'How to Train Your Dragon 2' is overly busy but emotionally powerful
'Dragon' stars Jay Baruchel and Gerard Butler.
'How to Train Your Dragon 2' is directed by Dean DeBlois.
DreamWorks Animation/AP
DreamWorks Animation’s “How to Train Your Dragon 2,” directed by Dean DeBlois, is the sequel to its 2010 hit, which grossed almost half a billion dollars. Overlong and overly busy but more emotionally powerful than its predecessor, it brings back the amiable Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel), who doesn’t fancy becoming head of the Viking clan ruled by his burly father, Stoick (Gerard Butler). It’s a foregone conclusion, of course, that he will rise to the occasion.
The dragons in this movie are expertly brought to life, and there is an especially moving sequence in which Hiccup’s faithful dragon, Toothless, is forced to kill someone dear and Hiccup is roiled by the emotional consequences. Grade: B+ (Rated PG for adventure action and some mild rude humor.)