Voiced by Jay Baruchel, the once young and adorable Hiccup has donned adulthood in style, settling down to his life as the hero of Berk, with the fastest dragon, the prettiest girlfriend and the strongest father in the village. However when Hiccup and Toothless begin to stray too far from the Viking hold, the world outside of Berk reveals itself to be a little less accepting of dragons than they'd originally hoped.
With so many of Hiccup's relationships at the forefront of the film this time, it made for a refreshing change that they were all portrayed so beautifully, and with such realistic complexity; Hiccup and Astrid, for example, having grown up together since the first film are completely settled in their relationship now, shaking off those dorky, awkward male and female tropes of adolescence, and are shown many times to be comfortable and ease with each other, for good. This type of relationship is one rarely seen in the younger relationships of animation; with most being defined solely through 'true loves kiss' and the occasional heroic rescue, and so to see the two simply sitting together, and greeting each other, and sharing in each other's domestic adventures shows great promise for further Dreamworks films. The relationship between Hiccup, and his father, Stoick (voiced by Gerard Butler) also develops and changes within the plot of the film as well; with the Viking Chief's rising expectations of his son grating against Hiccup's dreams of exploration and freedom. Yet, with the sudden return of Hiccup's supposedly deceased mother Valka, we are introduced to yet another side of Stoick, who really comes into his own role for the predominance of the film. We see him now as not just a Chief, or a father, but as a lover, and protector as well.
Now, if I am to be completely honest, when I first became aware that Hiccup's mother would be re-introduced into the film, I wasn't expecting it to be that great a plot move; as I worried it might change the focus, and the premise of the film; drawing the attention away from the titular dragon and onto the evolving family dynamics instead. However, after watching the film, it can be said that, without a doubt, Valka's story line and Toothless' go hand in hand, pacing each other for intensity and emotional resonance every step of the way. As, in this film, it's not just Hiccup who finds family in unexpected places.
One of the highlights of HTTYD2 would have to be the writer's exploration into the dragonkind, and the lore of dragons outside of the isolation of Berk. The audience is introduced to so many new species, kinds, and dragon kin, it really adds to the depth of the film, fleshing out and testing Hiccup and Toothless' bond, emphasizing it against the other human/dragon relationships explored throughout the plot. Another personal favourite would be the elements of humour used to balance out the powerful emotional scenes, as it genuinely is a laugh out loud film, though perhaps not one with jokes and lines a younger audience might understand.
Though the animated aspect might lead you to suspect a 'kiddies film', all sugar coats and slapstick, it would actually be a push for me to recommend taking young children to see it, as now that Hiccup has grown up, he's facing several issues which may be a little too complex for them to truly understand. Not to mention that many of the scenes are those of battle and fighting, and can be very powerful and intense at times.
(Sidenote - when I personally went to see it, we went for one of the most popular screening times, yet not one person watching that film was under 17 years of age)
In terms of cinematic viewing, so many of the panoramic shots are so beautifully designed they fail to look like an animation, and it's easy to forget that the forests and seas on screen are simply combinations of paint and pencil. Full credit must go to the artists and animators behind the film, as their work here is breathtaking, and definetly highlights the stand-alone power of the film. It seems to carry everything the ideal animation should; an artistic backdrop, believable relationships, likable, complex characters, the excitement of the magic and fantasy, the innocence of animals - it even has a beautiful musical number, with none of the childish glee of Disney, yet with all the charm and emotion of romance. The film is an award winner, without question, and we will definetly be seeing it in positive reviews to come.
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