While the world is mostly preoccupied with where the Marvel universe is going, or if Expendables III is going to be worth the salaries it’s paying out to its cast, there’s something big that’s gone rather under the radar as of late: the long awaited return of Hiccup and Toothless! Sure we’ve gotten a teaser and a slightly longer tease into the new world of How To Train Your Dragon 2, but now a third, more comprehensive look has hit the Net, courtesy of YouTube.
In the sequel, Hiccup (again voiced by Jay Baruchel) and Toothless are ready to set out on an adventure to explore outside of their home island of Berk. Their quest is to find all the many sorts of dragons that exist out in the world, but in this quest they’ll find someone they never expected: Hiccup’s mother (of dragons), Valka. As it turns out, his mom (Cate Blanchett) is alive and well, with a lot of knowledge to share on the subject of dragons. In addition to her knowledge of dragons, Valka knows of a plot to wage war on the kingdom of Berk. The man behind said plot is the villainous Drago Bludvist (Djimon Honsou), a warlord who also has the power of the dragon in his corner.
If you were a fan of the original How To Train Your Dragon, then this doesn’t look like it’s going to sour that fact. Come to think of it, this trailer promises battles on a scale even grander than the original, and that was presented in IMAX 3D back in its day. Why 20th Century Fox and Dreamworks haven’t tried to secure a similar release to this film, which looks to be grander in visual scope, remains to be unseen. Regardless, the dragon-on-dragon action looks spectacular, with a gigantic ice dragon being showcased more than once in this current glimpse.
Thankfully, it looks like there will also be plenty of emotional and dramatic weight to counter the razzle dazzle, as Hiccup’s parents will reunite and his relationship with Astrid will undoubtedly continue to grow. (She calls him "babe" in the trailer. Things are getting serious.) All of this could be thanks to the fact that How To Train Your Dragon is the little franchise that could. Its success didn’t spark a huge demand for its instant return; instead it gained just enough of a following to keep a sequel in the cards. It’s refreshing to see a well-timed sequel that doesn’t force an accelerated production schedule, so as to ruin its overall product. That's never a good idea. (Not to mention the animated series has probably done a good job of stoking the fan base.) With most of the original cast back, some of the characters looking more grown up than ever (especially Hiccup himself), and a lot of the action moving into bigger, badder territory, it’s hard not to get excited about this movie! (Unless you’re part of Pixar.)
The second installment of the How To Train Your Dragon series is set to fly into theaters on June 13. It’s set to compete against the more adult oriented (and also starring Jonah Hill) 22 Jump Street, as well as the Sundance hit The Signal. With such light competition, and no Pixar film due out this year, this looks like it could be a huge hit for kids and families alike.
