A sequel that confirms the "How To Train Your Dragon" films as my favorite animated movie series of all time.

Rating: 10/10 (19 June 2014)

THIS REVIEW IS HEAVY ON SPOILERS! THIS REVIEW IS HEAVY ON SPOILERS! THIS REVIEW IS HEAVY ON SPOILERS! THIS REVIEW IS HEAVY ON SPOILERS!
I will start this review with something important: I am the biggest "How To Train Your Dragon" fanboy you will possibly ever meet. I have praised this movie's predecessor to no end as my favorite animated movie of all time, and waited excitedly for its sequel this summer. Because I loved the first film so much, I was incredibly anxious going in. I was totally expecting some aspect of the movie to go wrong, whether it was the aging of the characters, the new villain, or just the plot itself. I was NOT expecting, however, a movie that, in many ways, was better than its predecessor. And "How To Train Your Dragon 2" did just that.
The first thing that stuck with me about the movie were the visuals. When I saw the first movie, I was amazed at how detailed the environments, characters, and dragons were. I knew that HTTYD 2 would be slightly better, but the visuals in this film were just DROP DEAD GORGEOUS. Every single detail seemed to have been cared for, whether it was the fur on Hiccup's armor, or the eyes of Astrid's Deadly Nadder. When viewed in 3D (like I saw it) everything is amplified by a factor of a thousand. These movies are made only better by the inclusion of 3D. The last thing I'll say about the movie's animation was the lighting. This movie has some of the greatest lighting I've ever seen in an animated film. I have no idea what they're doing different, but it just gives every scene an added bit of realism.
"How To Train Your Dragon 2" takes place 5 years after the original movie, and as you've probably seen from the trailers (or from the movie itself) the characters have grown up as well. I was at first uneasy with this concept; very few films I've seen that have taken on the challenge of aging characters have done it satisfyingly to the point where you can believe it. Thankfully, the true character of these characters remains in tact, while their attitudes towards each other and the world around them change (just like puberty in real life... well, maybe it was just like that for me... I DON'T KNOW LETS ALL AGREE TO DISAGREE). It makes Hiccup's struggle with becoming heir to the throne seem realistic, it makes all of his previous arguments with his father seem less sophisticated (a good thing, it shows maturity in the present), and it makes the interactions between Hiccup and Astrid and the others seem genuine and realistic.
A new concept added in this movie to the HTTYD franchise is death. Two deaths occur in this movie, one minor and one major. The minor is of the Alpha Dragon, the leader of all dragons, in one of the fight scenes. The major death is the death of Hiccup's father, Stoick. I was honestly shocked when I saw them kill off Stoick; coming from the perspective of the first movie, I thought they would narrowly avoid the concept of death with minor injuries (as in the first, where Hiccup only loses a foot in a death defying fall into a ball of flame). After the death of the Alpha Dragon, I thought, "Well that's just a plot point, they'll brush it off." However, after the death of Stoick I had NO idea where they were going to take it. Death had been foreign to this movie's environment right up until this very scene, and it hits hard for both the characters and the fans. The movie handles it in a dark and beautiful fashion, using it as a way of portraying the tragedies of war, and the love between a father and son. It also helps give Hiccup's mom a role. She tells Hiccup about how Stoick never gave up on him, and always knew he would be the greatest warrior of them all. And you know, people may hate on the fact that the mom isn't very emotional in this scene (I mean she only saw her husband for what, a day or two after twenty years?!), or that her character is unnecessary, but in this scene, she ROCKS it. She is heartfelt, understands what Hiccup needs to hear, and delivers it in an emotional and beautiful speech. Her moment here actually sold Stoick's death as a plot point for me.
Because I'm low on words, here are the very few complaints I had about this movie. First off, Hiccup appeared less upset than the others at his father's death at both the funeral and when he first realizes Stoick is dead. Like, SIGNIFICANTLY less. Everyone is crying, and he just stands there in shock. However, I have heard from people who witnessed death this suddenly that there is a sort of shock induced initially where almost no emotion is produced. I just was expecting Hiccup to break down completely after such a huge loss. Secondly, I thought that the movie's villain, Drago Bludvist, was rather lame. Sure, he had an intimidating character design and some very impressive villain powers (ok, I'll admit, his abilities were quite evil) but as a character I thought it was rather uninteresting and didn't add much to the story.
In conclusion, How To Train Your Dragon 2 is an incredible film. It builds upon the previous movie with confidence, creates epic new characters and lands, succeeds at the ever so daunting aging process, and packages it with stunning visuals and more Toothless and Hiccup adorable-ness. I mean really, what more could you ask for?
10/10