‘How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World’ is a satisfying conclusion — Oscar spotlight review

In an emotional and heartfelt send-off, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World concludes its epic coming-of-age saga with one last final adventure

Quick review: A fulfilling finale for all its characters combined with stellar animation makes How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World a fun-filled adventure for all to enjoy.

See the rest of Jane's 2020 Oscar spotlight series here.

Trilogies are hard to get right. Most of the time sequels feel bloated and unnecessary. Studios set out to make a standalone film but if it becomes a hit, sequels are easy cash grabs almost guaranteed to make a profit — and that often leads to a drop in quality. There are exceptions, and thankfully, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World is one of them. A trilogy that justifies its existence with an engrossing coming-of-age tale that ends its last chapter with a touching finale. 

It's crazy to think that the first How to Train Your Dragon came out 10 years ago and how much the characters have grown since. They've dealt with loss and grief but have also endured thanks to each other and their relationships with their dragons. We grow up and begin to take on more responsibility and friends naturally begin to grow apart. This is at the very core of the third and final film of the series. Five years have passed since the events of the second film. All things are well in the Viking village of Berk. Dragons and humans have assimilated nicely in everyday society. Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) and his dragon Toothless both lead their clans with confidence and it feels like nothing can ruin their dragon utopia.

However, a dragon hunter named Grimmel (F. Murray Abraham) has other plans. His main motivation is to make every dragon a piece of taxidermy on his wall. Grimmel acts like a generic replica of the main antagonist from the previous film. His actions don't get more complex than hunting dragons for game. But the most engaging conflict comes in the form of a new female species of fury who catches the interest of Toothless and threatens a split between the two best friends. With Grimmel expanding his operation to Berk, the Vikings must find a new oasis for the dragons that might be found in a place called “the hidden world” which would seal the dragons off from humans permanently.

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It's never easy to say goodbye and when The Hidden World focuses on that the film shines with heartbreaking realism. Growing up sometimes means growing apart. It's something we never think about much as children but as we mature we see it's unmistakably true. It's a shame that wasn't the main storyline in The Hidden World, which tends to tread on territory already covered in the previous movie. That doesn't mean the feature isn't enjoyable, just redundant.

The animation in the series has always been top-notch — especially the flying scenes. The first How to Train Your Dragon was one of the original films to take full advantage of the 3D format in theaters. The Hidden World is no different, its animation fills every space with such luscious color and spectacular dragon flying. The world of Berk has always been captivating to visit and even though this is farewell, it's a fitting conclusion that soars high in the sky. 

Random thoughts ?

• There's no way that Dreamworks will let their only big franchise die forever. I wonder what spin-offs are in the works. I think I saw that Netflix has a new Dragons series out that looks like it's directed toward the younger crowd. Anyone know anything about that?
• I don't think Jay Baruchel gets enough credit for his role as Hiccup. He's basically had to play this character at milestone ages of his life and he truly captures him from awkward teen to stoic Viking.
• Probability of winning an Oscar: Not counting on it. Poor How to Train Your Dragon. It's been nominated for every film in its series and has no Oscars to show for it. I'm not really sure why the Academy looks over it. It definitely should have won in 2010. Who went home with the Oscar instead? Why, none other than Toy Story 3 — which we will get to. Stay tuned.

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