How to Train Your Dragon 2 - Analysis and Review

And Dreamworks steps up their game once again

How to Train Your Dragon was not a film that was on my radar. Then when I decided to rent the movie and watch it, my mind was blown. It was definitely one of the best animated films I've seen as well as being the most beautiful animated film I've seen at that time. So when the sequel was announced and that first trailer of seeing Hiccup and Toothless flying together first came out I knew this was a movie I had to watch!

The Plot

5 years after the events of the first film, Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) and his dragon Toothless discover the existence of a powerful enemy to dragons. Wanting to keep the peace that he worked so hard to establish in his homeland between vikings and dragons, Hiccup ventures off to confront this threat only to discover that he may not know everything there is to know about dragons. 

Analysis

When Dreamworks Animation made their way into the CG realm to compete with Disney's Pixar, with the excepting of Shrek they tended to make films that either complimented Pixar's work or were just plain lackluster. However a huge shift occurred when Kung Fu Panda emerged. It still had the almost jokey/pop culture referencing nature that the other Dreamworks films had, yet there seems to be a sense of seriousness and legitimate care for the story happening. It was the first sign of a shift. A shift that would amplify to a whole other level with How to Train Your Dragon. It is fascinating that most of my non-film oriented friends would confuse Dragon as a Pixar film. And it it obvious why they would. The movie has been lauded as the first Dreamworks film to be of Pixar caliber, so it is no surprise that people would be in disbelief that Pixar didn't make it. Those two films were responsible for letting the world know that they are definitely a force in the animation world.

Review

This is the most beautiful animated film I've seen so far. It is also the best animated film I've seen this year. There is so much this film does right that it outweighs the wrongs by a ton. This is definitely a true cinematic experience. The voice talents of Jay Baruchel as Hiccup, America Ferrara as Astrid, Jonah Hill as Snotlout, Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Fishlegs, TJ Miller as Tuffnut, Kristen Wiig as Ruffnut, Gerard Butler as Stoick, and Craig Ferguson as Gobber round out the original cast while also bringing out the delicate balance between kids film flair and dramatic nuance. Newcomers Cate Blanchett as Valka (the lost mother of Hiccup), Kit Harrington as the dragon hunter Erit, and Djimon Hounsou as Drago are welcomed editions to the brilliant fantasy film. The development of Hiccup's character from lost mature young man to a confident incredible leader is definitely the major story arc in the film. And it plays well by not only allowing the characters to age from a teenager to a young man, but by challenging him with a situation that is complex enough to put his beliefs to the test. 

The story definitely has shades of various great sequels that have come before. But in every sequel to a genre film, means that there has to be a powerful new villain. That is where Housou's Drago comes into the mix. He definitely has the makings of a typical cartoon villain. And while he is pretty much the embodiment of evil in the film, the attempts to humanize him didn't actually fall through. He was definitely a weak part of the story in terms of he would've been better suited as pure menacing grim evil rather than an evil that is misunderstood. Had they found a way to make the humanizing aspect of his character work, then it would've made the movie a lot stronger in terms of having great characters on both sides. But seeing as how they never bridged the gap between pure evil and misunderstood, it doesn't come off strong enough. But he will be memorable by what he does, rather than who he is.

The creators of the film, and I do mean everyone, have to be commended for taking the story seriously without sugar coating it. This is a family film, however a lot of adult themes are explored in the movie such as death and the concept of war. However the one thing that stood out to me was the interaction of Butler's Stoick and Blanchet's Valka. How the creators handled the reunion of the lost lovers was beautiful and touching without being one filled with resentment. It is always good to see films where the creators know who their audience is but knows they are smart enough to understand or handle what they are being shown. It is what elevates this film higher than its predecessor. Not only that, but like I said, the animation and design of this film is incredible. Each frame is such a beautiful image with the detail being more extreme than any of the previous Dreamworks films I've seen. This is truly a great experience to behold for the whole family.

Final Thoughts

There is that question of is it too dark for my kids? If your children are capable of handling The Lion King then they are strong enough to understand and handle this movie. It is important to know that this movie is about grown ups who have to deal with the realities of the harsh world around them. And the execution of how they do so is powerful. This is an incredible animated film.

SCORE: 9.5/10 - The Best Animated Film of 2014 so far (7/14)