almost perfect sequel ...

Rating: 9/10 (1 September 2014)

I gave it 9/10 because of the problems this movie has with being an unintended sequel otherwise it would be a 10/10. It's definitively not meant to just cash-in on it - it has a very good plot, the animation improved quite a bit and they were able to make it just as much fun as the first one. And in some areas they even surpassed it by adding more dramatic elements, moments which reminded me of the old animated movies from my childhood like Lion King or the Land before Time. So all in all it's a polished and well executed production. The only 2 things that bothered me a bit were that the plot doesn't fit as smooth as you'd like to see it in a sequel and Baruchel's voice, which was a perfect fit for the first one, is too close to the awkward teenager and doesn't really help to make the transition to the young adolescent Hiccup is supposed to be in this one.