How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World is the rare final entry of a trilogy that is completely satisfying.  It dazzles the senses, has all the adventure and laughs that you would expect, and it's also surprisingly poignant and heartfelt as it reaches the conclusion.  Anyone who has been following these movies since the first debuted back in 2010 is certain to be pleased with where these characters end up.

The movie concludes the emotional and heartwarming relationship that has been building throughout these movies between the scrawny Viking Hiccup (voice by Jay Baruchel), and his Night Fury dragon companion Toothless.  The two began the series as bitter enemies, as Hiccup's clan used to battle with the dragons.  But, the friendship that eventually grew between the two unlikely allies caused Hiccup's entire village of Berk to embrace all dragons, and live in harmony with them.  Hiccup dreams of an entire world that accepts the creatures as his people do, as well as dreams of finally settling down with his long-time friend Astrid (America Ferrera).  As for Toothless, he too has matters of the heart on his mind, as he comes upon a white female dragon just like him who Astrid dubs a "Light Fury".  But before a blissful future can begin, our heroes will have to deal with a new villain in the form of Grimmel (F. Murray Abraham), a human who has devoted his life to hunting and killing dragons, and is especially interested in destroying Toothless, as he is one of the last of his particular kind.

Without going too deep into spoilers, it's kind of special how returning writer-director Dean DeBlois wraps up all the characters and story threads that have been evolving over the three films.  You can definitely enjoy this enough if you have not viewed the previous two films, but you will get so much more out of it if you go back and watch the previous entries.  Just like before, this movie expertly combines powerful family-related drama, concerning Hiccup and his relationship with his father (Gerard Butler, appearing in flashbacks) and mother (Cate Blanchett), as well as living up to their expectations for him, and a fun sense of humor which is mostly provided by the antics of the adorable and cat-like Toothless, and Hiccup's fellow young Viking friends.  Of the comic relief friends, it is Kristen Wiig who gets the most laughs as Ruffnut, who kind of talks in a bizarre mix of Old World and Valley Girl lingo.

As for the Hidden World of the title, it is another realm introduced in this film where dragons have lived peacefully and undiscovered for centuries.  It creates a difficult situation for our hero, as Hiccup must now decide if perhaps Toothless would be better off in this other world, especially when most of the Human World does not accept dragons like he and his people do.  It also creates some glorious visuals when we get to see the World for ourselves.  It represents one of the many reasons why I love animation, and how it allows us to see sights and places that could not exist in a live action film, or would be too expensive to mount.  This is a movie that has been lovingly crafted, both in terms of visual style, and in rich storytelling and characters.  The Dragon films have always been very smart, but this one feels even more so, as it creates a whole new sense of wonder and emotion that tops even the best moments of the previous films.

But more than its grand scope and visuals, it's the little details that really draw you in, and make this a more personal film than you would expect.  The flashbacks to the heartfelt talks that Hiccup had as a child with his father create a lot of emotional meaning, and help the development of the main character and the journey he has taken up to this point.  Also notable is the beautiful animation and attention to detail that has been brought to the film's large cast of dragons.  Not only do no two dragons look alike, but they all seem to have their own personality.  When we see Toothless courting with the beautiful Light Fury dragon, it not only creates laughs and empathy, but it also is a beautiful example of creating a relationship between two characters who never speak a word of dialogue.  The filmmakers make the creatures so expressive, they don't need any.  I would advise any filmmaker thinking of adding a talking animal to their cast (animated, or live action with a celebrity voice soundtrack playing over it) to watch how Deblois and his team of animators handle these two characters, and question if talking is even necessary.

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World is not just a fitting end to what has been a great franchise, but it's just a very smart, funny, and joyful film to watch.  Considering that the last sequel was not quite the hit that the first movie was, it seemed kind of up in the air if there was going to be a third entry.  I'm glad that the studio greenlighted this, and gave the characters the closure they deserve.  Not only do we get to see where these characters end up, but we get to see it in a way that rewards the viewer's loyalty to the series.  This is a fond farewell.

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