“How to Train Your Dragon was such a delightful surprise. I hadn’t really enjoyed Dreamworks films much, and I’ll admit the clunky title didn’t bode well. I was hooked within the first five minutes. Granted, I do have Viking heritage, so that had a lot to do with it (the line about them being stubborn hit incredibly close to home). The cast of celebrity voices (Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Jonah Hill, Chris Mintz-Plasse) is fantastic. And I fell in love with leading dragon, Toothless. When I first saw it, I’d only had my little cat Nosferatu for a couple months, and Toothless was his dragon doppleganger. Now we have a sequel with more dragons and more vikings! Woo hoo!
The first film relied a lot on the beautiful animation and the quirkyness of the characters. This time, we had a little bit more plot, a little bit more character development. Both are very much good things you need in your sequel. Now dragons are a way of life for our little town, and that new way of life is being threatened. Our hero, Hiccup, is calling into question much of what he believes in.
I’ll admit, there were some points where the film dragged. We had a big swell of action in the middle and then things fell flat for a bit before they ramped back up. But so much of the film was just beautiful. I’m not just referring to the animation, which was as gorgeous as the first time. The loyalty and bravery displayed by Hiccup and Toothless was moving. How fiercely they would each fight to protect the other and protect their home. Regardless of how the rest of the film played out, those shared moments were the ones that stuck with me.
Ultimately this is a world that I’m more than happy to revisit. Toothless still reminds me of one cat, earning him that nickname and prompting me to give the other the dragon nickname Drogon (I know, different source). They have solid values and a lot of fun. And it all looks absolutely stunning too!
How to Train Your Dragon 2 – \m/ \m/ \m/ \n