mother of dragons

How to Train Your Dragon, based on the series of books by Cressida Cowell, was a fun, quirky little entry in the glut of animated films that has come down the pike since Toy Story. Dragon has flown (ha) slightly under the radar compared to the enormous success of other animated films, but it has quietly, successfully, and adorably forged its own franchise, which shows no sign of stopping. Between film releases, DreamWorks Animation has sandwiched an entertaining animated television series, DreamWorks Dragons, and a few special shorts as well. The second feature length movie, How to Train Your Dragon 2, the second in a planned trilogy, was released recently, and it was just as much fun as the first, and even more visually stunning than expected.

This sequence was reminiscent of My Neighbor Totoro and other gorgeous Japanese animation, which is high praise indeed

Dragon has done a good job of sketching the Viking world of Berk, a place where Vikings, dragons, and some unfortunate sheep try to coexist. The animators actually base their stunning backgrounds on real Norwegian locations, including Oslo, Bergen, and Svalbard. In the first film, young Hiccup (Jay Baruchel), the son of Berk's Viking chieftain Stoick (Gerard Butler), met a Night Fury dragon that he named Toothless, and proceeded to not only train the dragon, but his fellow Vikings — that humans and dragons could not only live peacefully together, but become friends. In the second film Hiccup has grown, along with his friends and Toothless. Life in Berk is pretty idyllic (except for the local sheep who have to take part as targets in human/dragon sporting events (note: no animated sheep were harmed in the course of the movie, just man-handled and annoyed). But there is trouble on the horizon, with a gang of dragon hunters led by Eret (Kit Harington), who have to answer to a villainous boss named Drago (Djimon Hounsou). While Hiccup and Toothless are trying to evade the hunters they run across a pro-dragon vigilante, who also happens to be Hiccup's long-lost mother Valka (Cate Blanchett) — no spoiler, as her identity is revealed in all the ads and trailers.

Hiccup and Toothless are as cute together as ever

The plot is your standard good guys vs. bad guys, but there are some surprisingly sweet and sad emotional moments in the midst of all the dragon adventure. But the real prize is the stunning animation — of the rugged yet beautiful landscape of Berk, and especially, some of the "new" dragons. Hiccup has grown, and is even sporting a little stubble. He also gets just a little canoodling time with his fellow dragon trainer and friend-turned-girlfriend Astrid (America Ferrera) before the story gets going. The voice cast is good, and features many well-known actors, like Jonah Hill, Kristen Wiig, and Craig Ferguson, but they tend to disappear nicely into their roles, rather than create star turns.

I have to admit that I was a little confused by Hiccup's mother's reasons for staying away from her Viking family and instead opting to live in the world of dragons. But her hideout sure is pretty to look at, and her backstory didn't seem to bother my 10 year-old daughter, who loved the film. It will be interesting to note if that changes once we check out the movie when it comes to dvd and aren't distracted by the soaring large-scale dragons and movie theater 3D.

dragons: riders of berk, parts 1 & 2

Fans of the Dreamworks animated film How to Train Your Dragon can now enjoy its spinoff series, featured on on Cartoon Network, Dragons: Riders of Berk, in two DVD collections, which are jam-packed with the first series' 20 episodes and lots of extras. The series picks up where the film left off, with Hiccup and his friends, both human and dragon, trying to coexist peacefully together.

The series looks as great. Although maybe slightly less intricately drawn than the film, the colorful CGI animation is quite detailed, and brings the teen vikings, various dragons, and their surroundings to vivid life. The aspect ratio for both sets is 1.78:1, and the sharp images and bright colors look especially great on a large-scale high-definition television screen. The Dolby Digital 5.1  sound provides clear dialogue, sound effects, and music. Subtitles and dubbed languages are available in English, French, and Spanish. Viewers can choose to "play all" or select individual episodes on both sets of discs.

Hiccup and Toothless share new adventures

The characters of Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) and his dragon Toothless and their friends are as charming as ever. Many of the original film's actors have returned for the series. Besides Baruchel, America Ferrera is back as the Astrid, Hiccup's spunky love interest. Christopher Mintz-Plasse returns Hiccup's best pal and dragon expert Fishlegs, and T. J. Miller is back as the not-too-bright Tuffnut. David Tennant is also back as Spitelout, Snotlout's father. New voice cast members include Julie Marcus as Ruffnut, Tuffnut's twin sister (voiced by Kristen Wiig in the film), Zack Pearlman as the adversarial Snotlout (originally voiced by Jonah Hill), Chris Edgerly as Gobber (who was voiced by Craig Ferguson), and Nolan North as Stoick, Hiccup's father (who was originally voiced by Gerard Butler). Familiar actors who show up through the series to play guest or recurring roles include Mark Hamill, Stephen Root, and Tim Conway.

The over-arching conflict of the series continues to be the struggle of the Vikings and their dragon friends learning how to trust one another. The extended format of the series gives the audience an opportunity to get to know the main characters better and explore their Viking world. Even the dragons have distinct personalities, and part of the fun is watching the dragons and their human counterparts form long-lasting bonds.

As the dragons become more and more integrated into the Vikings' lives even Hiccup's rough and tumble dad Stoick gets his own dragon to ride, Thornado. In an early episode ("Animal House") the Vikings learn that the dragons not only want to protect them, but also their domestic animals, like sheep and pigs. Who knew that dragons weren't carnivores? Apparently they eat fish, so that would make them pescatarians.

Undeniably the main appeal of Dragons: Riders of Berk is — lots of cool dragons. Dragon aficionados will love the gang's favorite friends, as well as enjoy encountering new dragon species along with Hiccup and his friends through the series. Folks who may have previously bought the series preview DVD, How to Train Your Dragon, will recognize the first four episodes in Dragons: Riders of Berk - Part 1:

Disc 1:

1 - "How to Start a Dragon Academy"
2 - "Viking for Hire"
3 - "Animal House"
4 - "The Terrible Twos"
5 - "In Dragons We Trust" (Part 1)
6 - "Alvin and The Outcasts" (Part 2)

Disc 2:

7 - "How to Pick Your Dragon"
8 - "Portrait of Hiccup as a Buff Man"
9 - "Dragon Flower"
10 - "Heather Report" (Part 1)
11 - "Heather Report" (Part 2)

The 11 episodes have a run time of approximately 242 minutes and the Part 1 collection includes some fun extras:

Dragon Tracker (Part 1) - A map of Berk, with Hiccup narrating a guide to each of the featured dragons, including Stoick's Thunderdrum dragon Thornado, the Typhoomerang, and many more.

Evolution of Thunderdrum - A behind-the-scenes feature on the visual creation of the new dragon for Stoick, the Thunderdrum.

"Heavy Metal" Dragon mash-up - A rock and roll video featuring clips from the series.

World of Dreamworks Animation  - Includes songs and DVD promos from DreamWorks favorites Shrek, Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda, MegaMind, How to Train Your Dragon, and Puss in Boots.

At the Dragon Training Academy (CW from top: Ruffnut and Tuffnut on Barf and Belch, Snotlout with Hookfang, Astrid with Stormfly, and Fishlegs with Meatlug)

Dragons: Riders of Berk - Part 2 includes 9 episodes (with a running time of approximately 203 minutes). Extras on Part 2 include:

Dragon Tracker (Part 2) - A map of Berk, with Hiccup narrating a guide to some of the featured dragons, including Changewings and their dragon eggs, Smokebreaths on Breakneck Bog, and more.

Evolution of Whispering Death - A behind-the-scenes feature on the visual creation of the new dragon that can burrow underground, the Whispering Death.

"Fly High" Dragon mash-up - A rock and roll video featuring clips from the series.

World of Dreamworks Animation  - Includes songs and DVD promos from DreamWorks favorites Shrek, Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda, MegaMind, How to Train Your Dragon, and Puss in Boots.

Disc 1:

12 - "Thawfest"
13 - "When Lightning Strikes"
14 - "What Flies Beneath"
15 - "Twinsanity"
16 - "Defiant One"

Disc 2:

17 - "Breakneck Bog"
18 - "Gem of a Different Color"
19 - "We Are Family" (Part 1)
20 - "We Are Family" (Part 2)

Both sets include a code for the Ultimate Battle Pack to be used to play the online and mobile game School of Dragons. Gamers can create their own viking and interact with all the show's characters.

After watching Dragons: Riders of Berk fans should be primed for the new season, Dragons: Defenders of Berk, which is scheduled to start in September. The first season even manages to end with a bit of a cliffhanger. These DVDs should keep dragon fans happy until the release of the sequel, How to Train Your Dragon 2, which is planned for a June 2014 release. It looks like the adventures are just beginning for Hiccup and his friends.

Originally published on Blogcritics: DVD Review: ‘Dragons: Riders of Berk, Parts One and Two’