Last month I attended a special media event at DreamWorks Animation Studios in Glendale, a suburb of Los Angeles. To read about all of the fun activities that I experienced, click here and check it out! Also during this exciting day, I got to watch a sneak peek of the movie.
The thrilling second chapter of the epic HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON trilogy brings us back to the fantastical world of Hiccup and Toothless five years after the two have successfully united dragons and vikings on the island of Berk. While Astrid, Snoutlout 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.
Another aspect of this movie that I liked is that there are two strong female characters in the movie. As a mom of a young daughter, I think it is important for her to see movies with female protagonists and not just as a sidekick.
As you may have seen from the trailer, Hiccup meets his mother for the first time. There is a line from the movie where Hiccup’s mom states, “No…but a mother never forgets.” For some reason this totally made me think of that Star Wars line uttered by Darth Vader “No…I am your father.”
Just like the original Star Wars is a trilogy, director Dean DeBlois when asked about the How to Train Your Dragon movies, he said this during the Q&A “I was inspired by the idea of it becoming a trilogy, so that the first movie would serve as the first act. And this second movie is the second act. And there will be a third and conclusive act to complete the story, complete Hiccup’s coming of age.”
Also the Production Designer, POV, stated during one of our sessions about Hiccup “We like to think about him as a Luke Skywalker of the Dark Ages a little bit.”
I don’t want to give any spoilers away on this film. I am certain that if you liked the first movie, you’ll love this second one even more! There are a lot more action sequences, it’s retained the humor from the first one and there are some bittersweet moments towards the end that you’ll just have to see for yourself.
How to Train Your Dragon 2 opens in theaters on June 13, 2014.
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Images courtesy of 20th Century Fox and DreamWorks Animation. I attended a press event for this film. All opinions are my own.
Just saw it and Loved it! All things that were so wonderful about the first one — the relationship between Toothless and Hiccup and the soaring adventures — were in this one. Everyone was clapping at the end of the movie. Just a little bummed I missed it in IMAX but will be seeing it a second time before it leaves the theaters.
I am looking forward to this opening. And I love the title, Luke Skywalker of the Dark Ages!