Audience Response to How to Train your Dragon 2

Photo Courtesy – School of Dragons

One of the most anticipated movies this summer - How to Train your Dragon 2 - is finally out and making a big splash. Scoring more than 90% on the Rotten Tomatometer is one thing and wooing audiences quite another, as many a critically acclaimed flick has proved. But the response to the second installment of the planned dragons and Vikings trilogy has been pleasantly welcoming. In fact, the movie is on its way to becoming a runaway hit!

So what did How To Train Your Dragon 2 do to get it right the second time? Here’s what some viewers thought about the movie.

A lot of adults don’t really like syrupy children’s movies. DreamWorks non-fans were floored by the fact that a movie from the DWA stable could have such gripping action and all those dazzling 3-D pyrotechnics.

Unlike their normal fare, DreamWorks has managed to avoid its usual formulaic set pieces and come up with a mature romance that leaves most viewers (and adults) smiling through moist eyes. Stoick and Valka are a married couple reunited after 20 years and “For the Dancing and the Dreaming” is a moving ode to love and longing. Even the most jaded viewers couldn’t help but be touched by this renewal of lovers’ vows after a long parting.

While the movie is primarily aimed at audiences below 15, you don’t really have to be a child to enjoy it. A lot of teens loved it and so did most of the adults who watched it. HTTYD 2 certainly doesn’t talk down to its viewers!

Fans of the franchise loved the strong female characters – something animated movies aren’t really known for. Valka is a reclusive vigilante on a mission to protect dragons from evil humans; Astrid is an expert dragon rider and resourceful fighter and is Hiccup’s equal in every sense. Valka and Astrid might be the only significant female characters in the movie but they end up dominating the canvas.

Viewers are confronted by some pleasant and not-so-pleasant surprises (spoiler alert!) – Valka turns out to be none other than Hiccup’s long-lost mother; Gobber comes out of the closet and Toothless is tricked into killing Stoick.

Those looking for a movie with a heart, but put off by maudlin tearjerkers are sure to find HTTYD 2 pretty moving. The father-son relationship between Stoick and Hiccup is sensitively brought forth in all its nuances without giving way to clichés. Stoick is the alpha male whose pride as a Viking chief demands that his son prove his fighting credentials. Between him and the nerdy Hiccup exists a wide gulf that can only be bridged with love and tolerance and they do manage to bridge it in the end.

All in all, How to Train your Dragon packs a punch that leaves audiences reeling but gasping for more.

Video Games Gear up for HTTYD 2 Release

With ‘How to Train Your Dragon 2’ creating a buzz as its worldwide release draws near, video game producers have been quick to cash in on the hype with productions themed around the DreamWorks animated movie. So far, video games produced under the DreamWorks Dragons brand have revolved around the characters and settings of the first movie, ‘How to Train Your Dragon’. Notable video games in this category include the ‘School of Dragons’ online game and ‘Dragons Adventure’ and ‘Rise of Berk’ mobile games. However, here are three video games that are staying ahead of the race by releasing titles based on the much-awaited sequel. 

 Photo Courtesy: School of Dragons

How to Fly Your Dragon  – This is a simple yet addictive online game featuring Hiccup and Toothless as seen in ‘How to Train Your Dragon 2’. Players must help Toothless navigate the skies as he practices his flying skills with his beloved rider. The longer players stay on course, the higher Toothless flies. The flying sheep provide health and energy to the dragon, while the fireballs hurt him. The settings are inspired by HTTYD 2, and the flying sheep are unmistakably designed after the sheep used in Dragon Racing.

How to Train Your Dragon 2  – This video game is conspicuously named after the movie itself, and is set to release in the same month as the movie too. Players get to choose various riders and dragons, using them to participate in trainings, challenges and tournaments. The characters all look like their grown-up counterparts in the new movie, and the games are inspired by the Dragon Racing tournament so popular in Berk. The game can be played in multiplayer mode with friends, and the characters have a fun habit of taunting each other in their signature styles when competing against each other. ‘How to Train Your Dragon 2’ will be available for Xbox 360, Nintendo 3DS, Wii, Wii U and Playstation 3. 

School of Dragons – Technically speaking, ‘School of Dragons’ was not designed around ‘How to Train Your Dragon 2’. The MMORPG game was inspired by the original movie and lets players adopt, raise and train pet dragons. However, the notable thing about this game is that it is ever-expanding and adding new features, and constantly includes updates based on the happenings in the DreamWorks Dragons world. For example, the producers introduced a new quest in the game based on the ‘Defenders of Berk’ episode “The Iron Gronckle”. Now with ‘How to Train Your Dragon 2’ almost in theatres, the game has exciting new features marking the event. Players now have the option of adopting and raising multiple dragons at once, and even get their own dragon stables for their magnificent pets. Also new is the option of adopting Toothless as a pet dragon. Players can also try on their very own flight suits, inspired by Hiccup’s innovative design in the sequel. In case you’re wondering, yes, you can actually fly alongside your dragon when you’re wearing this fantastic leather suit! This game can be played on a browser, on Facebook or on your favorite mobile device.

Female Characters in How to Train your Dragon 2

 

Photo Courtesy - School of Dragons

If you loved the heart-warming animation flick How to Train your Dragon (2010), you’re definitely looking forward to its sequel, the second installment of the planned Viking-dragon trilogy. According to reports, most of the characters from the original are set to reprise their memorable roles in the second movie, but you’ll also see a few new faces. Here’s a quick look at the important female characters you can expect to see in How to Train your Dragon 2, both old and new.

Astrid

Astrid Hofferson is a teenage girl and a top student at the Dragon Training Academy, which she attends along with Hiccup and other young Vikings. She’s tough, good looking and completely unimpressed by Hiccup’s secret shenanigans with Toothless. Soon, however, she becomes a fellow conspirator in Hiccup’s plan to bring peace between the Vikings and the dragons and secretly develops a crush on the nerdy son of the Viking chief. This spunky chick is a natural at dragon slaying and has plenty of physical strength and cunning required for the job. 

Surprisingly, Astrid does not appear in the book series, though she seems to be loosely based on Camicazi, an important female character in the books. When you see her next, she’ll be 20 years old, Hiccup’s longtime girlfriend and one of the main protagonists in How to Train your Dragon 2. There’s a definite reversal of roles when it comes to Astrid and Hiccup. Astrid is the active and aggressive fighter, while Hiccup is the sensitive thinker who feels things more strongly than others. Like her personality, Astrid’s appearance too has undergone a process of refinement in the sequel. Her hair seems to be sleeker and her outfit trendier, though her shoulder pads and trusty battle axe appear to be unchanged.

Valka

We finally get to meet Hiccup’s long lost mother in How to Train your Dragon 2, though she’s mentioned several times in the prequel. We first see Valka as she saves kidnapped dragons from the evil Eret and hides them in a secret Arctic cave. Her life is spent among dragons; she knows their ways and is privy to their secrets. Valka has a well-earned reputation for being crazy – she prefers the company of dragons to that of humans and has even learned to communicate with them in non-verbal ways. In the war between dragons and Vikings, Valka certainly knows whose side she’s on – her sympathies lie with the fire-breathing monsters and she finds it hard to trust humans. Hiccup admires her tremendously and looks up to her, although he doesn’t always understand her. Valka and her son share a love for dragons and both are expert dragon riders. 

Both Astrid and Valka are important characters in How to Train your Dragon 2, a crucial to the evolution of the plot.