Dean DeBlois returns (this time without previous collaborator Chris Sanders) to write and direct How to Train Your Dragon 2, the sequel to what was arguably DreamWorks Animation’s best animated feature to date, and he’s once again tapped into the earnest nature of the first film. In terms of story, however, it goes for emotional highs that land with some modicum of success, but for the most part it felt like a competent adventure story of a boy coming into his own and nothing more. Simply put, I have few problems with this movie, but it hardly moved me in any meaningful way.
Dragon 2 brings us back to Berk, the realm of Vikings and dragons, and following the first film things have changed a bit. Now the whole population of Berk has gone dragon crazy, there are dragon racing, games and even businesses developed around properly outfitting your fire-breathing compatriot. Soaring higher than all is Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel) whose just learned his father, Stoick (Gerard Butler), has decided it’s about time to pass the torch. Proud of all his son has done, it will be Hiccup to lead the clan into the future, but Hiccup is not exactly sure he’s ready for the job.
The familial highs and lows are pretty standard. They come and go as the action is moved along by two villains, the first a dragon hunter by the name of Eret (Kit Harrington) whose duty is to capture dragons for the big baddie Drago Bludvist (Djimon Hounsou) who wants to control dragons rather than live in harmony with them and, naturally, crush everything in his path… you know, because he’s the bad guy.
Children will be wowed by the swooping and swirling of the flying sequences and the mild comedy bits while adults will be more apt to grasp on to the more emotional aspects, and don’t be surprised if a certain level of controversy begins to swirl around one particular viking, Gobber the Belch (Craig Ferguson), though it will be a most pleasant day in this world if no controversy arises at all.
The first film served at the pleasure of introducing a wealth of characters, most of which were on the peripheral. Their antics, for the most part, served as comedic relief as Hiccup went about exploring the realm. Dragon 2 is just as much an exploration and adventure film as the first, with Hiccup attempting to map his surroundings, a plot point that results in the overall storyline as more than a few surprises will be uncovered by the curious dragon rider. When it comes to those peripheral characters, however, this time they are more tiresome than comedic.
To begin, Astrid (America Ferrera) is pretty much just the supportive girlfriend in this case with little else to do than to urge on her man, but most annoying is a comedy bit that runs throughout the entire film involving screwball vikings Snotlout (Jonah Hill) and Fishlegs (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) endlessly seeking the affection of Ruffnut (Kristen Wiig) to no avail. It really is the extent of this film’s comedy, and I’m not suggesting this is a movie that has to be funny, I’m just saying it’s not very funny when it’s trying to be.
The absolute best thing this franchise has done, though, is embrace the continued use of canine qualities for the dragons. Humans love their dogs because they have that ability to make us smile and show undying loyalty. Dragon 2 uses this to its benefit in several ways, most notably, of course, in the relationship between Hiccup and his dragon Toothless.
All told, How to Train Your Dragon 2 is fun, filled with wonderful animation and a bit daring in its treatment of its characters. It’s also a film I walked away from feeling it was a satisfying 102 minutes in the theater, though that’s about it.
