romantic theme.
• The Japanese theme song, "Emerald" by Becky, captures the feeling of the relationship between Hiccup and Toothless.
• This is Berk sounds like an insane hybrid of Pirates of the Caribbean and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and is exactly as awesome as that description would merit.
• Astrid Goes for a Spin, and Battling the Green Death. It all culminates in Coming Back Around, which is physically impossible to listen to without getting at least a tiny swelling in your chest at the sheer epicness.
• Sticks and Stones, the song for the credits. Mmm, delicious Icelandic prog-rock performed by the lead of Sigur Rós.
• Several tracks have multiple internal moments of awesome, "Battling the Green Death" has some: Stoick and Gobber initiating their Heroic Sacrifice, The Big Damn Heroes arrival of the Dragon Riders of Berk, Stoick saving Hiccup and Toothless, and finally Hiccup and Toothless saving Astrid.
• "New Tail" starts out quiet ...then turns into pure EPIC.
• Ready The Ships starts out very badass, as this particular voyage will be, before transitioning into an almost-haunting reprise of the Flying Melody. It really captures all the emotions of the scene.
• There are three scenes with no dialogue, so the music has to carry them:
  • Forbidden Friendship is what happens when the concept of True Companions is turned into music.
  • Romantic Flight. The score is beautiful.
  • See You Tomorrow plays during the montage as Hiccup builds an improved tail for Toothless. The track has the form of a stand-out song, with verses, a refrain and the resulting catchiness. It then builds up to "Test Flight".
• Coming Back Around plays as Vikings and Dragons begin to live together. It's an appropriately epic, emotional version of "Test Drive", perfect for the scene where the two sides come around to co-existence.

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