How to Train Your Dragon 2 3D Review

Rated PG (Adventure Action and Some Mild Rude Humor)

Running Time: 1 Hour & 42 Minutes

Cast (voice)-

Jay Baruchel-Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III

America Ferrera-Astrid Hofferson

Jonah Hill-Snotlout Jorgenson

Christopher Mintz-Plasse-Fishlegs Ingerman

Kristen Wiig-Ruffnut Thorston

T.J. Miller-Tuffnut Thorston

Gerard Butler-Stoick the Vast

Cate Blanchett-Valka

Craig Ferguson-Gobber the Belch

Kit Harington-Eret

Djimon Hounsou-Drago Bludvist

Randy Thom-Toothless the Dragon

Kieron Elliott-Hoark the Haggard

Philip McGrade-Starkard

Andrew Ableson-Ug

Gideon Emery-Teeny

Simon Kassianides-No-Name

Directed by Dean DeBlois

Hiccup and his dragon companion Toothless take flight in "How to Train Your Dragon 2," the sequel to the 2010 critically-acclaimed animated hit.

 Note: Screened on Saturday, June 7, 2014 at AMC Loews 34th Street 14.

It never ceases to amaze me how fast time flies. Twenty years ago, Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and David Geffen co-founded DreamWorks SKG together following Katzenberg's abrupt departure from Disney. Prior to his exit, Katzenberg was in charge of Disney's then-ailing Feature Animation division (now called Walt Disney Animation Studios) and under his management, the studio ushered in the so-called 'Disney Renaissance,' a creative resurgence that culminated with the release of 1994's "The Lion King," widely considered to be one of the best, if not the best, animated film of all time. Unfortunately, Katzenberg left the company that same year when then-CEO Michael Eisner refused to promote him to President following Frank Wells' untimely death. Put in charge of DreamWorks SKG's fledgling animation department, Katzenberg made a conscious effort to differentiate itself from their main competition by producing animated films that were 'edgier' and skewed older (their early features were often rated PG). Critical reception to their early work ranged from overwhelmingly positive (1998's "Antz" and 2000's "Chicken Run") to middling (2000's "The Road to El Dorado") but the animation studio didn't become the major player they are today until 2001. With Disney's "Atlantis: The Lost Empire" stalling at the domestic box office and Fox outright crashing-and-burning with "Titan A.E." the year before, the nascent DreamWorks Animation sent shockwaves through the industry when they released "Shrek," directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson. The Katzenberg-led animation studio was finally a prime competitor in the field of feature film animation.

A gleeful satire of Disney's films as well as a clever deconstruction of the fairy tale genre, "Shrek" went on to become a critical and commercial success, grossing over $480 million worldwide against a modest $60 million production budget. It also netted DreamWorks Animation's first Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, beating out Pixar's "Monsters, Inc." A sequel, simply titled "Shrek 2," followed in 2004 and reception was once again immensely positive (89% on Rotten Tomatoes) while its box office haul was gargantuan to say the least, with the film making over $900 million worldwide. To this day, "Shrek 2" still holds the record for highest-grossing animated film in America at $441.2 million.

DreamWorks Animation eventually spun-off as its own entity five months after the release of "Shrek 2," having finally proven itself as a force to be reckoned with in the animated film industry. Unfortunately, such success came at an artistic cost. Instead of refining their storytelling techniques like Pixar, the studio began relying more and more on big-name celebrity casting and obnoxious pop-culture references, mistakenly believing that it was these elements that made the first two "Shrek" films so beloved. DreamWorks Animation may have achieved box office success (ten of their films have grossed over $500 million worldwide) but their work is almost never held in the same high esteem as Pixar. The studio that started out as a more adult alternative to Disney had now turned into a producer of safe and mass-market friendly talking-animal pictures. Now I'm not saying DreamWorks Animation makes bad films (although sometimes they do) but more often than not they settle for just 'good enough.' An example would be this past March's "Mr. Peabody & Sherman." Rob Minkoff's film is certainly entertaining yet it was also utterly forgettable. However, there is one exception to the rule: 2010's "How to Train Your Dragon." Based on the popular children's book series of the same name by Cressida Cowell, "How to Train Your Dragon" received fantastic reviews with a stellar 98% on Rotten Tomatoes and grossed a robust $494.9 million worldwide. It was by far the most 'Pixar-like' of DreamWorks Animation's oeuvre and proved that the studio had it in them to produce a film that didn't just pander to kids. Four years later, we have the highly-anticipated sequel, "How to Train Your Dragon 2." Beautifully animated and wonderfully scored, "How to Train Your Dragon 2" represents franchise filmmaking done right, boasting a nuanced script that not only packs a powerful emotional punch but also builds upon its established world, taking it in exciting new directions without losing sight of the integrity of its characters. This is the best film of the summer by far and I dare say that DreamWorks Animation has finally out-Pixar'ed Pixar after two decades in the animation business.

"How to Train Your Dragon 2" boasts some truly majestic visuals.

It has been five years since Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) and Toothless, his loyal Night Fury dragon companion, successfully united dragons and Vikings on the fantastical island of Berk. While his girlfriend Astrid (America Ferrera) and the rest of his friends—Snotlout (Jonah Hill), Fishlegs (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), Ruffnut (Kristen Wiig) and Tuffnut (T.J. Miller)—thrill Berk's citizenry with high-flying dragon races, Hiccup and Toothless spend their time in the skies, charting unmapped territories and exploring new worlds. Meanwhile, Hiccup's father Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler) wants his son to settle down and take his place as chieftain one day but Hiccup just doesn't fancy the responsibility and stress. While exploring with Astrid, Hiccup comes upon an unnatural ice formation and encounters Eret (Kit Harington), a dragon trapper who takes orders from a mysterious warlord named Drago Bludvist (Djimon Hounsou). After thwarting Eret's attempts to capture their dragons, Hiccup and Astrid return to Berk to warn Stoick about Drago. Stoick orders a complete lockdown of the island but Hiccup believes he can reason with the warlord and goes to find him. While in the air, Hiccup runs into an armored figure riding a majestic Stormcutter dragon. Upon noticing Hiccup's scar on his chin, the figure reveals itself to be Valka (Cate Blanchett), his long-lost-and-presumed-dead mother! For the past twenty years, Valka has resided in a hidden dragon sanctuary, where she protects the beasts from those who would do them harm. While Hiccup makes up for lost time with his mother, a storm brews on the horizon. With a massive leviathan in tow, Drago begins enslaving the dragons so that he can conquer all those who dare stand in his way.

If I had to sum up my feelings about "How to Train Your Dragon 2" in one word, it would simply be: WOW. It's not a 'Wow' that one yells out; it's a 'Wow' that one whispers under their breath and is reserved for those rare occasions where you just witnessed something truly extraordinary. This is one of those rare occasions. Where to even begin with "How to Train Your Dragon 2"? First off, the animation is astoundingly gorgeous and the 3D is used to great effect here, adding an incredible sense of depth without resorting to cheap, in-your-face gimmicks. There's a scene that was used for the teaser trailer that shows Hiccup (in his new wing-suit) and Toothless enjoying a private flight together and the 3D goes a long way in expressing the joy that comes with being able to fly. The direction from Dean DeBlois (working solo this time as Chris Sanders is busy on "The Croods 2") is flawless as he takes full advantage of the freedom of animation, utilizing camera angles and allowing characters to pull off actions that would be impossible or very dangerous to do in live-action. Also, I would be remiss if I didn't mention John Powell's amazing score. Thrilling, bombastic, and emotional, Powell's work here deserves to be placed with the upper echelon of John Williams and Howard Shore.

Sequels are very tricky to pull off, especially in this era of massive franchise-building where almost every film is just one piece of a bigger puzzle. Too often, sequels fall victim to setting up the next installment and neglect to focus on the current film itself (last month's "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" had this problem). While DeBlois has mentioned that "How to Train Your Dragon 2" is designed to be the center film in a trilogy, he doesn't concern himself with what happens next and instead focuses on the story that is being told now. Of course, sequels are—by nature—bigger and more expansive than the original and DeBlois goes to great lengths to organically build upon what was established in the previous installment. The 2010 film was largely localized to the island of Berk and the Red Death's Mountain Nest but "How to Train Your Dragon 2" reveals that dragons are actually a pretty common phenomenon, with an entire culture based around them. New dragon-types are introduced, with the most fearsome being the gargantuan 'Bewilderbeasts,' which look like something straight out of an H.P. Lovecraft book. Now DeBlois could've just thrown a bunch of new dragons at us and called it a day but he doesn't. In addition to expanding upon the mythology, he also shows how much the characters have matured since the last film. Hiccup is much more assertive and confident now as he is unafraid to venture off and explore new lands while his knack for invention has only grown with time. Along with his new wing-suit, Hiccup also wields a retractable flame sword (it's basically the Viking equivalent of a lightsaber), with a hilt that can release a combustible gas. I love these little details because its evidence that that these characters are markedly different from when they were introduced yet still fundamentally the same at their core.

One of the new characters that Hiccup encounters is Valka, his long-lost-and-presumed-dead mother.

DreamWorks Animation's films tend to feature a lot of silly humor to appeal to kids and while "How to Train Your Dragon 2" doesn't shy away from that, it's largely downplayed. In fact, the film feels more like a drama instead, with DeBlois' script going in some shockingly dark and upsetting territory, especially for an animated film. It would be so easy to give all the characters a clichéd happy ending but that's the lazy way out. When we first met Hiccup in the original film, he was still just a teenager. Now he's an adult and adulthood comes with responsibilities where actions have real consequences, some of which no one can predict. There's an emotionally powerful 'loss of innocence' moment late in the film but Hiccup doesn't allow himself to fall into despair. Instead, he uses this moment as a reminder to do better and he comes out of the film stronger for it. One common theme that DreamWorks Animation frequently goes back to is the concept of parenthood. In 2011's "Kung Fu Panda 2," Po's goal was to achieve catharsis and come to terms with his adopted parentage. In "How to Train Your Dragon 2," Hiccup reunites with his long-lost-and-presumed-dead mother Valka and comes to realize how much he takes after her. It makes for some genuinely heartwarming moments as DeBlois explores how a person's personality is often the sum of two other people. There's an eco-friendly theme as well (fortunately not beaten over our heads like April's "Rio 2"), with the film boasting a strong, positive example of the bond a person can share with an animal, to the point where it almost becomes instinctual. This is the kind of sophisticated storytelling that DreamWorks Animation should be fostering and I hope the studio uses the high bar they've set for themselves here as a way to continuously challenge themselves.

Like the animation and story, the voice acting is strong across the board. Jay Baruchel does an excellent job showing how much Hiccup has grown over the past five years while also playing up his still-lingering insecurities. Even though you're just hearing her voice, America Ferrera exudes tremendous charm as Hiccup's girlfriend Astrid while Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Kristen Wiig, T.J. Miller, and Craig Ferguson bring the laughs with their respective characters. Wiig in particular is quite hilarious as Ruffnut finds herself caught in a complicated love triangle. However, the standouts are by far Cate Blanchett and Gerard Butler. These two do such a phenomenal job communicating the still-strong love and affection their characters have for each other despite being separated for twenty years. There's a beautiful scene where Butler's Stoick serenades Valka with the Celtic-style ballad For the Dancing and the Dreaming and I have to say, I got emotional. The only disappointment is that Blanchett didn't provide the vocals; when Valka sings, it's actually Mary Jane Wells. Djimon Hounsou fully immerses himself as villainous warlord Drago Bludvist, which leaves Kit Harington as the only voice actor not quite meeting the high bar set by the rest of the cast. That's not to say the "Game of Thrones" actor is outright bad but when everyone else is so good, adequate just isn't enough.

To be released on June 13, 2014, "How to Train Your Dragon 2" has received stellar reviews so far with an astounding 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. Unfortunately, that score won't likely hold as there is always that one critic that just has to give a negative review. Still, it's highly improbable that the score will fall below 95%. Box office wise, it's pretty much guaranteed to hit $300 million domestically given the relative dearth of animated films this summer. Yes, there's "Planes: Fire & Rescue" in July but it's hardly a fair comparison. Regardless, "How to Train Your Dragon 2" is going to be a big hit because the film is, to put it quite simply, an animated masterpiece. In fact, I don't think anything else that's being released in the next two-and-a-half months will even come close to the quality of DreamWorks Animation's latest.

Final Rating: 5 out of 5

"You were only a babe. But a mother never forgets."