rczorch

[rczorch]

How to Train Your Dragon (2025) Review

The original holds a very special place in my heart–I think it's one of the greatest movies I've ever watched. This one? Still amazing. Still epic. Still breathtaking. I actually cried twice, something I've never done during the original. Dean Deblois added some amazing expansion on some of the teenagers' lore (especially Snotlout, who's relationship with his father was previously only explored in the series), and they absolutely nailed the casting (yes, even for the twins– their age and physical dissimilarities are addressed).

A couple of things were a little off, like they didn't include the 'wrong offspring' joke and Hiccup's relationship with Toothless feels less significant at times (probably a side effect of having an actor across from CGI), but they didn't do much to spoil the message of the movie.

Overall? I really enjoyed it. It had all the heart of the original with less of the bad, which includes amazing visuals, character development, and of course John Powell's spectacular score, re-recorded just for this iteration. 15 years later, the story is still one of the greatest of all time. The animated film is still the superior version, but I think the remake gave me a new appreciation for it in so many different ways.

Also:

"The original is a 10/10, obviously. I think I'd give this one… 7.5/10." - my sister, whose favorite movie is the original HTTYD, who has seen Race to the Edge like 9 times and owns the entire series on DVD, and who told me every line that was left out of the remake after it was over.

[rczorch]

Hawiian Roller Coster Ride

I watched the live action Lilo and Stitch today. All thoughts to the movie aside (you can find those on my letterboxd), I was thinking about "Hawiian Roller Coster Ride."

The new version is sung by Iam Tongi, the winner of season 21 of American Idol. He's originally from Hawaii and was the first Pacific Islander to win the competition. And he covered Hawiian Roller Coster Ride for the new movie.

I just think that's pretty flipping cool.

This guy probably grew up on the original Lilo and Stitch, a movie portraying his culture, and now he got the chance to sing it himself on the remake for millions of people. What an amazing thing.

[rczorch]

Finally made a Tumblr Account

A couple years ago I was super active on Archive of Our Own but haven't posted in a hot minute. (Here's the account if you wanna check out some stories: RagingCycloneZorch | Archive of Our Own)

Anyway, I'm just gonna be using this for random thoughts, fandom stuff, and theories. Maybe art if I end up drawing anything.

That's it.