54. How To Train Your Dragon - The Hidden World; movie review

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON - THE HIDDEN WORLD
Cert PG
104 mins
BBFC advice: Contains mild threat, violence language

Saturday night, and kids with their parents and adults with a child in their heart were out in force in Nottingham Cineworld's big screen 3 to see the return of Hiccup and Toothless.
No, they aren't all-in wrestlers. The young chief and his dragon are the stars of the latest in Dreamworks' How To Train Your Dragon franchise.
Dean DeBlois' animation is the third and final part of a trilogy and its premise is that Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel) has gathered more dragons to live in a utopia with humans.
However, the island is becoming overpopulated and prompts Hiccup to search for the hidden world which his father had described when he was a child.
Meanwhile, the need for a new home becomes all the more important because the dragon-hunter (F. Murray Abraham) is on the tail of Toothless and his new girlfriend, a white light fury.
And there is a slice of romance for Hiccup himself in the shape of the delightful and feisty Astrid (America Ferrera).
In common with its How To Train Your Dragon predecessors, The Hidden World is fast-paced with lots of laughs, particularly for the young 'uns.
And it does have a bit of added spark (literally) thanks to a particularly villainous baddie.
Oh, and I like the laid-back manner in which Hiccup's prosthetic leg is handled. It prevents him from doing nothing and it is even the subject of legitimate laughs.
Overall, it is good old-fashioned family fun with a twist or two.

Reasons to watch: Exciting family fun
Reasons to avoid: As predictable as expected

Laughs: Four
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 7.5/10

Did you know? Animators on the original How To Train Your Dragon had to attend flight school during production so they could study flight physics and movements of different creatures for realism. After graduation, they each received a diploma.

The final word. Dean DeBlois: "The intent is to have the audience share the entire spectrum — it’s fun and it’s adventurous, and there are moments of fright and peril, but I think the wonder and the emotion are the most important moments. I hope to bring our audience to tears."

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