Animated Film Fever Continues

Animated films seem to be coming back with a vengeance and success this year. I’ve only been reviewing movies for about a year, but my eyes have always been on the ratings. I’ve stated before that Rotten Tomatoes is my comparison point for my own ratings, a digital wall of other opinions. Never have I seen a non-documentary film reach almost one hundred percent until How to Train Your Dragon hit theaters in 2010. That movie was alright, but it’s sequel is far superior. Both movies rank above a 95% (top critics), only ten negative reviews for the second installment. A mystery has unfolded before me because neither film is a 9/10. It’s baffling how in love critics and audiences are with How to Train Your Dragon 2.

IMDB
Rotten Tomatoes

Genre(s): Fantasy, Animated, Dragons, Action, Comedy

Concept:

Trilogies seem to be the desired movie format of the moment; thus this installment sets up for another sequel coming out in 2016. Yet, How to Train Your Dragon 2 does hold against severe criticism. Ultimately, this is kids movie that adults can enjoy as well (sounds familiar right?). Three narrative threads interweave to form the story, thus I had trouble articulating the core concept. However, Hiccup and his family remain at the center. This sequel accomplishes two objectives:
1) Hiccup’s personal struggle is resolved, resulting in him maturing.
2) The world is expanded. New enemies and bigger dragons appear. With a bigger world, more plot opportunities can be seized and explored as long as it stays canonized. To be honest while the movie is fantastic, I feel a little cheated. Conceptually, the original and it’s sequel can’t be distinguished from each other because they are the same. Vikings fighting other dragons with their dragons. That’s not far off from Vikings fighting dragons.

Character:

Hiccup (Jay Baruchel), Stoick’s son and future Chief. Similar to Peter, Hiccup’s character remains static. He is brave in a non-traditional way and intelligent. His circumstances and reactions change, but these do not constitute character development. The only noticeable growth comes when Hiccups’ naivety is fundamentally challenged. Yet, the film doesn’t give Hiccup an appropriate amount of time for this change to manifest.

Stoick (Gerald Butler) is Chieftain of Berk. He plays a surprising and fundamental role in showing Hiccup what it means to be a leader, a positive force for his son. It’s rare for parents to be present in children’s movies. Most conflicts a child protagonist faces would never exist if parents were alive/in their lives. Self-empowerment and familial obedience don’t coexist well. Yet, Stoick’s presence works. Hiccup and his father have a meaningful relationship while the kids retain their independence. He’s one of my favorite characters.

Toothless (Randy Thom) the black streak in the sky. His relationship with Hiccup is nothing less than adorable and the main appeal of the franchise. Despite sharing a majority of screen time, hes not much of a character. Loyalty and friendship are what define Toothless, thankfully there is nothing wrong with that.

Valka (Cate Blanchett) is Hiccup’s thought to be dead mother. Her character was particularly interesting, and the most compelling. Stolen from Berk when Hiccup was young and stayed away due to the circumstances that followed. She is unsure, emotionally troubled and socially awkward when the family reunites. Living between worlds, never knowing which one you belong in creates a fascinating character. Valka and Stoick together reinforce forgiveness, furthering the family dynamic that synergies in this film.

A Plethora of other characters could go in this section, but the story doesn’t focus on them enough to justify effort.

Story:

This sequel doesn’t shift the basic story structure. Hiccup goes off exploring, finds something or someone; and brings the news back to his village, usually shocking the entire village. Despite the expanded world presented to me, basic structure tainted that experience for me. We see more dragons and step a bit into their origins. There are in fact greater dragons than a queen from the previous movie. While generic, a few elements caught my attention. Drago Bludvist lands far down on the list of “compelling villains”, however, his dragon army presents the critical dynamic. Not all people will live in peace with dragons; some will choose to enslave their power for evil. How will Berk deal with those people? One could read events in this film as an analogy for a couple relevant social issues. That’s pretty deep for a kids’ movie.

Speaking of adult themes in a film for children, death comes uninvited.

Stoick’s death was unexpected. I have pride in my ability to predict events in a narrative. My guard was down this time around. Once the scene was happening, I saw how it would play out. That’s like watching a bird fly towards a window and right before impact someone says, “hey that bird is going to die.” Stoick is a major franchise character and writers were brave enough to kill him. They have my respect.

Scenes involving Hiccup and Valka are the best part of the movie. Dragons become more than pets, becoming majestic beasts—or as close as Dreamworks animation can manage—that should be respected and protected. I fell in love with How To Train Your Dragon 2 because it reinforces the value of a family and not just a figurative “family” consisting of close friends. Stoick always tells Hiccup, “We protect our own.” There’s wisdom in that oath. Hiccup grows into the role of chieftain by his father’s actions and words. Humor carries this movie to success as well. It’s subtle enough to never disrupt important scenes, but presents amusing bits in the chaos. Throughout events, Snotlout and Fishlegs fight for the affections of Ruffnut who falls in and out of love with Eret. These moments break the tension of otherwise intense action sequences.
The Nitpicks

The whole story was paced at a little slower than Sonic’s ring runs. Progression is swift, not leaving much time for characters to be introspective and properly deal with emotional interactions. However, I am lenient because of the target audience’s age. Toothless’ “power-up” when fighting the Alpha dragon comes too suddenly and with great convenience. Besides Hiccup, none of the other characters get much attention which cause them to appear one dimension. I was excited to see Hiccup and Astrid progress in their romance, but it never happened.

Score: 8/10

This is one of the few truly family friendly movies parents can take their kids to see. Apart from small amounts of kissing, objectionable content doesn’t exist. That alone already boosts my rating. Problems can be seen, but nothing big enough to damage the merit of this film. As sequels go, one couldn’t ask for a better movie. Take the family to movies and you won’t be disappointed. Let’s hope number three will as good if not better. 

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