How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World review: Hiccup and Toothless return for one final flight in the concluding chapter of DreamWorks’ celebrated fantasy trilogy.
It is hard to believe that the How to Train Your Dragon franchise is nine years old. Arriving at a time where DreamWorks were struggling to find success on a level similar to their tent pole Shrek franchise, the first HTTYD, based on Cressida Cowell’s series of books, enchanted audiences with its Ghibli-esque magic of boy bonding with beast.The second and more mature installment in 2014 further demonstrated the emotional intelligence that this franchise is capable of.
The pressure was certainly on for the concluding chapter in this franchise, a film which from the off has promised to tie up the story and establish just why dragons disappeared from the world. Thankfully, I am happy to report that this franchise has found a way to neatly tie this beloved franchise together, providing a conclusion that other trilogies can only dream of.
Set a year after the events of the second film, Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) has continued to build his dream of a human dragon utopia, leading to his village of Berk with something of an overcrowding problem. To make matters worse, the whole village is threatened by the arrival of fierce dragon hunter Grimmel the Grisly (F. Murray Abraham). With no other options, Hiccup leads a quest to find the legendary ‘Hidden World’, thought to be the place where all Dragons come from, in the hope of finding a safe refuge for both his people and their dragons.
Unsurprisingly, The Hidden World is another visual feast. The guidance of Roger Deakins can once again very much be felt, with many of the visuals playing with shadow and light in a way other animated movies never really attempt. In terms of plot, there isn’t a great deal going on in The Hidden World. The antagonist, voiced with enthusiastic relish by Abraham, represents a very similar threat to that of Drago in the second installment. As a result, there isn’t a great deal of threat attached to the proceedings, with a lot of the plot beats feeling very close to the original and the follow up.
Where the film is more concerned is with the relationship between Hiccup and Toothless, which faces a new test when a female Night Fury (dubbed the Light Fury) is discovered. Many of the scenes of Toothless attempting to charm his female counterpart are when the film hits its most playful rhythm, with their rather clumsy ballet being both funny and incredibly sweet, letting the film tap into that Ghibli-esque creature charm all anew.
The relationship between Hiccup and Toothless has always been where this franchise has excelled. Their bond has been so strong across the trilogy and should speak to anyone who has ever felt a connection to an animal in their life. While this film is guilty of focusing a little too much on the less interesting (and frankly quite irritating) side-characters, it is still the relationship between a boy and his dragon that very much remains the beating heart at its core.
If the first film was about finding your wings, the second about loss and adversity, then this finale is about accepting that all good things must come to an end. Much of what occurs is designed to allow Hiccup to realise that his idealistic view of the world may not be compatible with reality. Once again, its approach to these themes is accessible and mature, demonstrating the level of emotional intelligence that this franchise has been capable of since the beginning. This thoughtfulness and thematic richness is what inevitably makes this a very emotional and satisfying conclusion.
When compared to the previous two installments, it would be fair to say that this may be the weakest of the three. But when your previous two installments are as strong as they are and you still come close to matching their quality, it’s no bad thing. This final installment confirms this franchise as DreamWorks finest (sorry Shrek, but it’s true). The Hidden World is a soaring finale that is funny, sweet and emotionally satisfying, filled with all the heart that we have come to expect from this series.
How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World review by Andrew Gaudion, January 2019.
