“ | This . . . is Berk. A bit trampled, and busted, and covered in ice, but it's home. It's our home. Those who attacked us are relentless and crazy. But those who stopped them? Oh, even more so! We may be small in numbers, but we stand for something bigger than anything the world can pit against us. We are the voice of peace. And bit by bit, we will change this world. You see, we have something they don't. Oh sure, they have armies, and they have armadas . . . But we . . . we have . . . our dragons! | ” |
— Hiccup's closing narration |
How to Train Your Dragon 2 is the sequel to the How to Train Your Dragon film adaption. It was released June 13, 2014, and features the returning cast of the first film with Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, TJ Miller, and Kristen Wiig reprising their roles. Gerard Butler was not initially included in the first announcements but has since been confirmed to be returning to the sequel as confirmed by Dean DeBlois, co-writer and co-director of the first film.
Development
The sequel's initial details were announced in October 2010, along with the tentative year of release. DeBlois is returning for the sequel but will take on sole writing and directing duties. Chris Sanders will serve as executive producer. The animated series aired August 7th, 2012, building up towards Dragon 2's release.
DeBlois has stated that the sequel will expand the current world of How to Train Your Dragon and will not be restricted to the island of Berk. Dragon 2 is apparently designed to be the 2nd chapter of a much greater story that takes the characters to new places and cultures, introducing new characters and Dragon species in the process. He says this could potentially lead to a 3rd film or further. Bonnie Arnold, is also returning as a producer for the film.
At 2013's CinemaCon event in April, DreamWorks premiered a teaser trailer for the film. In it, Hiccup is now 20 and more mature, also his appearance has changed and now sporting a new suit, used to glide alongside Toothless in flight. The trailer shows such a flight before the pair skydive through the air. Hiccup then pulls out his own leather wings to glide with Toothless, similar to how a flying squirrel moves through the air. In the second movie, all the characters have been redesigned to look five years older, with Hiccup now being 20 years old.
Plot
Five years after the Vikings of Berk made peace with the dragons, Dragon Riders participate in a race that involves sheep as points (known as Dragon Racing). Stoick notices his son's absence from the race.
Hiccup is on adventures with his Night Fury, Toothless, as they discover uncharted lands and new territories. Hiccup reveals to his girlfriend, Astrid, that he's been avoiding his father, who intends to make Hiccup the Chief of Berk due to his coming of age and his good deeds, which Hiccup is reluctant to accept.
During one of their adventures, Hiccup and Toothless discover a new, distant land. They, along with Astrid and Stormfly, meet a Dragon Trapper named Eret, son of Eret, who captures dragons for an insane conqueror named Drago Bludvist, whose goal is to take control of the dragons, and then the world. Hiccup tells his father of the encounter, and Stoick, remembering the Malevolence of Drago Bludvist, tells the village to ground all the dragons and prepare the island for war. Hiccup reacts strongly against this decision, desperate to prove he can change Drago's mind and prevent the coming war. Stoick tells him some minds can never be changed. Hiccup, Toothless, Astrid and Stormfly rush off against Stoick's commands, flying off to find Eret and his Dragon Trappers. Hiccup and Astrid find Eret on his boat, where Hiccup tries to show Eret he can change the trappers' minds about dragons. Before Hiccup shows Eret how incredible dragons truly are, he's interrupted by the rest of the gang attacking the ship and Stoick and Gobber boarding it. Stoick demands Hiccup return, revealing Drago slaughtered dozens of chiefs in the past, but Hiccup can not be convinced. He leaves claiming if he could change Stoick's mind about dragons, he can change Drago's. Astrid makes to follow but Stoick puts his foot down: he's had enough mutiny for one day and orders her to lead the other riders back to Berk.
Hiccup and Toothless fly over a massive sea of clouds, and Hiccup vents frustration with his father by yelling angrily at the sky. He lays back on Toothless, patting him, and promises he won't let anything happen to the dragon. An ominous sound from below causes Toothless to look down at the clouds with a snarl. A figure rises beside Hiccup, who assumes it's his father before turning to see a bizarrely clad Dragon Warrior who apparently stands on the clouds. Hiccup tells Toothless to remain calm as the figure vanishes beneath the clouds, but within moments a massive Stormcutter erupts in front of Toothless with the strange rider standing on its back. The two dragons face off, beating the clouds around into a massive fog as they hover in front of each other. Another dragon rockets towards Toothless and rips Hiccup off of his back, leaving the Night Fury to plummet into the icy ocean below. Hiccup shouts desperately back at him and at the rider, begging the silent figure to go back and rescue Toothless from drowning. As Toothless struggles in the ocean, Seashockers notice him and pull him beneath the waves. All that is left is a hole in the ice and Hiccup's floating helmet. Hiccup is taken to a cavern full of dragons where the rider watches as Hiccup defends himself and pacifies the dragons using his fire blade, Inferno. The rider moves in.
Hiccup tries to get his captor to speak, but the warrior only whirls their staff around, summoning dragons to bring the soaking wet and exhausted Toothless into the cave. Hiccup runs up and hugs the dragon in relief, while the strange warrior cocks their head in curiosity. Hiccup's captor signals for the dragons in the cave to open their mouths like torches, filling the room with orange light. The figure approaches Toothless, and with a hands motion near his face, causes him to roll over in a trance-like state. The warrior reaches toward Hiccup's face and gasps upon seeing the scar on his chin.
The warrior calls Hiccup by his name in amazement, takes off her helmet, and reveals she is a woman. She stands erect and asks how it is possible after all the years, and Hiccup asks if he should know her. She admits he shouldn't, but as his mother, she could never forget him. Before Hiccup recovers from the shock, she tells him to follow her and rushes off into the maze of caves.
Hiccup's mother, Valka shows him an incredible Dragon Sanctuary, housing hundreds of dragons she rescued. She is surprised Hiccup isn't upset with her, but he has a hard time processing it all. Valka introduces herself to Toothless and marvels over him, asking how Hiccup bonded with him. Hiccup is forced to confess he shot the dragon down, but the two are clearly on good terms about it as Toothless happily bucks him onto his back. Valka asks what Stoick thought of Toothless, and Hiccup tells her Berk changed, which she isn't willing to believe. Valka explains how she once tried to speak out for the dragons but no one listened, and how in her hesitancy to fight them, she almost got both Hiccup and Stoick killed. That's why she stayed away after the dragons took her, and she claims it broke her heart to do so. Valka then shows Hiccup a gigantic sea dragon sleeping in the middle of the sanctuary. It's the Bewilderbeast, the Alpha Dragon, and the king of all dragons. He created the nest, and all the dragons are under both his care and command. Hiccup is awed by the massive, gentle creature, and Toothless bows his gaze to the Alpha in respect. Valka and Hiccup spend a great deal of time learning from each other, and she offers to let him stay with her there, claiming his identity could be found the same way she found hers. But Hiccup wants to find Drago.
Stoick and Gobber track Hiccup to this cave where they discover Stoick's wife is still alive; Gobber is so shocked at the revelation that he has to sit down. After the long-separated couple rekindles their love,
they decide to return to Berk. Drago has also tracked them to the island and unveils his secret weapon -- another Bewilderbeast, but trained to be a warmachine. Eret betrays Drago and joins forces with the riders, before a titanic battle ensues and the two Bewilderbeasts face off. Drago's Bewilderbeast defeats the Alpha and kills him by goring his belly with his horns, thereby ending the fight by becoming the new Alpha and taking control over all the dragons, including Toothless, who now won't respond to Hiccup's command. Drago gives the order for the Alpha to kill Hiccup, and it sends Toothless. Drago leaves Hiccup to his fate as he prepares his now larger army for the invasion of Berk.
Stoick and Valka see Hiccup in trouble and both rush to rescue him. Toothless prepares to fire a fatal plasma blast at Hiccup while he pleads for Toothless to snap out of his trance but to no avail. Toothless fires the shot, but Stoick pushes Hiccup out of the way and is shot himself. Valka and the other Dragon Riders rush over to Hiccup and Stoick; after Valka listens to Stoick's chest, the look of sadness on her face reveals that the chief has passed away. Now, even Stormfly, Hookfang, Meatlug, Barf and Belch, Cloudjumper, Grump, and Skullcrusher succumb to the Alpha and join Drago's army.
The Bewilderbeast releases Toothless from its control, after which the Night Fury realizes what he did and attempts to help Stoick.
Hiccup, blinded by the loss of his father, yells at Toothless to leave. Toothless is under the Alpha's control again and Drago rides Toothless to lead the final invasion of Berk. Hiccup, Valka and the Dragon Riders hold a Viking funeral ceremony for Stoick. Hiccup, now filled with determination and regret at the loss of his father and the capture of his dragon respectively, decides they will fly back to Berk and defeat Drago once and for all.
The dragons on Berk behave weirdly and lose their free will as Drago and his Bewilderbeast arrive. Drago announces Stoick is dead and that no one is going to save them, then his Bewilderbeast freezes Berk. The Dragon Riders ride the baby Scuttleclaws to Berk as Hiccup learns from Valka earlier on that baby dragons aren't affected by the Bewilderbeast's control.
In the ensuing chaos, Hiccup and the Dragon Riders return to find Berk frozen as Drago's Bewilderbeast attacks the village.
Valka, Gobber, Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, Ruffnut, Tuffnut and Eret work together to distract the Alpha while Hiccup confronts Drago and the brainwashed Toothless. Drago is surprised to see Hiccup still alive and orders Toothless to shoot Hiccup again, promising he won't miss this time. Hiccup attempts to break Toothless out of his trance stating he knows Toothless would never hurt him or his father and that he is his best Friend. After a little while, he succeeds, much to Drago's surprise, who immediately orders his Bewilderbeast to try to regain control of Toothless. Hiccup gets through to Toothless who throws Drago off his back. Drago falls onto his Bewilderbeast while Hiccup gets onto Toothless and flies him to safety before they could crash into the ocean.
After reaching the surface, Hiccup blindfolds Toothless to prevent the Alpha from controlling him again and Toothless trusts Hiccup to be his eyes. Drago orders his Bewilderbeast to shoot Hiccup and Toothless once more, and freezes the both of them in a big blast of ice, seemingly killing them. As Valka and the villagers of Berk grieve over their apparent deaths, Toothless, now glowing blue with plasma charge, breaks the ice, revealing he and Hiccup are safe.
Toothless, now with enhanced fire power, challenges the Alpha Bewilderbeast. The Bewilderbeast, being distracted by Toothless, loses control of the other dragons, who all join the people of Berk in a final standoff against Drago and his Bewilderbeast.
Enraged, Drago orders his Bewilderbeast to attack, but Toothless and all the other dragons: the ones from Berk, the ones from Valka's Sanctuary, and even Drago's own army of armored dragons, retaliate by firing at the Bewilderbeast simultaneously, blasting off Drago's metal arm. It tries to fight back with one last blast, but Toothless delivers the final shot that severely injures the latter, blasting off his left horn in the process. Toothless aggressively asserts his dominance; as Drago tries to hang on, the cowed Bewilderbeast retreats into the ocean as the villagers celebrate their victory. Hiccup and Toothless look down at where the Bewilderbeast dove, but see no sign of Drago. The dragons land around Toothless as Cloudjumper approaches him, then bows deeply, crowning him as Alpha of the dragons. All the other dragons follow suit as Toothless straightens to his full height in acceptance.
Eret jokingly teases Hiccup would make a great Dragon Trapper, to which Hiccup notes his father's Rumblehorn, Skullcrusher, now needs a new rider and thus offers Eret to bond with him.
Astrid is happy Hiccup finally found what he searched for, and they kiss. When Gothi the Elder directs him to a fallen brazier, he knows what she wants and nods: he kneels before her and she officially appoints him as chief.
Gobber proclaims that the chief has come home as the villagers cheer. As Hiccup does the closing narration, Berk is being rebuilt, Drago's dragons are freed of their armor and welcomed to Berk, and a monument in Stoick's honor is in the process of being chiseled out of the cliff outside the entrance of the Great Hall. After Hiccup and Toothless help deliver tools and materials for a roof repair, they join Eret and Skullcrusher and the others in the middle of a Dragon Racing practice match. The film ends with Hiccup proudly declaring, while others may have armies and armadas, Berk has their dragons.
Transcript
- The transcript for How to Train Your Dragon 2 is here.
- The transcript for the How to Train Your Dragon 2 Film commentary is here.
Characters
Humans
See also: How to Train Your Dragon 2/Voice cast (International)
- Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III voiced by Jay Baruchel
- Valka voiced by Cate Blanchett
- Stoick the Vast voiced by Gerard Butler
- Gobber the Belch voiced by Craig Ferguson
- Astrid Hofferson voiced by America Ferrera
- Snotlout Jorgenson voiced by Jonah Hill
- Fishlegs Ingerman voiced by Christopher Mintz-Plasse
- Tuffnut Thorston voiced by T.J. Miller
- Drago Bludvist voiced by Djimon Hounsou
- Eret, Son of Eret voiced by Kit Harington
- Hoark the Haggard voiced by Kieron Elliot
- Starkard voiced by Philip McGrade
- Phlegma the Fierce voiced by Ashley Jensen
- Gothi voiced by Angela Bartys
- Ug voiced by Andrew Ableson
- Teeny voiced by Gideon Emery
- No-Name voiced by Simon Kassianides
- Mrs. Ack ♣
♣ designates a character that appears but does not speak
Dragons
- Toothless
- Stormfly
- Meatlug
- Hookfang
- Barf and Belch
- Gothi's Pets
- Cloudjumper
- Skullcrusher
- Grump
- Gruff
- Thump
- Lump
- Scuttleclaw Hatchlings
- Valka's Seashockers
- Rumpus
- Sailback
- Winged Warden
- Valka's Bewilderbeast
- Drago's Bewilderbeast
- Pestbud
- Clawlifter
- Gustnudger
- Valka's Mercy
- Soaring Sidekick
- Bonesnarl
- Hoark's Gronckle
- Phlegma's Gronckle
- Red Death (mentioned)
Animals
Dragon Species
- Bewilderbeast
- Changewing (pictured)
- Deadly Nadder
- Gronckle
- Hideous Zippleback
- Hobblegrunt
- Hotburple
- Monstrous Nightmare
- Night Fury
- Raincutter
- Red Death (mentioned)
- Rumblehorn
- Scauldron (pictured)
- Scuttleclaw
- Seashocker
- Shovelhelm
- Sliquifier (pictured)
- Songwing (pictured)
- Snafflefang
- Snifflehunch
- Stormcutter
- Submaripper (pictured)
- Terrible Terror
- Thornridge
- Threadtail
- Thunderclaw
- Thunderdrum
- Timberjack
- Typhoomerang (pictured)
- Windgnasher
- Windstriker
- Unknown dragons
- Whispering Death (mentioned)
Locations
- Dragon Island (mentioned)
- Eret's Fort
- Isle of Berk
- Itchy Armpit
- Luk Tuk (mentioned)
- Outcast Island (pictured)
- Valka's Mountain
Objects
- Astrid's Kransen
- Drago's Bullhook
- Drago's Traps
- Fishlegs' Dragon Cards
- Hairy Hooligan Weapons
- Hiccup's Flight Helmet
- Hiccup's Flightsuit
- Hiccup's Journal
- Hiccup's Prosthetic Leg
- Hiccup's Toy
- Saddles
- Sheep Launcher
- The Conqueror
- Viking Longship
Flora and Fauna
- Boar (mentioned)
- Bottle Gourd
- Chicken
- Fish
- Owl (brooch)
- Polar Bear
- Seagull
- Sheep
Events
Trivia
- On January 11, 2015, when this movie won the Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature Film, it became the first DreamWorks Animation film to win that award, as well as the first to win a Golden Globe of any kind for the company.
- The movie came out on DVD and Blu-Ray on November 11, 2014.
- The Digital HD version of the movie was released October 21, 2014.
- The DVD version has a video about some dragon stats.
- Hiccup made Toothless a new tail-fin, that allows him to glide on his own, while Hiccup is off, using his flightsuit.
- When Drago's Bewilderbeast stabbed Valka's in its stomach, there was no blood on the horns or the ground, most likely due to censorship issues (Stoick's body is also unburnt despite taking a direct hit from a plasma blast).
- This is the first time we see Hiccup's mother, Valka, who was believed to be dead for twenty years.
- There are six books for the second movie: A Tale Of Dragons, Dragon Race, Dragon Mountain Adventure, All About The Dragons, Toothless, A Dragon Hero's Story, and Guide To The Dragons Volumes 1, 2, and 3.
- Stormfly, Meatlug, Hookfang, and Barf and Belch have lighter colors in the second movie compared to the first.
- The racing colors of Hiccup and Toothless are red, Astrid and Stormfly's are orange and blue, Fishlegs and Meatlug's racing colors are orange and green, Ruffnut and Barf's are light green and yellow, Tuffnut and Belch's are black and yellow, and Snotlout and Hookfang's colors are red and yellow.
- Hiccup is now the only one on the Dragon Riding team that doesn't wear fur material.
- This film was released on Father's Day weekend, a tragic coincidence as the film deals with Hiccup losing his father.
- When Hiccup nearly collides with the dark Alpha's tail, he says, "Oh, not again!", a callback to the first film where he crashes into the Red Death's tail as he and Toothless escape the explosion.
- Eret being asked, "Don't you know anything?" is a reference to Kit Harington's character Jon Snow from Game of Thrones, who is repeatedly told, "You know nothing, Jon Snow".
- This is the first DreamWorks Animation sequel where all the characters and other objects aged.
- This movie had similar developments as the sequels for the DreamWorks movies Madagascar and Kung Fu Panda. The main character is seen as a baby, and their believed-to-be deceased parent/parents are alive. This also happened with Alex and Po.
- Stoick's Funeral is similar to the book series: Stoick was placed on a ship, and Hiccup and the others shoot flaming arrows at the ship. Similar to what the characters in the books did when they thought Toothless was dead.
- Like Toothless in the first film, Cloudjumper, Skullcrusher, and Grump are the only ones of their species seen.
- Hiccup and Astrid, and now Stoick and Valka, are the only ones in the films that kiss on the lips.
- Originally, Gobber was the one who was meant to be killed by the brainwashed Toothless. But when Guillermo del Toro read the draft, he suggested that Stoick should be killed instead, as it would have a bigger impact.[2]
- This is the only movie that doesn't show Toothless without his saddle.
- When Hiccup and Toothless arrived at Valka's Mountain, after Hiccup looked around the area, he looked at Valka and Cloudjumper hanging off the ceiling. And at this time, a sound very similar to a Tyrannosaurus rex groan from the Jurassic Park franchise can be heard.
- In the final battle, you can hear Drago's Bewilderbeast let out a part of Godzilla's roar.
- During an interview, Dean Deblois revealed that Astrid has been adding braids to Hiccup's hair, which is also shown in the movie when they share a moment on Itchy Armpit.[3]
- According to Simon Otto, head of character animation, Hiccup doesn't even like the braids but tolerates them because Astrid is his girlfriend.[4]
- Both Hiccup and Drago do the exact same movement when waving their weapons to calm down the dragons to make the docile, however Hiccup's method is passive while Drago's method is aggressive.
Similarities to the First Film
- Hiccup and Toothless nearly collided with the Alpha's tail just like the incident with the Red Death. This time, however, they avoid the collision thanks to Toothless' increased acrobatics.
- Drago Bludvist losing his left peg arm and his Alpha dragon loses his left horn is similar to the moment when Hiccup loses his left leg and Toothless loses his left tail fin. However, in the first film, the dragon loses its body part before the man loses his; and in the second film, the man loses his body part before the dragon loses its.
- The way Hiccup rejects Toothless is similar to how Stoick rejected Hiccup in the first film. Both of them also show regret after realizing their actions.
- When Hiccup realized what Valka had been doing for the past twenty years, she asks, "You're not upset?" Hiccup said the same thing to Stoick when he thought he found out about Toothless. Coincidentally, the first word to in the response was, "What?"
- Whenever Hiccup and Toothless crash, Toothless protects him by wrapping his wings around Hiccup, like how he saved him from the Red Death.
- When Hiccup blindfolds Toothless, it shows the level of trust he has in his rider, like when his tail was slowly burning while facing the Red Death.
- Like in the first film, Hiccup and Astrid kiss near the end. The two also kiss each other on their cheeks. It should be noted this is the first time Hiccup kissed Astrid instead of the other way around.
Similarities to the TV Series
- In the episode, "When Lightning Strikes", after the Vikings finish making the dragon perches, Hiccup talks about all the stuff he wants to build for Berk in the future, including stables under the village.
- In "Breakneck Bog", Stoick told Hiccup he was afraid of Dragons as a baby.
- However, during Valka's flashback, Cloudjumper didn't scare him. It could be Hiccup developed this fear after the Dragon accidentally scratched him and took Valka away.
- If you look very carefully at Hiccup's crib when Stoick picks him up, what seems like Hiccup's toy can be seen.
- Gobber is still a dragon dentist. He also helps build saddles, even though at first he kept putting weapons on them.
- The way Valka's dragons light up the cave by just lighting the fire in their mouths is the same as Stormfly did in "Race to Fireworm Island" and "Frozen".
- Valka refers to Berk as a land of kill or be killed. Mulch says a similar line in "How to Start a Dragon Academy"; "Better than the days when it was kill or be killed."
- As the dragons were attacking Drago's Bewilderbeast, it was very similar to how the dragons attack the Screaming Death in "Appetite for Destruction".
- The tunnels that the Whispering Deaths and the Screaming Death made in "Tunnel Vision", are used, along with the original tunnel system, to make the Dragon Hangar in the second movie.
- Hiccup's map shows Outcast Island, as well as the Typhoomerang.
Differences to the TV Series
- Hiccup opens up the movie by saying that he and the riders have been living on Berk in peace for 5 years and Berk is the best-kept secret of anywhere. They have also been spending a lot of time upgrading and rebuilding the island over the years.
- Valka is the first dragon rider Hiccup meets who isn't from Berk.
- Director Dean DeBlois confirmed Hiccup and Astrid were a couple since the first movie.
- Astrid is Hiccup's equal in every sense of the word, according to Jeffrey Katzenberg and Dean DeBlois.
Awards and Nominations
Main article: List of Awards and Nominations for How to Train Your Dragon 2 |
Extras
Main article: How to Train Your Dragon 2 Extras |
References
- ↑ How to Train Your Dragon 2. (Copyright - 2014). Box Office Mojo.
- ↑ How To Train Your Dragon 2 - You Think You Know Movies? (Date Posted - March 5, 2015). YouTube.
- ↑ Onda, David. (Date Published - June 18, 2014). Director Dean DeBlois Dishes on the Evolution and Ending of ‘Dragon’. XFinity.
- ↑ Labreque, Jeff. (Date Published - June 13, 2014). How To Age Your Hero, Too. EW.com.
External Links
- How to Train Your Dragon 2 on Wikipedia
- How to Train Your Dragon 2 on IMDb
- How to Train Your Dragon 2 on Rotten Tomatoes
- How to Train Your Dragon 2 on Metacritic
How to Train Your Dragon 2 is also available in other languages. Do visit these pages if you prefer reading content from the respective languages: Deutsch • Español • Русский • Polski • Italiano • Português • 中文 • Français |