How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019) Universal/Fantasy-Action-Adventure-Comedy RT: 104 minutes Rated PG (adventure action and some mild rude humor) Director: Dean DeBlois Screenplay: Dean DeBlois Music: John Powell Release date: February 22, 2019 (US) Cast: Jay Baruchel, America Ferrara, F. Murray Abraham, Cate Blanchett, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Justin Rupple, Kristen Wiig, Kit Harington, Olafur Darri Olafsson, AJ Kane. Box Office: $160.8M (US)/$521.8M (World)
Rating: *** ½
If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear that How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World has a lesson or two to teach the parents accompanying their children to this third and final installment of the computer-animated trilogy about a boy/young man and his dragon. Over the course of nine years, we’ve tracked our valiant, forward-thinking hero Hiccup (Baruchel, Million Dollar Baby) as he navigated his way through the awkward teen years, the loss of one parent, the discovery of another and his relationship with feisty girlfriend Astrid (Ferrara, Ugly Betty). That’s in addition to defending the utopia he built, one where humans and dragons co-exist, against foes who just don’t get it. Along the way, Hiccup learned a few valuable life lessons. In How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, he’s about to take those final steps into adulthood. This means, among other things, learning to let go.
The island of Berk has reached full capacity what with Hiccup and his squad of dragon-riders bringing home fire-breathing rescues. Maybe it’s time to find another home for them. He decides to seek out the fabled “Hidden World” at the end of the world that this late father Stoick (Butler, Olympus Has Fallen) told him about. Unfortunately, the dastardly dragon hunter Grimmel the Grisly (Abraham, Amadeus) has other plans. He wants to capture Hiccup’s pet dragon Toothless and use him to exterminate every last one of his kind. Since he’s the alpha, all the dragons on Berk will follow his lead. To do this, he obtains a female “Light Fury” to lure Toothless into a trap. Instead, the two dragons fall in love. After an attack by Grimmel, Hiccup and the others leave Berk to find a new home and get the dragons to safety in the Hidden World.
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World is a satisfactory conclusion to the HTTYD series. Unlike the pre-fab, cash-grab CA movies not made by Pixar, it has emotional heft. You feel Hiccup’s pain as he slowly realizes it’s time for Toothless to leave the nest (in a manner of speaking) now that he’s found a mate and a place with his own kind. Eventually, all parents must face the prospect of their babies becoming independent adults. On a deeper level, the human characters come to understand that dragons aren’t safe in this world especially with hate mongers like Grimmel spreading lies while holding onto outdated ideals about the creatures. That the makers of How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World think to insert some real-world concerns into a kiddie flick shows that they refuse to pander to or underestimate the young audience.
But in the end, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World is a nifty fantasy-adventure that owes a lot to the original Star Wars movies. It even has a collection of little mischief-causing critters called “Hobgoblins” except they’re more like Tribbles than Ewoks. Either way, I see the next new hot toy that stores won’t be able to keep on shelves. How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World has a believable hero in Hiccup. Here’s a young guy still unsure whether or not he has what it takes to be the leader his father was. Plagued by self-doubt, he wants to protect the humans and dragons in his care. Thankfully, Astrid, who provides the movie with a serious jolt of girl power, is there to build his confidence. That is, when she’s not flying or fighting by his side. The movie shows its sweet side in its development of Hiccup and Astrid’s romance as well as that of Toothless and the female dragon. Once again, Hiccup is cute and funny. He’s kind of like a dog except for the whole flying thing.
The voice talents in How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, which also include Cate Blanchett (the LOTR trilogy) as Hiccup’s mother and Jonah Hill (The Wolf of Wall Street) as a show-offy rider vying for the mother’s affections, do a great job. Abraham’s voice oozes with venom and malice. My only real complaint is that some of the other riders, like the birdbrained twins voiced by Justin Rupple and Kristin Wiig, are a bit too much in terms of personality.
The visuals in How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World are quite good. They’re colorful and vibrant. My wife and I saw it in 3D and I can tell you it neither benefits nor suffers from it. It’s yet another needless post-production conversion job. The movie moves quickly. The action scenes are nicely rendered. It’s very pleasing to the eyes and ears with John Powell’s soaring score. The kids will love How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. Parents will find it painless and diverting. It’s an enjoyable family film.
