After a long five-year hibernation, the How to Train Your Dragon franchise is back with its third and final movie – The Hidden World. The adventures of Hiccup and Toothless are the feather in Dreamworks’ cap and it rivals, if not surpasses, the best that Disney and Pixar has to offer.
In the Hidden World, we catch up with the settlers of the village of Berk. Nine years have passed since they started living among once-ferocious dragons and they live in peace. It’s a messy and often risky life, but it’s a happy life. Yet, with word of the infamous village spreading, dragon hunters are headed there to kill or capture each dragon. Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) must make some important decisions for his village as his most dangerous foe, Grimmel (F. Murray Abraham) threatens Berk and seeks the last Night Fury, Toothless.
I can’t help but love that this trilogy takes its time between films and makes that part of the story. There’s so much growth from the first movie to the sequel, and now to this third movie. The exposition declaring what has changed for the characters is seamless and not just there to lazily fill in the blanks.
Every How to Train Your Dragon film has the perfect formula for animated masterpieces. Even beyond just animation, they have the perfect cinematic formula. There is a relatable character who clearly has some growth before them, there is just enough humor to catch you off guard but not deflate important moments, the stakes are real and often realized, the visuals help you escape and the score flows naturally with every scene while emotionally guiding you.
The Hidden World is Toothless’s movie more than its Hiccup’s. Toothless has always been the best movie dragon this side of Smaug. He is the perfect mix of everything that people like about a cat and a dog. Though, with the introduction of a Light Fury, Toothless desires to finally grow up and find his reptilian soulmate. Teased in the trailer, his courtship of the Light Fury is hilarious. Toothless trying to woo the Light Fury is my spirit animal.
While seeing the first two movies will help you know what journey the characters have been on, it is not essential viewing if you’re looking for a beautiful animated movie that caters to all ages. For long time fans, this will be a bittersweet experience. Sweet because it ends the series on a gloriously high note. Yet, bitter because this is the legitimate end of the series. It provides absolute closure. That’s the beauty that most franchises miss the point of now. They can’t help but tease potential sequels, so every movie feels like a middle movie. Yet, when a movie series actually ends, it brings a conflicted mix of heartbreak, relief and gratitude for being able to take the journey.
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World is exactly what it needs to be. It builds on the first two movies and gives them proper closure that’s full of heart, humor and joy. Composer John Powell’s orchestration is masterful and continues to be one of the best assets the series has. I never would have thought a few years ago that these movies would have deserved a spot near the top for animated favorites, but also ranks as one of the best trilogies of all time. There’s nothing better than a little hyperbole. A
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