‘How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World’

“How to Train Your Dragon” has been one of the most endearing epics of the decade. Once again DreamWorks Animation (“Shrek,” “Madagascar”) created this CGI trilogy eagerly enjoyed by youngsters, teens and adults of all ages. Each episode has been visually remarkable, emotionally gratifying and soars with heart, a stunning three-peat.

The original 2010 entry tells the tale of a scrawny and awkward teenage boy and his dog, uh dragon. It was an unexpected blockbuster. The 2014 sequel advanced the storyline, visual splendor and corresponding box office receipts. Now, the long-awaited finale brings the heartfelt story to a close, but also to a satisfying new beginning.

This final episode was written, directed and co-produced by Dean DeBlois, who has been with this series since the beginning. Throughout this coming of age story, he has allowed the characters to grow in stature and spirit. Hiccup successfully trained his dragon but also developed himself and others into their next level of maturity.

The numerous swashbuckling battles are well choreographed, impressively rendered and worth the price of admission alone. The flight scenes are dazzling and the Hidden World is one of the more creative, vibrant and mesmerizing settings we have seen on film. It is a technical marvel, but maybe less could’ve been more. However, it is most effective when it builds on the relationship between the boy and his dragon. As Hiccup reassures Toothless, “It’s you and me, Bud, always.”

That relationship resonated with the audience for so many reasons, but the subplots and other character were integral to the story and never seemed like add-ons. Whether it was the witty one-liners, sight gags or soaring above the skies, our eyes were glued to the screen. Sure, this episode was a little stronger on the battles and a little lighter on the relationships, but the grand finale leaves the audience with smiles and/or tears.

In this episode, Hiccup (voice of Jay Baruchel), his good friend Astrid (America Ferrera) and their fellow Norsemen, fulfill their dream of creating a peaceful dragon Utopia. This peaceful coexistence doesn’t last long when a neighboring land, led by Grimmel the Grisly (F. Murray Abraham), is intent on hunting down the dragons, especially Toothless.

We love the oddball cast, especially the cynical Gobbler (Craig Ferguson) and annoying (in a good way) Ruffnut (Kristen Wiig). But, as Toothless discovers an untamed, elusive mate, Hiccup begins to assess his potential future with Astrid. When his reign as village chief is tested, they all must make difficult decisions to save their civilization.

We were a little disappointed the same level of dialogue was not up to par with the prior two episodes. But, overall, this is still an epic story. The visuals, by cinematographer Roger Deakins, are so imaginative, meticulous and spectacular we were continually overwhelmed by the sheer beauty of these films, especially combined with the elegant musical score by Jon Thor Birgisson.

This villain, with a voice cadence of Count Dracula, might be a little too frightening for small fry but breathes fire and validity into the maturity of the now more mature characters, the storyline and the finale. Additional voices are provided by Gerard Butler, Cate Blanchett and Kit Harrington.

“How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” is 104 minutes and rated PG for adventure action and mild rude humor. This is DreamWorks longest film ever. Interesting that each of the three movies was distributed by a different studio: Paramount, 20th Century and Universal, and the release date was changed six times over the last few years.

Sure, this is first and foremost a silly cartoon, but it includes friendship, hardship, romance and adventure. As dragons became “extinct,” their stories were passed on over generations, becoming folklore or even myths. In the closing scenes, Hiccup passes on this story to his curious young children, “There were dragons, when I was a boy…” Do tell.

Ron’s Rating: B
Leigh’s Rating: B