I remember last summer when I first watched How to Train Your Dragon with my then four year old. Mr. A loved it! I was worried it would be a little advanced for him, maybe a little scary. But nope, he was entranced.
To be honest, so was I. I thought the script was fabulous. So when I heard they were coming out with How to Train Your Dragon 2, I was pretty excited.
The first trailer had my husband a little worried. It looked a little dark and sinister. But I watched a few just days before our press screening and decided he could handle it.
So off we went to the screening with my neighbor and her son in tow.
You guys – it was so good! SO. GOOD. 3D movies irritate me, but I can honestly say that once the movie started, I wasn’t distracted by it as I usually am.
Going back to Berk, to the world of Hiccup and Toothless, was just like seeing old friends. Of course, Hiccup and all his friends are a tad older – five years to be exact.
Plot Summary: It’s been five years since Hiccup and Toothless successfully united dragons and vikings on the island of Berk. While Astrid, Snotlout 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.
The scenery is visually stunning and the music is perfect. But those are just the outer shell of this film. The heart lies in the dialogue. How to Train Your Dragon 2 has both tender, sweet moments and laugh out loud, side cramping hilarity.
As a mother, I loved watching the new relationship forming between Hiccup and his mom. Seeing him discover the pieces of him that came from her kept a lump in my throat through most of those scenes. I even reached over and squeezed my little man’s arm at one point, wanting to be connected to his person I created.
There are a few scary scenes, although Mr. A and his friend didn’t seem to notice at all. He told me his favorite part was when they defeated the bad guy (ooops, spoiler alert, but you knew that had to happen right?)
I will caution parents. A character dies in the film. It’s not graphic, of course, but it’s way more than the 30 second hinting at death scene from Frozen. It’s a major character and I’ll admit that I cried. Not just a tear down the cheek either, a full on “I need tissues” cry. The complexity of it went right over A’s head. I was anticipating a few questions from him later but they never came. So be prepared for that.
Overall? Brilliant. I laughed. I cried. I silently cheered (I didn’t want to be THAT girl.) Your whole family will love this film. I bet it’s the family hit of the summer.
HTTYD2 is rated PG and has a run time of 102 minutes.
[…] How to Train Your Dragon 2 is now on Netflix! I thought this sequel was amazing. I almost enjoyed it better than the first […]