Film Review: "How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World" (2019).

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World is Their Final Quest. This computer-animated action fantasy film written and directed by Dean DeBlois, loosely based on the book series of the same name by Cressida Cowell, and produced by DreamWorks Animation. It is the sequel to How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014) and the final installment in the How to Train Your Dragon film trilogy. What began as an unlikely friendship between an adolescent Viking and a fearsome Night Fury dragon has become an epic adventure spanning their lives. Now chief and ruler of Berk alongside Astrid, Hiccup has created a gloriously chaotic dragon utopia. When the sudden appearance of female Light Fury coincides with the darkest threat their village has ever faced, Hiccup and Toothless must leave the only home they’ve known and journey to a hidden world thought only to exist in myth. As their true destines are revealed, dragon and rider will fight together—to the very ends of the Earth—to protect everything they’ve grown to treasure.

In December 2010, DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg announced that there would also be a third film in the series. DeBlois said in an interview that the third part will be released in 2016. Although the series has taken a different path of telling a story of Hiccup and Vikings, Cowell has revealed that the trilogy and the book series will have similar endings, with "an explanation as to why dragons are no more." By mid November 2017, Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Kristen Wiig, Kit Harington, and Cate Blanchett returned, with F. Murray Abraham joining the cast. T.J. Miller was replaced with Justin Rupple as Tuffnut, due to Miller's destructive behavior making headlines in mid-2018. During the earlier stages of production, DeBlois stated that Djimon Hounsou would also return as Drago Bludvist. It was even planned to have Drago redeemed by the film's end, but halfway through development, his inclusion was ultimately scrapped. In mid April 2018, DreamWorks Animation announced that the sequel's title would be entitled How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. The movie was previously set to release on June 29, 2018, but it was then moved to May 18, 2018 due to The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019). However due to Universal acquiring DreamWorks, the film was then moved to March 1, 2019. Ultimately it was once again moved up to February 22, 2019.

The film stars the voice talents of Baruchel, Butler, Ferguson, Ferrera, Hill, Mintz-Plasse, Rupple, Wiig, Harington, Blanchett, and Abraham. The cast gave performances that were just as entertaining as always, but seemed to be incredibly poignant more so this time round as their story comes to a close.

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World offers a fun-filled, action-packed conclusion to DreamWorks' endearing animated series. Visually speaking it's all quite impressive, but the storyline fulfils its prophecies enough dramatically speaking. One of those very rare animated features that completely justifies its 3D glasses.

Simon says How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World receives:

Also, see my review for How to Train Your Dragon 2 and The Boss Baby.