How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)

How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)

How to Train Your Dragon 2 is a 2014 American 3D computer-animated fantasy-action film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by 20th Century Fox, loosely based on the British book series of the same name by Cressida Cowell. It is the sequel to the 2010 computer-animated film How to Train Your Dragon and the second in the trilogy. The film is written and directed by Dean DeBlois, and stars the voices of Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, T.J. Miller and Kristen Wiig with the addition of Cate Blanchett, Djimon Hounsou and Kit Harington. The film takes place five years after the first film, featuring Hiccup and his friends as young adults as they meet Valka, Hiccup's long-lost mother, and Drago Bludvist, a madman who wants to conquer the world.

DeBlois, who co-directed the first film, agreed to return to direct the second film on the condition that he would be allowed to turn it into a trilogy. He cited The Empire Strikes Back and My Neighbor Totoro as his main inspirations, with the expanded scope of the The Empire Strikes Back being particularly influential. The entire voice cast from the first film returned, and Cate Blanchett and Djimon Hounsou signed on to voice Valka and Drago, respectively. DeBlois and his creative team visited Norway and Svalbard to give them ideas for the setting. Composer John Powell returned to score the film. How to Train Your Dragon 2 benefited from advances in animation technology and was DreamWorks' first film to use scalable multi-core processing and the studio's new animation and lighting software.

The film was released in the United States on June 13, 2014, and like its predecessor, received wide acclaim. Critics praised the film for its animation, voice acting, action scenes, emotional depth, and darker, more serious tone compared to its predecessor. The film grossed over $621 million worldwide, making it the twelfth highest-grossing film of 2014. It earned less than its predecessor at the US box office, but performed better internationally. The third installment in the trilogy, titled How to Train Your Dragon 3, is scheduled to be released on June 29, 2018.

How to Train Your Dragon 2 received the Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. The film won six Annie Awards, including Best Animated Feature and Best Director.

Storyline

It's been five years since Hiccup and Toothless successfully united dragons and vikings on the island of Berk. While Astrid, Snotlout and the rest of the gang are challenging each other to dragon races (the island's new favorite contact sport), the now inseparable pair journey through the skies, charting unmapped territories and exploring new worlds. When one of their adventures leads to the discovery of a secret ice cave that is home to hundreds of new wild dragons and the mysterious Dragon Rider, the two friends find themselves at the center of a battle to protect the peace. Now, Hiccup and Toothless must unite to stand up for what they believe while recognizing that only together do they have the power to change the future of both men and dragons.

Plot

Five years after the Viking village of Berk made peace with the dragons, they now live among the villagers as helpful companions. Hiccup goes on adventures with his dragon, Toothless, as they discover and map unexplored lands. Now 20 years old, he is being pressed by his father, Stoick the Vast, to succeed him as chieftain, although Hiccup remains unsure if he is ready for this responsibility.

While investigating a burnt forest, Hiccup and Astrid discover the remains of a fort encased in ice and encounter a group of dragon trappers led by Eret, who blames them for his fort's destruction and attempts to capture their dragons for an insane conqueror named Drago Bludvist. The two dragon riders escape and return to Berk to warn Stoick about the dragon army that Drago is amassing. Stoick orders the villagers to fortify the island and prepare for battle. Hiccup, however, refuses to believe that war is inevitable. After Stoick interrupts Hiccup's plan to get Eret to take him to Drago, Stoick explains that he once met Drago at a gathering of chiefs, where Drago, mocked after offering the chiefs his service in return for their servitude, murdered them all, with Stoick as the only survivor. Undeterred, Hiccup flies off with Toothless in search of Drago to try to reason with him.

They are captured by a dragon rider named Valka, who is revealed to be Hiccup's long-lost mother. She explains that she, like her son, was unable to kill dragons. After being carried off during a dragon raid, she spent twenty years rescuing dragons from Drago's traps and bringing them to an island nest created out of ice by a gigantic Alpha dragon called a "Bewilderbeast", which controls smaller dragons. Stoick tracks Hiccup to the nest, where he discovers that his wife is still alive. Simultaneously, Astrid and the other riders kidnap Eret to find Drago, but Drago captures them and learns of Berk's dragons.

Drago and his army lay siege to the nest, where he reveals that he has his own Bewilderbeast to challenge the Alpha. A battle ensues between the two colossal dragons, which ends with Drago's Bewilderbeast killing the nest's Bewilderbeast and becoming the new Alpha. Drago's Bewilderbeast then seizes control of all the adult dragons, who hypnotically obey. Hiccup tries to persuade Drago to end the violence, but Drago orders him killed. Toothless, under the Bewilderbeast's influence, approaches Hiccup and launches a blast, but Stoick pushes Hiccup out of the way and is hit instead, killing him. The Bewilderbeast momentarily relinquishes control of Toothless, but Hiccup drives him away in a fit of despair. Drago maroons Hiccup and the others on the island and rides Toothless, again under the control of the Bewilderbeast, to lead his army to conquer Berk. Stoick is given a Viking funeral and Hiccup, now having lost both his father and dragon, is unsure what to do. Valka encourages him by telling him that he alone can unite humans and dragons, and inspired by her words and his father's, Hiccup decides to return to Berk to stop Drago.

The dragon riders fly baby dragons back to Berk, as they are immune to the Bewilderbeast's control. They find that Drago has already attacked the village and taken control of its dragons. Hiccup confronts Drago and a brainwashed Toothless while the other riders work to distract the Bewilderbeast. Hiccup succeeds in freeing Toothless from the Bewilderbeast's control, much to Drago's surprise. Hiccup and Toothless briefly separate Drago from the Bewilderbeast and confront Drago on the ground, but the Bewilderbeast attacks them, encasing them in ice. However, Toothless blasts away the ice, revealing that both he and Hiccup are unharmed. He then challenges the Bewilderbeast, firing at it repeatedly, which breaks its control over the other dragons, who now side with Toothless as the new Alpha dragon. All the dragons repeatedly fire at the Bewilderbeast until Toothless fires a final massive blast, breaking its left tusk. Defeated, the Bewilderbeast retreats under the sea with Drago on its back. The Vikings and dragons celebrate their victory and Hiccup is made chieftain of Berk.

Voice Cast

• Jay Baruchel as Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, son of the Viking chief Stoick the Vast and Valka. His best friend and dragon is Toothless, a Night Fury.
• Cate Blanchett as Valka, Stoick's wife and Hiccup's long-lost mother.[6] She rides the dragon Cloudjumper, a Stormcutter, who carried her off during an earlier dragon attack on Berk.
• Gerard Butler as Stoick the Vast, the chieftain of the Viking tribe of Berk, Hiccup's father and Valka's husband. He rides the dragon Skullcrusher, a Rumblehorn.
• Craig Ferguson as Gobber the Belch, Stoick's closest friend and a seasoned warrior. He rides the dragon Grump, a Hotburple.
• America Ferrera as Astrid Hofferson, Hiccup's girlfriend.[7] She rides the dragon Stormfly, a Deadly Nadder.
• Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Fishlegs Ingerman. He rides the dragon Meatlug, a Gronckle.
• Jonah Hill as Snotlout Jorgenson. He rides the dragon Hookfang, a Monstrous Nightmare.
• T.J. Miller and Kristen Wiig as Tuffnut and Ruffnut Thorston, fraternal twins. They share a two-headed Hideous Zippleback named Barf and Belch.
• Djimon Hounsou as Drago Bludvist, an evil warlord and dragon hunter who seeks to take over the world with a dragon army.[8] He has a prosthetic left arm, since he lost his real arm during an earlier encounter with dragons, and wears a dragon-hide cape immune to dragon fire attacks.
• Kit Harington as Eret, son of Eret, a dragon trapper who sells captured dragons to Drago, and Ruffnut's love interest.[9][10] He sports a scar on his chest given to him by Drago following the last time he showed up with no dragons.

User Review

In How To Train Your Dragon 2, it is a sequel to How To Train Your Dragon. It is directed by Dean DeBlois. The summary of the movie is fabulous. In the beginning, Hiccup and Toothless are experimenting their new attachments to their bodies by flying. Hiccup was testing out his new leg and his new suit that allows him to fly. Toothless was testing out his new tail. While they are flying they discover new land and add it to their map. On one of their journeys, they discover a secret cave. In this cave they find tons of wild dragons, along with a anonymous long-lost rider. After they sort things out, Hiccup finds himself in the middle of a battle to protect Berk against a warrior and his dragon army.

How To Train Your Dragon 2 is a great sequel to How To Train Your Dragon. This sequel ties up the questions that weren't fully answered in the first movie. This sequel tests Hiccup and Toothless' relationship, as rider and dragon, as well as friends. This sequel also ties up the hole in Hiccup's family, a surprise you'll have to see in the theaters. Finally, this sequel ties up Hiccup and Astrid's love story. Overall, this movie is a great sequel. If you liked the first movie, then you should definitely go and check out this sequel. On a scale from 1 to 10, this movie should get a 9. Thank you for reading this review on How To Train Your Dragon 2.