Watching “How to Train Your Dragon: the Hidden World” on opening night was an experience I will never forget. People of all ages sat in the Pullman theater with their loved ones — Toothless merchandise and all — waiting to watch the end of the lovable franchise.
I was expecting a good film despite not being a huge fan. But it ended up being so much more, pulling at my heart strings for quite some time after. This film really knocked it out of the park.
Franchises usually crash and burn after the first film, but the third movie of the Toothless story has become my ultimate favorite.
Lindsay Trombly | Argonaut
No, it wasn’t because of the ending. It was because of the storyline and key messages given to fans — it was exactly what people needed.
Achieving this outcome takes major skill, and it takes a team. The screenwriters, animators, actors, and everyone involved in the film — I admire them because they really did an amazing job.
The entire film centered around love and loss, something people go through every day despite not necessarily thinking about it a daily basis. It really made an impact.
Of course a movie isn’t a movie without a plot, and I found myself rooting for Toothless and Hiccup throughout their journey. It sucked the audience right in, and there wasn’t any boring or unnecessary scenes.
The character development was also outstanding. The film brought in more characters than were introduced in the first and second films, making them essential to the storyline.
But let’s face it, humans aren’t the best part of these films. The dragons are, and the audience saw even more in this film.
As Hiccup’s love life grows in this film, so does Toothless’. After all who doesn’t want baby dragons running around?
The Light Fury, Toothless’ love interest, enters the story and brings the storyline together, as well as that message of love and centralizing it. The film tells the audience how we tend to chase after those we love, but sometimes we need to let go — reminding us it is always better to love, even if it does come with loss. Now, I’m an even bigger fan of Toothless than I was before.
From start to finish, this film sucks the audience in with the character development, storyline and spectacular animation, which left me in tears — especially since I hope to become a filmmaker myself.
Animated movies aren’t just for children, take a loved one and go watch “How to Train Your Dragon: the Hidden World” as soon as you get the chance. You will shed a few tears near the end, but you won’t be sorry one bit.
Lindsay Trombly can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @ lindsay_trombly