How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

There could not possibly have been a more satisfying finale to the How to Train Your Dragon trilogy than this year’s release of The Hidden World. Colourful, exhilarating and purely magical, the film resonates with children and adults alike. Themes of love, family and loss might make Dreamworks’s final installation of the franchise its best one yet.

The animated masterpiece takes us back to Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) and his colony of rag-tag Vikings only one year after the 2014 sequel. Opening with a covert mission by the protagonist and his gang to save a batch of dragons from malicious capturers, the feature takes us to the community’s vibrant, yet overloaded mountainous home base of Berk.

After a threat from Night Fury hunter Grimmel the Grisly (F Murray Abraham), it becomes clear that Hiccup must make a decision: stay and fight – putting Toothless in danger – or leave their ancestral home in search of the “Hidden World”. The young hero’s father used to speak of the legend of this secret realm and how it is believed to be the possible birthplace of all dragons. Knowing that Toothless is most likely the last of the Night Fury species, Hiccup makes the monumental decision to vacate with his countless dragons and weary villagers.

Alongside the central plot, several side stories tie in to play a major role in the finale, such as a potential marriage between Hiccup and Astrid (America Ferrera) being pushed by their family and friends. This correlates with Toothless’s infatuation with an elegant white Light Fury that suddenly appears and encourages him to mature and take the steps he once refused, such as fixing his tail and learning to fly on his own.

Director Dean DeBlois brilliantly maintains the characters’ progress despite the first of the trilogy’s films being released almost a decade ago. This demonstration of outstanding character development ranks among the best of any animated motion picture in history.

Highlights include Toothless and the Light Fury’s mating dance, which the former is adorably unable to master until near the end. In addition, the graphics, from Hiccup’s peach fuzz facial hair to the dynamically colourful Hidden World, stay true to DreamWorks’s excellent reputation.

You’ll laugh, you’ll cry and you’ll certainly see parts of yourself in Hiccup and his colony’s struggle. Most of all, you’ll leave the cinema with a satisfied sense of closure for the magical universe of How to Train Your Dragon.

Kari Megeed

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World is released nationwide on 1^st February 2019..

Watch the trailer for How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World here: