Kati Davis
There are few social media sites untouched by some form of advertising for How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. I can’t scroll through Facebook without at least one video of Toothless scampering about my newsfeed. Not that I’m mad about it.
It’s been one year short of a decade since Hiccup and Toothless first wriggled their way into the hearts of children and adults alike with the first How to Train Your Dragon film. The critical and commercial success has since spawned a sequel, a television series, and an abundance of Toothless merchandise. The franchise is beloved by many and both the first and second movies performed well at the box office, so it’s safe to say there was a lot riding on the back of its final installment. (But who really knows what’s final anymore? Looking at you, Toy Story 4.) That leaves the question: did The Hidden World live up to its hype?
Haven’t we seen this before?
Aside from the discovery of the Light Fury — Toothless’ literal match made in heaven — the storyline of The Hidden World is… well, pretty similar to the last two movies. There’s a bad man who wants to kill dragons. Hiccup has to protect the dragons from said man and attempt to convince them that dragons aren’t heartless killers. Cue young viking angst, dragon flight scenes set to goosebump-inducing music, and inspiring pep talks from Astrid.
There is the somewhat new element of Hiccup having to fully step into his father’s shoes as chief of Berk, but we got a glimpse of that at the end of the second movie. Even the idea of a “hidden world,” as cool as its execution is in this film, has already been done. Remember the dragon paradise where Hiccups’ mom was hiding out for all those years?
I’m not saying these things don’t work, as the success of the last two movies tells us otherwise. By this film’s end we see that the cyclical nature of these conflicts does serve a purpose. Still, for me the ending was less surprising and emotionally impactful than I hoped it would be, but that might be a result of growing up in the Pixar generation (curse you, Good Dinosaur; I didn’t even like you and you still made me cry). Overall, I would have liked a little less predictability from the conclusion of the trilogy.
A heart-warming coming of age tale… featuring dragons Let’s be honest. We watch How to Train Your Dragon first for the relationship between Hiccup and Toothless, then for Hiccup and Astrid, and then, maybe, Hiccup and his parents. If the writers scrapped the four friends that tag along with them (whose names even I have trouble remembering) it wouldn’t affect us or the storyline all that much. Aside from providing comedic relief and accompanying Hiccup and Astrid on Avengers-esque dragon rescue missions, they don’t serve much of a purpose.
With that being said, Hiccup’s character arc alone makes up for the lack of depth in HTTYD’s secondary characters. His journey from a terrified boy trying to find his place in the world to a confident chief and tamer of dragons is thrilling to witness. His awkwardness and vulnerability only make him that much more lovable, and we never stop rooting for him. The fact that he has an adorable dragon sidekick and a kickass girlfriend is just the cherry on top.
Side note: When my future children ask for relationship advice, I’m going to sit them down in front of the HTTYD movies and make them take detailed notes on Hiccup and Astrid’s interactions. These two are hands down the best animated depiction of a healthy young relationship. Before Hiccup and Astrid are romantic partners, they’re partners: full stop. They’re best friends who tease each other in an affectionate way, push each other to be better versions of themselves, and unconditionally support and encourage each other in all of their endeavors. Toothless and his mate are a very close second.
You can’t tell me that’s not real sand
Okay, but even if The Hidden World’s plot and a few of its characters leave something to be desired, all of that is made up for by the animation. If How to Train Your Dragon 2 was a step up from the first HTTYD, then The Hidden World is a lightyear-length leap to the next level. I was absolutely floored by the amount of realism and detail in this movie, and not in an uncanny valley way.
Example A: At one point, one of the characters draws something in sand. I’m not entirely convinced someone didn’t just take a video of actual sand and photoshop it into the scene. Also, some artist thought to include tiny traces of snot at the edges of five-year-old Hiccup’s nostrils. (Yes, there are flashbacks to Hiccup’s childhood and yes, they are everything you didn’t know you wanted.) That, my friends, is attention to detail.
While The Hidden World is aesthetically stunning from beginning to end, I could write another review about the “hidden world” scene alone. We’re talking Pandora-level otherworldly beauty. When Universal opens up a How to Train Your Dragon section of their theme park, you can bet I’ll be one of the first in line.
In conclusion… In spite of its predictability, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World is still a sweet, visually marvelous, satisfyingly full circle finale. Its best surprises are delivered in the last five minutes and make the entire movie worth watching all over again. It knows what the people want, and it delivers just that. No more, no less.
Now excuse me while I go order a Light Fury plushie.
Kati Davis works in Circulation/Youth Services at a public library, where she gets paid to read children’s books in funny voices. Her dorky passion is animated movies, especially ones from Studio Ghibli and lesser loved Disney movies from the 90’s/early 00’s. She is convinced that one day Atlantis: The Lost Empire will get the live action remake it deserves!
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