Lacks the endearing quality of the original

Rating: 6/10 (27 June 2014)

The animation genre, despite being in a relatively nascent stage, is fast becoming prevalent. With over fifty movies in the last two decades, competing studios such as Pixar and DreamWorks Animation are consistently rendering animated fare. Needless to say, not all of the above are of a satisfying quality.
An adequate analogy for animated movies is their comic book counterparts. The latter has every major studio investing millions of dollars in CGI, which has paid considerable dividends. However, as is the case with animation, some products will always be better than others.
Sadly, How to Train You Dragon 2 falls in the inferior bracket. The major shortcoming of Dragons 2 is its lack of originality. While its predecessor was a breath of fresh air and retained endearing qualities in abundance, the new installment is a victim of sequel syndrome and missing a captivating spark.
Adapted loosely on its namesake books by Cressida Cowell, the narrative transpires after considerable passage of time, with unlikely allies Hiccup and Toothless' bond becoming stronger as a result. Furthermore, the Viking brethren have accepted dragons into the fold. The emergence of Hiccup's mother, long assumed dead and a new threat named Drago, a dragon hunter, and causes major upheaval for the duo.
A wider canvas and earnest story with emotional resonance prove significant. In a story about dragons, human sentiments take center stage. The film reinstates the essence of family and the variation of design and characteristics of the title characters are exquisite. Animation is driven by the potency of innovation and imagination and Dragons 2 is an excellent manifestation of such qualities. The dragon armada specifically merits an honorable mention.
Moreover, director Dean DeBlois tackles mature subjects such as the age old predicament of poaching versus preservation. Also, a one legged teen befriending a handicapped dragon is a fantastic metaphor for acceptance and forbearance.
Dragons 2 also adds Cate Blanchett, Djimon Honsou, Kit Harington and Kristin Wiig to the voice case although only Blanchett's talents are utilized competently. The others only enjoy fleeting dialogues at best. The accents are executed in a flawless manner, with the returning Gerard Butler the pick of the bunch.
While DreamWorks have produced a plethora of animated movies, they have not enjoyed the resounding success of standard bearers Pixar, whose stock in trade is an excellent animation aesthetic and unique storytelling.
An organic extension of the original and better than generic animated family movies, Dragons 2 is definitely bigger but not always better, unlike the original.