How to Train Your Dragon 2
1 Oscar Nominations
Rent/Purchase
Five years after uniting the dragons and Vikings of Berk, Hiccup and Toothless soar beyond their homeland, charting the vast unknown. During one of their adventures, the pair discover a secret cave that houses hundreds of wild dragons—and a mysterious dragon rider with a startling connection to Hiccup. And as the ruthless conqueror Drago Bludvist rises to seize control of both dragons and people alike, Hiccup must step into his role as a true leader and, alongside his friends and Toothless, protect Berk from a devastating war.
What critics thought
Dean DeBlois's sequel earns wide praise for going darker and more emotionally ambitious than the original, with critics repeatedly singling out its willingness to take genuine risks — character deaths, moral complexity, and a refusal to play it safe. The minority view holds that piling on plot, characters, and spectacle dilutes the first film's intimate charm, leaving sensation where soul used to be.
“For once, we have an animated sequel free of the committee-job vibe so common at every animation house, no matter the track record.”
Michael Phillips·Chicago Tribune
“There aren't just more dragons, but more characters, more plot, more everything. The trade-off is that the charm of the original gets a little lost, a casualty of rapid-franchise expansion.”
A. A. Dowd·The A.V. Club
“The story seems to be going somewhere until it comes to a halt with the inevitable showdown between the forces of darkness and the forces of light.”
Stephen Holden·The New York Times
“The pressures to make a giant four-quadrant monstrosity must be enormous, and yet, like his unflappable hero Hiccup, How to Train Your Dragon 2 writer-director Dean DeBlois has prevailed, serving up DreamWorks Animation's strongest sequel yet—one that breathes fresh fire into the franchise, instead of merely rehashing the original.”
Peter Debruge·Variety
Genres
Action, Adventure, Animation
Cast & Crew
DirectorDean DeBlois
StarringJay Baruchel, Cate Blanchett, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera
ComposerJohn Powell
How to Train Your Dragon 2
1 Oscar Nominations
Five years after uniting the dragons and Vikings of Berk, Hiccup and Toothless soar beyond their homeland, charting the vast unknown. During one of their adventures, the pair discover a secret cave that houses hundreds of wild dragons—and a mysterious dragon rider with a startling connection to Hiccup. And as the ruthless conqueror Drago Bludvist rises to seize control of both dragons and people alike, Hiccup must step into his role as a true leader and, alongside his friends and Toothless, protect Berk from a devastating war.
What critics thought
Dean DeBlois's sequel earns wide praise for going darker and more emotionally ambitious than the original, with critics repeatedly singling out its willingness to take genuine risks — character deaths, moral complexity, and a refusal to play it safe. The minority view holds that piling on plot, characters, and spectacle dilutes the first film's intimate charm, leaving sensation where soul used to be.
“For once, we have an animated sequel free of the committee-job vibe so common at every animation house, no matter the track record.”
Michael Phillips·Chicago Tribune
“There aren't just more dragons, but more characters, more plot, more everything. The trade-off is that the charm of the original gets a little lost, a casualty of rapid-franchise expansion.”
A. A. Dowd·The A.V. Club
“The story seems to be going somewhere until it comes to a halt with the inevitable showdown between the forces of darkness and the forces of light.”
Stephen Holden·The New York Times
“The pressures to make a giant four-quadrant monstrosity must be enormous, and yet, like his unflappable hero Hiccup, How to Train Your Dragon 2 writer-director Dean DeBlois has prevailed, serving up DreamWorks Animation's strongest sequel yet—one that breathes fresh fire into the franchise, instead of merely rehashing the original.”
Peter Debruge·Variety
Genres
Action, Adventure, Animation
Cast & Crew
DirectorDean DeBlois
StarringJay Baruchel, Cate Blanchett, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera
ComposerJohn Powell
Rent/Purchase