“How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” is the third installment in Dreamwork’s highly successful “How to Train Your Dragon” movie series. Continuing the adventures of Hiccup and his best friend dragon, Toothless.
The film begins with Hiccup, Toothless and their friends saving a bunch of captured dragons on a barge. When Hiccup first lands, his face is covered by the dragon scale armor and he has a flame sword. Dramatic music plays as he duels with one of the guards on the ship. The guard believes Hiccup is a demon due to the dragon scale armor and flame sword. The dramatic music stops once Hiccup takes off his helmet to show he is not a demon and when his friends all have laughable entrances onto the barge, including one who had their butt scorched by their own dragon. After the crew returns and some conversation is brought about the overpopulation of rescue dragons in the village, Toothless is attracted to the soft sounds of a female dragon, a fellow Night Fury. After the female Night Fury disappears into thin air, Toothless cannot get his mind off her, judging by the numerous sounds and gestures he makes. After the fierce Grimmel launches out a blazing attack on Berk, Hiccup calls a meeting of his people and they all decide to seek the Hidden World, wond
rous music plays as the people all take flight on their dragons. Another one of Toothless’ series of noises occurs when he sees the female Night Fury, dubbed the Light Fury, again. When the people of Berk settle on an island for a bit, Toothless and the Light Fury meet up again. Like previous interactions, the dragons interact with sounds as opposed to words; yet the film conveys the emotions these two are displaying without using a single word of dialogue. After the “first date” between the dragons, Hiccup makes a new prosthetic tail for Toothless. Wondrous music plays again when Toothless flies off to find the Light Fury once again, after he flies off without the supervision of Hiccup, the music goes silent and the awkward silence begins with the Viking crew. But once the Night Furies meet up again, the wondrous music returns, now with a romantic tone as well. When Astrid and Hiccup go to find Toothless since he has been missing for a few days, they discover the Hidden World. Victorious music plays as Toothless sits upon the dragon throne with the Light Fury by his side. At the end of the film, Hiccup finally let goes of Toothless and allows him along with the other Viking dragons to go free to the Hidden World to the melancholy music. A time-skip then happens with Astrid and Hiccup having kids along with Toothless and the Light Fury. The music that plays when Hiccup and Toothless re-unite is reminiscent of the music played when Toothless stood on top of the dragon throne earlier.
The sound design makes this fun for all members of the family film, much more emotional and attaches very real emotions to the fictional beasts known as dragons.
by Drew Cheskin