How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World review

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON: THE HIDDEN WORLD:

FINAL ADVENTURE WITH HICCUP AND TOOTHLESS WILL MAKE YOU CRY!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** ½ out of 4

UNIVERSAL PICTURES AND DREAMWORKS ANIMATION

Toothless the Dragon finds love in How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

            Viking chief, Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel-Knocked Up, Tropic Thunder, This is the End) and the dragons of Berk are back in the third and final installment of DreamWorks’ How to Train Your Dragon film series based on the series of books by Cressida Cowell. Despite never reading the original books, I fell completely in love with the first How to Train Your Dragon movie back in 2010, with its breathtaking animation, creative character designs (and I’m not just talking about the dragons), groundbreaking 3D effects on par with James Cameron’s Avatar, and a sweet story about a boy and his pet dragon and how these unlikely friends changed both their worlds forever.

            It was a huge hit with both audiences and critics and destined to become an animated classic in the same vein as The Lion King, Toy Story, and Shrek. So naturally we got an equally solid and debatably superior follow-up with How to Train Your Dragon 2 in 2014, which explored more of the world of dragons, featured a pretty intimidating dragon-controlling villain, and the story dives deep into Hiccup’s past with him reuniting with his lost mother. 

            I was ecstatic when the third movie was announced but at the same time, I was a little concerned given that the number three is usually an unlucky number when it comes to franchises. With two films preceding it that were phenomenal in both animation, characters, and storytelling it needs a Toy Story 3 style finale and I’d be really angry if they botched it up in the end. 

            Is How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World that kind of conclusion? I can say with a very enthusiastic YES! I’m not sure how it ranks with its predecessors, but this third dragon outing is truly fantastic, it has all the gorgeous animation, dragon flying sequences, and wacky cast of characters from the earlier installments topped off with an emotionally moving narrative and an ending so beautiful it’ll make you cry.

            Set one year after defending the island of Berk from Drago Bludvist, Hiccup has become the chief and ruler of the island alongside Astrid (voiced by America Ferrera-Ugly Betty, End of Watch, Superstore) and continues to rescue captured dragons with Toothless and their friends. Unfortunately, Berk has become severely overpopulated with dragons and in response to it, Hiccup begins his journey to find a legendary safe haven for dragons known as the Hidden World that his late father, Stoick (voiced by Gerard Butler-300, RocknRolla,Olympus/London Has Fallen) told him about when he was a child. 

            But when the discovery of a female Light Fury coincides with the arrival of Berk’s greatest threat yet in the form of infamous dragon hunter, Grimmel the Grisly (voiced by F. Murray Abraham-Scarface, Amadeus, The Grand Budapest Hotel), Hiccup, Toothless, and the rest of Berk’s Vikings must leave their home to find the Hidden World before this notorious menace brings dragons to the brink of extinction.

            The film also features the voices of Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine, Cinderella (2015), Thor: Ragnarok) as Hiccup’s mother Valka, Craig Ferguson (Winnie the Pooh (2011), Brave, Celebrity Name Game) as Gobber the Belch, Jonah Hill (Superbad, 21/22 Jump Street, The Lego Movie franchise) as Snotlout, Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Superbad, Kick-Ass 1 and 2, Pitch Perfect) as Fishlegs, Kristen Wiig (Despicable Me trilogy, Bridesmaids, Ghostbusters (2016)) as Ruffnut, newcomer Justin Rupple replacing T.J. Miller as Tuffnut, and Kit Harington (Game of Thrones, Pompeii, Testament of Youth) as Eret.

            Overall, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World caps off an emotional rollercoaster of animated films nearly ten years in the making with a thrilling and powerful finale that will tug at your heartstrings by the time the credits start rolling. The stakes are higher this time around as the Vikings and dragons do battle with these villainous hunters and Hiccup making one of the hardest choices in life for the safety and freedom of the dragons.

            It’s probably the time I cared the most about what was happening, how will the riders of Berk get out of this situation and will they continue to live together by the end? The best way I can describe it is the Return of the King or Infinity War of How to Train Your Dragon that ties all the loose ends together and will hopefully not lead to a fourth installment (I’m looking at you Toy Story 4!). 

            The narrative reminds me a lot of Toy Story 3 or Ralph Breaks the Internet as it focuses on Hiccup learning to let his best friend go to achieve a better life which can be very difficult for the best of friends. This is an easily relatable aspect of the film and despite being between a boy and a dragon it’s done in a very mature, intelligent way. 

            Like its predecessors, the film is stunning with its use of 3D which I consider the definitive way of watching this movie. You feel like you’re riding on these dragons and caught in the middle of the action even if you’re not watching it on an IMAX screen…though the lack of IMAX 3D theaters showing it is a serious nitpick of mine.

            Even if you take the 3D aspect out, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World is a solid conclusion to an epic animated movie trilogy with plenty of excitement, humor, and heart for the entire family. It’s a final adventure with Hiccup and Toothless that hits all the right notes and destined to go down in history as one of the best animated movie franchises of all time.