How To Train Your Dragon Wraps with The Hidden World

The village of Berk has become overrun with dragons. For most fictional medieval villages, this would be the apocalypse. But Berk is a dragon sanctuary, and their leader, Hiccup (JAY BARUCHEL), leads a rag-tag band of raiders on rescue missions to save dragons from trappers and poachers, bringing them back to the ever-more-crowded town.

Things take a turn, however, when dragon hunter Grimmel (F. MURRAY ABRAHAM) enters the scene. More than being ruthless and relentless, Grimmel is a strategist who plans three steps ahead, and he has a single minded goal: destroy all dragons. For that, he needs to get his hands on the alpha dragon -- Hiccup's partner, Toothless.

Realizing the town will forever be a target, Hiccup recalls a legend his father believed in, of a hidden world off the edge of the Earth, where all the dragons originated. With help from Astrid (AMERICA FERRERA), he convinces the townsfolk he leads to uproot and follow him on their dragons in search of this hidden land to the west. But this evacuation falls right in with Grimmel's plan, as he has the perfect distraction for Toothless -- a mate!

The mystery of the lost world is ultimately explaiined, and good conquers evil in the end. However, HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON: THE HIDDEN WORLD follows a bit of a forced plotline, with certain decisions being made seemingly with the goal of ensuring the story arc was brought to an end, despite other options being available. This review cannot get into the details without spoiling the plot, but the writers stick with the theme of love and loss, and the adage "If you love something, set it free."

The animation and cinematography are stunning as always, and the views within the Hidden Land are like nothing the series has delivered before. It's a feast for the eyes, and will surely be enoyed by those who have been with the series from the beginning.