How To Train Your Dragon 2 - Did it top the 1st film?

Rating: 9/10 (13 July 2014)

How To Train Your Dragon 2, DreamWorks Animation SKG's exciting and amazing second instalment in the How To Train Your Dragon series, was recently released in the UK, nearly a month after the release in the US.
Set 5 years after the first film, Hiccup and the gang (20-19 year old's), now young adults, enjoy the simple and amazing life on Berk, and compete in the popular sport, Dragon Racing, whilst Ruffnut, now the only single female on Berk, must deal with the constant actions of Snotlout and Fishlegs as they try to win her heart. But, Hiccup is not one for the competitive sport, and is constantly out mapping out the world with his best friend and beloved Dragon, Toothless, and enjoy practising their flight sequences, and increasing their bond even more. However, on one outing with Astrid, they soon uncover a new foe, Drago Bloodfist, who intends to raise, and control a dragon army with only evil intents in mind, and when Hiccup set out to talk reason into him, he is kidnapped by a mysterious dragon rider, astride a four-winged dragon, but soon learns the rider to be his long lost mother, Valka.
After the first film, I was very amazed and excited to learn that 2 more films were to be created, and did not think it was even possible to top the first film. However, I was very wrong. The animation in this film is visually stunning, especially in 3d, with the environments very realistic, and every texture and detail as real as the actual things. The characters have been developed very well, both in appearance, actions, voice, etc., to show how they have aged since the first film, whilst using the same voice actors. Each character is displayed well, showing their personalities and relationships to others, such as Hiccup and his father Stoick, now 50, who act like old chums, but still occasionally have a disagreement. And the beautiful relationship between Stoick and Valka is... There's not a single word that can describe how beautiful it is, especially in the scene when the two sing 'For the Dancing and Dreaming', and when they were reunited, and Valka believed for him to yell at her for not returning. Instead, I believe DreamWorks created a beautiful relationship in just 9 words. "You're as beautiful as the day I lost you." Which actually made me very emotional, and I cried quietly for a good 5 minutes, and it really makes the ending all the more emotional, especially with the other character's reactions.
John Powell, the score composer for the first film, has also written the soundtrack to this film, and combined the tune of How To Train Your Dragon with the voice talents of Jonsi to create the song 'Where No One Goes' which features at the start and the end of the film. Jonsi had previously written 'Sticks and Stones' for the ending song of the first film, with one of the verses being sung in Icelandic, and 'Go Do', another one of his songs had been used for one of the adverts for the film. I am very glad DreamWorks had asked him to create songs for the film, as they fit perfectly due to how the songs have been written and performed. But other than Jonsi, John Powell's soundtrack fits the film absolutely spot on, and fits the emotion and atmosphere so well, it made the emotional scenes even more emotional, such as when Stoick and Valka were reunited.
Packed with a new kind of adventure, lovable characters and daring storyline, How To Train Your Dragon 2 has definitely received my vote for Animated film of the year, and I am glad the third film is due to be released in 2016, and I believe on June 17th in the US.
In one of the TV adverts, 3 quotes used to describe the film were: "Braver than Brave", "More Fun than Frozen" and "The Mother of All Animated Sequels", and I couldn't agree more, as this is not just aimed at children, the way it has been created has made it suitable for all audiences due to the fact that it has it's laughs, but also the beautiful relationships shown between Stoick and Valka, and Hiccup and Astrid. I believe this film also teaches a valuable lesson about courage and friendship, as it is strongly shown throughout this film.
However, I believe that DreamWorks should have developed more on Drago Bloodfist's story, as I believe they did not develop his character as well as they could. Also, DreamWorks seemed to be self-confident about the idea of the release, and I believe they released to many clips of the film, giving away a lot of spoilers, though, they did alter them slightly so they weren't exactly the same as in the film.
Overall, I am rating this film 9/10 Stars, as I believe it was worth the 4 year wait, and the entirety of the film was breathtaking, and worth my time and money, and definitely recommend it.