A Perfect Mixture of Maturity and Fun

Rating: 9/10 (18 June 2014)

At this point, Hollywood has mastered animation, and the craft exemplified here is certainly some of the best I've ever seen—the wonderfully radiant colors, lifelike movements and mannerisms, as well as the utterly photorealistic skin and scenery. How to Train Your Dragon 2 commences with a focus on Toothless' (the dragon) and Hiccup's fully developed relationship and the profusion of dragons now coexisting with the Vikings on the island of Berk. Hiccup's "alpha-male" father— the king of all Vikings— is still dying to see his son reach the heights of true manliness—a point where he's prepared to rule after his father's reign. On that note, trouble reprises, and the peaceful balance that was finally restored is once again in danger of rifting as an imposing threat, named Drago, who can tame dragons and has already bred a whole army of them, promises to take over everything that was once serene.
Over the past five years, I frankly lost hope for animated movies as each one put too much effort into pleasing the clueless children and not the rest of the crowd that's actually there in the movie theater along with the 5-year-old's. Well, after all of these excessively kiddy cartoons (like Frozen and Wreck-It-Ralph), there's finally an animated film with enough maturity and tonal darkness to appease the adults as well. Then again, Dreamworks Animation might just have a better idea than Disney (in its shameful modern state) as to the proper direction of cartoons. You seriously have to appreciate how this picture treats the period of Vikings because it was definitely a perilous and violent time back then. Never shying away from quite adult content (including the large battle sequences), this treat has enough dark moments to depict the mood of the era as accurately as possible for a family movie. For instance, it's especially confident in its storytelling, unafraid of killing off characters unlike modern-day Disney and Pixar.
Parents, don't let this predominately grim-sounding description draw you away because make no mistake: there's still plenty for kids to enjoy. In fact, what makes How to Train Your Dragon 2 the best animation in a long time is its perfect blend of humor, seriousness, characterization, and cuteness/warmth. Sufficient screen time is given to each of the major characters for effective development—a display of mastery in shuffling each character's arc and story with ease. The cast features a multitude of popular and talented actors like Gerard Butler, Jonah Hill, Djimon Hounsou, Kristen Wiig, and many more.
Don't think for a second that I won't mention Cate Blanchett—I mean, wow, she even dominates voice acting, bringing her utter grace to the screen. Her character is filled with so much emotion and enthusiasm. Matter of fact, having a background in theatre acting allows Blanchett to wholly take advantage of her voice, exuding a humane level of sentiment that helps her transcend what could've simply been a cartoon of a character. In addition, the primary villain of the film (Drago, voiced by Hounsou) is one of the few convincingly evil and menacing villains I've witnessed in a modern animated picture, causing a surprising amount of loss and emanating shrouding tyranny upon a previously-gleeful land.
Then—and one of my absolute favorite aspects of the film—we have the amazingly beautiful score by John Powell that honestly sends me back to the days of classical, elegant Disney tales. The music's melody gradually heightens with that sense of grandeur and adventure that's greatly befitting when considering the movie's setting. Moreover, as opposed to most contemporary animations, this one's themes actually aren't cheesy and clichéd. Instead, HTTYD 2 promotes highly relevant messages of peace and the crucial need to keep one's composure and tranquility in the face of frustrating and hopeless situations. That not only makes for a fresher approach but surely resonates with everyone in the audience in comparison to the overdone preaching of the significance that is friendship and teamwork elsewhere.
Unfortunately, I feel like Dreamworks Animation is often overlooked and underrated when in reality, they have produced a plethora of thoroughly enjoyable pictures (see: Shrek, The Road to El Dorado, Sinbad, Flushed Away, The Prince of Egypt, Antz, etc.). The studio seems much more aware that both adults and adolescents are viewing their productions, and thus, they seek to mix maturity with playfulness in order to satisfy both demographics. Shrek also accomplished that goal magnificently by including both adult-oriented humor and subject matter along with the more family-friendly kind. All in all, the HTTYD sequel is a fun journey with enough authenticity to avoid the overly kiddy tone most modern cartoons set for themselves. After repeatedly stating that it's the best animation in years, I really can't make it anymore obvious how much I recommend the watch.