26. Hiccup

Movie(s): How To Train Your Dragon, How to Train your Dragon 2, How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

First Appearance: How to Train Your Dragon, a novel by Cressida Cowell

Voiced by: Jay Baruchel

Yes, we've gone for Hiccup rather than his adorable dragon Toothless? Why? Because he's a character we don't see enough of in animation: someone smart, competent and braver than he gives himself credit for. While the wise-cracking, geeky outsider is familiar in live-action teen movies, he's given a fresh breath of life here amid a town full of Vikings and plagued by dragons, and Hiccup's developing bond with Toothless is one of the most finely drawn friendships ever established in the genre. Also, his awkward relationship with his father is much better than the average orphan story, with bonus points for the joke about his mother's breastplate.

Stroke of genius

SPOILER WARNING. It's at the end of the film, where Hiccup wakes up in his bed to discover that he's lost his foot in the battle with the enormous dragon. He stares wordlessly for a moment, but after a single sigh refuses to dwell and - with Toothless' help - gets out of bed to try out his prosthetic. Heartbreakingly good.

Fun fact

The novel's version of the story is almost entirely different: Toothless is very small and brown, there's no giant dragon to fight in the last act and Hiccup remains whole. To be honest, however, it's not as good.

10/10