How to Train Your Dragon 2 Review: Better Than Frozen

How to Train Your Dragon 2

Animated Movies have changed a lot in the past decade. Pixar and Disney’s reign over the industry is at an end, and Dreamworks is now a real contender. I loved the first How to Train Your Dragon, and its sequel is even more impressive. And yes, it is better than Frozen.

Story

After the events of the last film, the Isle of Berk has been changed forever. Dragons have been fully incorporated into the Vikings’ lives. Practically every character now has there own Dragon.

While the rest of Berk are enjoying the benefits of dragons at home, Hiccup and Toothless (who is as cute as ever) are busy exploring the world and discovering new lands. The movie takes place five years after its predecessor and Hiccup has matured into a responsible, but stubborn, 20 year-old.

Hiccup’s father Stoick wants Hiccup to take over as Chief of Berk, which puts a lot of pressure on Hiccup. Some nice internal conflict to kick things off. Anyway, Hiccup and his now-steady girlfriend Astrid discover a group of dragon hunters who are working for an evil dragon hunter who controls one of the most powerful dragons on earth. His method of control: Screaming at the top of his lungs like a madman. I think this is supposed to be “scary” but it just comes across as funny.

Hiccup also finds out that there are other dragon riders out in the world and sets out to find them. This sets off a series of events that spawn some intense action scenes and an engaging plot. Many of the scenes will send chills down your spine.

There isn’t much else I can say without spoiling anything. However, know that some things happen in this movie that will affect the rest of the series.

The only thing I didn't like about the story was the side character development. There is supposed to be a love triangle between Ruffnut (of is it Tuffnut?) and the two other boys, whose names escape me. However, this plotline is smothered by the main story and Hiccup and Astrid’s romance. All in all, the side characters don’t amount to much, and they are pretty much ignored.

Voice Acting/Dialogue

Jay Baruchel (Hiccup) did a fantastic job voice acting. His voice has really matured and grown since the last film, and he is still the perfect fit for Hiccup.

Gerard Butler (Stoick) does a good job as well, but I am giving the award for Best Voice Actor to Jay Baruchel.

The dialogue (which is a word I cannot spell for the life of me) is perfect. I thought it was the perfect balance of childish and sophisticated. In fact, it is the wonderful script that makes this movie more mature than most other animated films. It isn’t just a kid movie; It’s one everyone can enjoy.

Graphics/Action

Note: Since this is an animated film, I have changed the SFX category to Graphics.

The visual effects in this movie are, to be frank, beautiful. The world pop with color, and when multiple dragons fly through the air, you can see every detail. Just to but the level of detail into perspective, know this: You can see practically every strand of hair on Hiccups hair. He even has stubble!

The action scenes (of which there are many) are so cool. The dragon vs. dragon combat is especially great. These scenes are where this movie shines, and provide suspense and a huge sense of danger to the movie.

Conclusion

How to Train Your Dragon 2 was magnificent. All the great ideas fit together well and produce a well-rounded and mature film that sparks the imagination. I give it an 8.5/10. Better than Frozen, HTTYD2 is the best animated film of 2014. I look forward to how it hold up against Big Hero 6 this fall.