In 2010, DreamWorks Animation released
"How to Train Your Dragon;" based off the hit kids book by the same
name, the movie was released to universal acclaim and was a hit at the box
office making almost 500 million dollars. Animation is one of my favorite
genres of movies, and "How to Train Your Dragon" is easily my
favorite; and that's going up against movies like "Frozen,"
"Tangled," and "Spirited Away." I actually read the book
the movie was based off of when I was very young and I loved it; and while the
book and the movie have very little in common other than character names and
the setting, in my opinion the movie is actually better than the book. Shortly
after the first film was released, it was announced that it would be a trilogy.
I was nervous at first, since many animated sequels rarely match the quality of
the original; but since the first trailer for the sequel, I knew that this was
going to be a great film. And as I hoped, I was right.
Taking place five
years after the events of the original, the small island village of Berk has
changed quite a bit since then. Once known for killing dragons that attacked their island, they have since
befriended them and are part of their everyday life. The young boy Hiccup who
learned how to ride the dragons, has since become the pride of the village and
has been exploring the world around Berk; but he has different ambitions than
what his father has for him. His father Stoick, the village chief, is looking
to retire and wants Hiccup to settle down and become the new chief. But Hiccup
believes he needs to find out who he truly is, and wants to keep mapping out
the world. One day after finding a new piece of land Hiccup and his girlfriend
Astrid come upon a fort that has been destroyed and covered in ice. There they
meet some dragon trappers who are looking to collect dragons and give them to
Drago Bloodvist, a mad man looking to control the world with a dragon army.
Afraid that Drago might come for Berk's dragons, Hiccup sets out to reason with
him against the advice of his father who had a run-in with Drago years ago.
Even though he knows it is dangerous, Hiccup truly believes he can reason with
Drago; even if it costs him his life. And along the way, he manages to meet
someone he never thought he would.
From the opening scene
to the closing shot, this movie was everything I hoped it would be and so much
more. This is exactly how a sequel should be, and one of the best sequels I've
have seen. The first thing you notice when watching this movie is that it is
absolutely gorgeous, it's probably the best looking computer generated animated movie I have
ever seen. The cinematography is also top notch, with several stunning shots. The movie is also very well written with likable characters; it's
funny and has several emotional moments. One of the best aspects of the
original was the beautiful soundtrack, and that continues in this one.
Featuring influences from the original, it is one of the best original scores
you'll hear all year. The movie has some really great storytelling; the
plot is well crafted and endearing. Of the few new characters introduced, the
standout has to be the villain Drago. He can best be described as menacing, and
watching him you really believe that he would let the whole world burn to get
what he wants. The movie also has several really incredible action sequences
that bring the movie to heights the original didn't even meet. With the first
being so good, I was concerned if this one could match it. In reality, this
movie is just as good as the original and might be the best animated sequel
ever made. Being an animated movie, the target audience would be kids.
Fortunately, this is certainly a movie that adults will be able to enjoy just
as much as kids will. While my complaints about this movie are few, they are
there. One thing that concerns me is that this movie may actually be too
intense for some members of the target audience. This movie gets dark, people
die; this isn't a movie I would show to a kid younger than about eight. And
with the movie being so intense at times, it's not quite as fun as the original
was. The original was a light hearted movie that the entire family could enjoy;
but this movie gets dark on more than one occasion. So if you are planning to
see this with some young family members or something, take that into mind. From
start to finish, this movie was nothing short of incredible. Minus some
personal gripes, it does just about everything right an animated movie should
do. If you were a fan of the first one, I have no doubts you will love this one
as well. With the third film scheduled to be released in 2016, I can hardly
wait. "How to Train Your Dragon 2" is a gem; it's not just the best
animated movie I've seen in the past few years, I would rank it along side some
of the greatest animated movies of all time.
Pros: Gorgeous animation, stunning cinematography, very funny, well
written, likable characters, beautiful score, menacing villain, awesome action
sequences, enjoyable for kids and adults, several emotional moments, just as
good as the original, one of the best animated films in years.
Cons: May be too intense for little kids, not
quite as fun as the original.
