How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World Review
PG: For adventure action and some mild rude humor
Universal Pictures, Dreamworks Animation
1 Hr and 44 Minutes
Writer/Director: Dean Deblois
Voice Cast: Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, Cate Blanchett, Craig Ferguson, F. Murray Abraham, Gerard Butler, Jonah Hill, Kristen Wiig, Justin Rupple, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Kit Harington, David Tennant
Now chief and ruler of Berk alongside Astrid, Hiccup has created a gloriously chaotic dragon utopia. When the sudden appearance of female Light Fury coincides with the darkest threat their village has ever faced, Hiccup and Toothless must leave the only home they’ve known and journey to a hidden world thought only to exist in myth. As their true destinies are revealed, dragon and rider will fight together—to the very ends of the Earth—to protect everything they’ve grown to treasure.
With each year that passes, the technology and resources used for animation advances and evolves. While the original film from 2010 may look a bit dated now, The Hidden World prospers from crisp, gorgeous animation that is stunning and detailed. Each entry has always been breathtaking and the effort that writer/director Deblois and his team of animators have put into it is extraordinary. The detail on the Vikings and dragons gives this world a nuanced look that is real, yet stays confined to the designs of the characters. There are plenty of close up shots of Hiccup and you can literally see the peach fuzz growing on his chin. I don’t think I’ve ever seen an animated movie do this in accounts of its detailing. You’ve seen fully grown beards for sure, but little slithers of hair across a face and maintaining that in nearly every shot?
Then, the artistry of each setting is phenomenal. Whether a scene takes place on the ground, on a beach, or in the air, the environments that are animated are otherworldly. Each time we return to Berk in a new chapter you see the significant changes to this setting. The vast landscapes that Hiccup and his friends explore are beautiful as well. But once they get to the Hidden World, it is truly a feast for your eyes that will make you go:
Once they do enter the Hidden World you understand why it is so hidden from mankind, because we don't deserve such beauty.
I’m here praising the top tier animation, but what about the story? How does it hold up and differ from the previous films?
Well, the narrative here is still damn near perfect. Like previous entries, there is a familiar theme of sacrifice and growth within the morals they teach, but the stories themselves never retread. Similar to the recent Planet of the Apes trilogy, the films made never feel like sequels, but another chapter of a meaningful story. This installment is the conclusion that ties up an overarching narrative and once again it is phenomenally mature and meaningful.
Hiccup and Toothless have dealt with changing the minds of society on a community-based level and dealt with antagonists who just want to see the world burn, but now they must deal with letting go of one another and learning how to live as individuals rather than a team. They’ve been a duo for so long now that they’ve become incapable of being themselves without each other. When the Light Fury appears and Toothless must get in touch with his mating skills, you witness (and also relate to) the struggles he faced with being himself on his own. The same also applies to Hiccup who is now the chief of Berk and is focused on maintaining a safe-space utopia so dragons and Vikings can coexist. But once Warlords attempt to conquer the world, he hires a Night Fury Killer named Grimmel to oppose that and the responsibilities Hiccup faces expand on a larger scale. The conflict both parties must face to obtain a sustainable and safe life is urgent and the stakes are raised higher. So, to see this friendship being tested like this to make another new sacrifice makes this story endearing and powerful. By the end, it has beautiful send off.
What makes this entry damn near masterful is how much it parallels the predecessors in both emotions and structure. There are sequences primarily set on Toothless where not a word is uttered and the visuals and amazing John Powell score lets the story speak for itself. It is one of the aspects that made the original so powerful and that is applied here. Never have I ever seen callbacks in a sequel to a predecessor not in the form of sequelitis, but included to add depth to the emotion and story. Ugh, Dean DeBlois’ mind! The animation is well done but it’s also properly filmed. How the action sequences are orchestrated and the amazing camera movements are done with nearly each scene delivers the same roller coaster experience we first rode in 2010. There are a ton of oners throughout and I’m just flabbergasted at how the animators are able to do so. I mean, when you get a name like Roger Deakins attached as a visual consultant, anything is possible.
Another aspect I commend the film on are the voice talents. Jay Baruchel is great as per usual, but who I loved was F. Murray Abraham as Grimmel. He brings a lot of charisma in his voicework and has this badass attitude throughout. He has this energy that is upbeat but never ceases as a threat. There are more dimensions to him than Drago and his motives keep your blood pumping. Plus, his character design looks so much like Javier Bardem that I’m surprised they didn’t hire him.
The supporting characters have more time to play as well. While some did get on my nerves with unnecessary subplots (that I will get to later), I love what the film does with the twins Ruffnut and Tuffnut. First off, they replaced Tuffnut’s voice actor T.J Miller with Justin Rupple for this installment for obvious purposes.
Then, they gave Tuffnut more lines than ever in the entire trilogy and he’s pretty funny. Oh, and Kristen Wiig as Ruffnut... First off, I keep forgetting that she’s a part of this large voice cast that consists of names such as Jonah Hill and Christopher Mintz-Plasse, mostly because they have really insignificant roles, but here she steals the show. Three movies in and Ruffnut and Tuffnut are finally funny. There is one scene that Ruffnut has on her own and it’s the comedic relief, if not one of the film’s best highlights. While the comic relief in both predecessors tend to often fall flat and at times briefly disrupt the tone, the tone fits perfectly balanced here and the twins steal the show.
The only issue I do have with the movie is pretty minor and that’s a subplot involving Snotlout (Hill). He’s always been sort of a nuisance of a character but his thing goes to a weird area, for he spends the entire film trying to win the affections of the widowed Valka (Blanchett). I mean, it is funny on the surface that this character who is the same age as Hiccup is trying to bag his mom and I commend the film for introducing kids to MILFs (just kidding) but it kind of goes nowhere. There was already enough material with the central characters and this is just a throwaway joke that never gets enough attention and comes back in the end as a one liner but that’s it. The side characters still serve little to no purpose here but thank God their comic relief is better timed.
Many may not know this but back in 2010, I was assigned in my 6th grade English class to write a review on any subject whether it be a book, series, or movie. My 12-year-old cinephile self wanted to write a movie review and the first ever film I reviewed was How to Train Your Dragon. This predated the creation of Rendy Reviews but it was the spark that ignited the flame and I’m ever grateful for this franchise since. The How to Train Your Dragon series has always held a special place in my heart and never for a moment did any of the films disappoint.
The way this movie wraps the whole story is emotional and if you’ve been following this closely, as I have since my youth, this will deliver enough tears and fills to break you. It’s kind of the same vein the final Twilight film had the time to say farewell in a meaningful manner by the final film. Say what you will about that franchise, but the way they capped off the series by saying goodbye was emotional and The Hidden World follows that same notion. Not only did Dreamworks nail the landing with a trilogy that is perfect, making it the best animated trilogy of all time (TOY STORY 4 IS COMING SO THAT TITLE HAS BEEN NOW REVOKED!) but one of the best film trilogies ever made in general. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to a corner to cry.
It’s Pisces season. Don’t judge me.
Sticking the landing with another well-told and visually stunning chapter to conclude a film series, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World is a damn near perfect threequel that soars to a new height and sends off an amazing goodbye to Dreamworks’ most reputable franchise.
Rating: 4.5/5 | 94%
Super Scene: Furies in Love
