Ep 21: Pets - How To Train Your Dragon & Marley And Me

In this episode of Parallel Fiction, Heather and Jeff celebrate the companions we keep, and the stories that highlight their importance. Heather and Jeff are presenting two stories about Pets, the theme of the show, and giving their honest and emotional opinions on what it means to own, raise, and bond with a pet.

Heather begins the summary portion with an outline of Marley and Me, an autobiography from John Grogan. She beings by explaining that this is not a fictional piece of work, but lets it slide as this could be anybody’s story and fits the theme well. The memoir follows the Grogan family as they experience the growing pains of owning a hyper active dog. Heather gets very emotional talking about the last days of Marley’s life, and reflects on how that’s often times the worst part of owning a pet.

Did you know? In the film adaptation, 22 dogs played the role of Marley, at different stage throughout his life.

Jeff brings us back for part 2 of the summary portion of the show, outlining the 2010 computer animated classic How To Train Your Dragon. In the story, Jeff presents the bond between main character Hiccup, and his unlikely pet and ally Toothless. Through sweet moments between the two, the kid and dragon end up understanding each other and forming a bond that saves Hiccup’s Viking village. Jeff explains the similarities between the dragon and a cat, and appreciates how the film doesn’t talk down to children, its intended audience. Instead, the film was just as enjoyable to Jeff as an adult and for all ages.

Fun Fact! Music director John Powell was nominated for an Academy Award for his work on this film, but lost to Trent Reznor. Not a bad loss though, as Reznor is a decorated producer with credits in the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame, the Oscars, Emmys, and Grammys.

Following these reviews, Heather and Jeff dive into commonalities between the two works such as choosing a pet, responsibility, naming your pet, giving time & attention, and cherished memories.

Listen in to hear Jeff and Heather’s candid thoughts on the masterpiece scenes of each story, how Marley And Me and How To Train Your Dragon compare, and how Jeff and Heather relate the two. Share this episode with all the pet lovers in your life!

Heather’s rating for Marley And Me: Nice – If you’re a pet owner, you will really enjoy this story. The memoir moves a bit slow, the movie may be a better choice.

Jeff’s rating for How To Train Your Dragon: Super Nice – Even though we don’t put any stock in the Rotten Tomatoe’s score, this movie sits at 99% fresh as of February 2021 and has earned every bit of that.

Watch How To Train Your Dragon here: https://www.amazon.com/How-Train-Your-Dragon-Collection/dp/B07NN37WHT

Read Marley And Me here: https://www.amazon.com/Marley-Me-Life-Worlds-Worst/dp/0060817097

About Parallel Fiction:

Parallel Fiction is the perfect supplemental companion to all of the stories you consume. We will be covering movies, television, books, graphic novels, video games, and music whenever it applies. Learn more about things you love, and get to know us a little bit better as we give you a peak into our lives and opinions.

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