How To Train Your Dragon 2
{4.5/5} “You have the heart of a chief and the soul of a dragon.”
Hiccup and Toothless explore new lands while his friends engage in dragon racing. Hiccup comes across dragon trappers who reveal that someone named Drago Bludvist has a dragon army. Meanwhile Stoick has decided to retire and make Hiccup chief of the village — but Hiccup is not sure he has the ability or desire to be chief. In the midst of these startling revelations Hiccup makes a discovery about his mother.*
How To Train Your Dragon 2, released in 2014
It’s the sequel to How to Train Your Dragon.
I loved the first movie and had high hopes for this one. I’m happy to say that it lived up to those hopes.
I’m very fond of these characters and it was a joy to see them again. The movie made me want to watch the second season of Dragons: Riders of Berk.
The movie takes place 5 years after the first one, so Hiccup and his friends are young adults now — although they haven’t changed too much.
Once again the climax is the weakest part of the movie.** But it’s not horrible and every moment of the rest of the movie is wonderful.
The music is by John Powell (The Italian Job). He takes themes from his soundtrack to the first movie and reimagines them in interesting ways.
Reprising their roles from the first movie are Jay Baruchel as Hiccup, America Ferrera as Astrid, Gerard Butler as Stoick, Craig Ferguson as Gobber, Jonah Hill as Snotlout, and Kristen Wiig as Ruffnut.
Joining them this time is Cate Blanchett (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey) as Valka.
The movie was directed by Dean DeBlois (co-director of the first movie, co-creator of the TV show Dragons: Riders of Berk).
A third movie is forthcoming in 2016.
Spoiler alert
*Valka, Hiccup’s mother, is still alive and she has created a sanctuary for dragons.
**We don’t find out much about the bad guy, including how he controls the large dragon.