Good Afternoon Lovelies,

Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera and director Dean DeBlois return for one final epic outing in How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World and it in no way disappoints. After creating a highly successful franchise, including a TV series and merchandise base, HTTYD: The Hidden World is one story that fans will remember for the rest of their lives.

With Hiccup (Baruchel), now chief of Berk, the world that was once learning to live and fight alongside the dragons, has become an island that thrives with them. Living side by side in peace, the haven is one that captures the true beauty of their two worlds. Until hunter Grimmel (F. Murray Abraham) threatens the peace, leading to Hiccup heading out to discover more about the world he now rules and how it came to be.

When it comes to finales, many animations don’t sometimes know how to quit a good thing. Shrek being a prime example. This isn’t the case however for HTTYD, as the once coming-of-age story, uses Hiccup’s and dragon Toothless’ partnership and growth in adulthood to spring a new step in the story. Their tales stand out and the fire hungry mood feeds in the audience’s attention.

Adulthood is the key theme here, with marriage, love and even revenge playing a big part on what these characters now seek. Not the guidance on how to be in the world that was what the story thrived on in the beginning. Enemies are now being made and worlds torn apart. All a sign of a change in the time.

As the audiences who saw the first film have grown, so have the stories and now they are able to deal with a lot more action than before. Something which to make an epic finale was probably needed. However, when it does come to those last few moments, the story does dip a little and the expectations or hopes of something Pixar/Disney like are not entirely achieved. But it doesn’t leave too much disappointment. It is a soaring end to a soaring series.