What began as an
unlikely friendship between an adolescent Viking and a fearsome Night Fury
dragon has become an epic trilogy spanning their lives. In this next chapter,
Hiccup and Toothless will finally discover their true destinies: the village
chief as ruler of Berk alongside Astrid, and the dragon as leader of his own
kind. As both ascend, the darkest threat they’ve yet faced—as well as the
appearance of a female Night Fury—will test the bonds of their relationship
like never before.
While not quite the “Boyhood” of
animated movies (that time-lapse approach doesn’t really translate to the
medium), “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” packs the emotional heft
of the dozen or so years it has taken to get this far, tracking the loss of one
parent, the discovery of another, and several momentous lessons in bravery and
loyalty along the way. So, although “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden
World” may be the third film in DreamWorks’ series, in many ways, it’s a first:
After getting the greenlight to continue the saga, writer-director Dean
DeBlois conceived installments two and three together, constructing a
trilogy that enriches the original while also serving to entertain newcomers
who know none of the backstory — and that’s key, considering that box office
dipped nearly 20% between “How to Train Your Dragon” (DWA’s most successful
non-“Shrek” feature) and its sequel, and the studio needs to regain some of
that audience this time around.
Parents need to know that How to Train Your
Dragon: The Hidden World is the
third and final film in DreamWorks Animation's adventure trilogy. It
continues the story of Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel), now chief of the
peaceful Viking/dragon utopia of Berk, and his Night Fury dragon friend,
Toothless. The appearance of a new female "Light Fury" dragon -- a
potential mate for Toothless -- leads to the discovery of a hidden dragon
world. But when the safety of Hiccup's village and its inhabitants is
threatened by a powerful dragon hunter, Hiccup must find a way to fight back
and lead his people (and the dragons) to safety. Many of the talented
voice cast from the previous two movies return, including America Ferrera, Cate Blanchett, Jonah Hill, Kristen Wiig, Kit Harington,
and Gerard Butler.
The original films had some rude humor and fantasy action sequences that could
be too intense for little kids, so expect the same from this threequel. But you
can also likely look forward to an exciting adventure story that's full of
positive messages and role models and should be fine for big kids and up.
This is where “Hidden World” soars, set
to the ecstatic strings and Gaelic ululations of John Powell’s score, as the
mating ritual — from a delightfully clumsy courtship dance to a
high-flying sequence that might later be considered the two dragons’ official
first date — lends itself to long passages with little or no dialogue.
From its inception, this series has insisted on a widescreen style different
from that of other animated features, attempting to map the live-action idea of
“magic hour” onto virtual landscapes and stylized human figures. Here, the visuals
outdo anything we’ve seen before, to such a degree that we might almost
overlook the subtler innovations in the character animation: the nuances of
expression on both the human and reptilian faces, and the wonderful nonverbal
tactics the artists use to convey emotional intricacies neither Hiccup nor
Toothless has had to communicate before, all of which pays off in an
unforgettable final scene.
At least the villain is worthy of contempt. Grimmel, who looks a
bit like Dracula-era Christopher Lee, believes the only good dragon is a good
dragon — not that he minds using a small army of them to achieve this predatory
end. Voiced with fitting panache by Abraham, he’s sinister enough to make you
briefly forget, at times, that there’s no way a “How to Train Your Dragon” will
end with all the dragons going extinct (but what a climax that would be!).
This is uncharted territory for
animated movies. No matter how Pixar spins it — about waiting until the right
idea comes along to continue the story — from “Finding Dory” to last year’s
“The Incredibles 2,” toon sequels have always been driven by financial
considerations. Granted, “Dragons 3” (as DWA staffers refer to the film
internally) was hardly made for charitable reasons, but there’s an integrity to
DeBlois’ approach that won’t be lost on audiences, who probably don’t know or
care that the project survived massive changeover within the
studio, including Jeffrey Katzenberg’s departure and the acquisition by
NBCUniversal, while holding true to the principles with which it was conceived
— namely, to wrap the story in a sincere and satisfying way. We’ll soon
see whether “Toy Story 4” can say the same.
That’s in part because the series has taken its time. It’s been
nearly five years since “How to Train Your Dragon 2,” which followed the
original by four years; we’ve now been watching Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III
(Jay Baruchel) and his dragon Toothless grow up for nearly a decade, and the
movies have come of age with them. Directed once again by Dean DeBlois, “The
Hidden World” strikes a bittersweet chord in reminding its young audience that
all good things — including the age of dragons — must come to an end.
Though obviously aimed at
kiddos, this chapter of “How to Train Your Dragon” might be best appreciated by
below-the-line enthusiasts with an appreciation for the nitty-gritty that goes
into an animated movie with a reported price tag of $129 million. You can see
every cent onscreen, often in more vivid detail than you can see Hiccup’s
internal journey. That’s enough to carry “The Hidden World” past the finish
line — and make you hope it stays finished.
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