Mario64 How to Train Your Dragon 2 is the rare animated sequel that both goes deeper and is just as exciting as the original. The story takes place some years after the events in How to Train Your Dragon, the kid characters notably having matured to about their mid-teenage phase, and notably more experienced in their flying-dragons trade. From the beginning, it accepts the cooperation between Viking and dragon, flying and diving through the air, and we never doubt the logic of it.As the characters are more mature, so is, appropriately, the story, being more complex and darker than the original, without ever feeling like it's trying too hard to accomplish that. Hiccup and his loyal dragon Toothless are back, doing more impressive feats, going further and further from their home, exploring beautiful new environments and encountering new things, some friendly and many not. Our other Vikings and giant flying lizards in all their varieties (and solid voice work) are back from the original, and we see some new ones, including terrific sinister villain. But I hold back on telling too much, for to give much beyond the premise, and early scenes of discovery, would be a disservice to viewers coming to see it.This is an exhilarating, creative, and gorgeous piece of work, with hardly a dull moment to be found. It's not quite a perfect or near perfect animated film, with some tired humor and a bit of a rushed ending. Still it's one of DreamWorks' best efforts to date, so definitely see it.

Tweekums Five years have passed since the events of the first film and the people in the Viking village of Berk now live in peace with dragons. Hiccup has been told by his father that it is time for him to take over as village chief; however he doesn't feel ready. He wants to continue mapping undiscovered parts of the world with the help of his dragon Toothless. On one such flight they find a burnt village; it is a village of dragon catchers who are working for Drago Bludvist who wants them for his dragon army. His father tells him that Drago is a violent warlord who poses an imminent threat; Hiccup believes that he can talk to Drago and persuade him to live in peace. While trying to find Drago he encounters the mysterious 'Dragon Rider' who turns out to be someone surprisingly close to him that everybody thought had died years before. She lives with dragons in their vast, remote nest. Astrid and Hiccup's other friends try to help him find Drago but are captured and soon Drago is attacking the dragon nest with tragic consequences. He then sets off to attack Berk; Hiccup and his friends will have their toughest struggle yet if they are to keep the world safe for both humans and dragons.I enjoyed the original 'How to Train Your Dragon' far more than I expected so was very pleased that this sequel managed to live up to the original. While watching the original probably isn't absolutely essential I think one should try to watch it before this as it introduces the key characters and their situation; this would probably lose a lot of its depth without that prior knowledge. I was not surprised to read that director Dean DeBlois was inspired by 'The Empire Strikes Back' as this film is considerably darker than the original, especially in the middle section where a major character is killed. There are some clichés but that didn't bother me to much as the story was good. As before the animation is top notch; the many flight sequences are particularly spectacular. As well as action and tragedy there is of course a decent amount of comedy which is funny without being too goofy. Overall I heartily recommend this to anybody who enjoyed the original and look forward to seeing the third film in the trilogy when in eventually gets made.

Alexander Petrov I hardly have any words to describe this piece of art.I fell in love from the very first time i have watched it.The story is very amazing and satisfying and the animation art is so beautiful.The characters are very well chosen for this type of story.The film gives an introduction to the people and especially the young generation that the only beings that do harm and evil to anyone, even to themselves were the people and teaches us to be more kind to others and to respect the surrounding around us world that for me was quite enlightening to today's harsh world. Hardly recommend this to people who are dragon fans and not only.All i can say is great job Dream Works. Once again you bring happiness to the people around the world with your wonderful movies.My personal score 10/10 ! Can't wait for the next movie ! <3

oglehannah What spurned this review is that I decided to wake up on my day off and watch both the 1st and 2nd movies. I meant for them to play in the background as I accomplished real work, but they sucked me in just like they do every time I watch them, so silly of me.First off, I LOVED the 1st movie so I had high expectations for the sequel, especially after waiting so long for it to come out. And it didn't disappoint. I love that it's not just a children's movie, that it has values and ideals in it that resonate not only as a lesson for young children, but as something relatable for adults. The friendship between Hiccup and Toothless makes me tear up (which I almost never cry when watching movies). And you can watch this movie multiple times and see the many details added to the backgrounds of the main scene, like dragons messing with one another, etc. The music speaks to me...there are so many things that I'm sure I'm not mentioning, but I think you can understand I love pretty much everything about it based on my review.My only spoiler is that I was very impressed with the scar on Hiccup's chin tying into the storyline regarding why he grew up without a mother. I didn't even notice it in the first film, and so I went home and watched the 1st movie again after watching the 2nd in theaters. Details like that make me want to go back and watch everything again to see if there are any other clues that may tie into the 3rd movie. My guess is that because we got Hiccup's background in the 2nd movie, we'll get Toothless' in the 3rd.