


Hiccup and Astrid get away but soon discover that Eret's maniacal boss, Drago ( Djimon Hounsou), plans to declare war on Berk and steal all of the island's dragons. One day, while exploring new territories, Hiccup and his dragon bestie, Toothless, and Astrid and her dragon, Stormfly, discover both a fort covered in ice and, later, a dragon hunter named Eret ( Kit Harington), who accuses them of being the "dragon rider" who's letting his dragon captives go. HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2 takes place five years after the events of How to Train Your Dragon: The citizens of the island of Berk fully accept, keep, and train dragons Hiccup ( Jay Baruchel) and his peers are now adults rather than teens (he's 20) and he and Astrid ( America Ferrera) are engaged to be married. But thanks to its strong female characters, touching parent-child relationships, and positive messages about the bond between people and their animal companions, this is must-see for fans of the original and the show. Expect more romance in this installment it takes place five years after the first movie, which means the previously young-teen characters are now all around the marriageable age of 20 - so it's no surprise there are a few suggestive jokes, especially with the addition of a hunky rogue. Very young fans may be upset by a significant character's death, the alpha-possession of the Berk dragons, the battles between the different groups of dragons, and several close calls for the story's protagonists.

Like its big-screen predecessor, this is an epic 3-D adventure with dazzling visuals and gripping action sequences that will appeal to even older kids and teens. Parents need to know that How to Train Your Dragon 2 is a sequel to both 2010's How to Train Your Dragon and the popular Cartoon Network series (both of which were inspired by Cressida Cowell's books).
