DreamWorks Dragons

How to Train Your Dragon was a wonderful film, animated or otherwise, DreamWorks' best since The Prince of Egypt and one of the best animated films of the 2000s. The sequel was great and almost as good with even better animation, a darker tone and a good amount of depth to the characters, though Hiccup and Toothless' friendship was done a little better in the first(which I also preferred for its simplicity). Dragons: Riders of Berk compliments How to Train Your Dragon very well indeed and is a terrific show in its own right, though understandably not quite as good. The animation may not be as incredible as that in How to Train Your Dragon and the sequel, but that's inevitable because this is a TV show and they feature-length films. That is not knocking the animation though, because the animation still has much beauty and detail with all movements nice and smooth, and the flying sequences and action still exhilarate, Dragons: Riders of Berk is for me one of the best-looking computer-animated shows out there and it's also true to the style of that of the film. The music has parts where it's rousing and others where it's sensitive depending on the mood, it's fitting, it has a pace and most of all it's memorable. The use of some of the themes from the film was welcome too. Dragons: Riders of Berk has great writing, the show is very thoughtfully written with some jokes that are actually funny and balance well with the emotional and suspenseful parts. Like the film the show gives us plenty of time to get to know the characters and relate to them just as well as we did in the film. Hiccup and Toothless' friendship is genuinely endearing. The story lines are always easy to follow and maintain the simplicity of the tone/spirit of the film, which will please fans, the comedy doesn't feel at odds with anything else and the conflict is convincing while never getting too dark. With how the characters interact and how you really feel the friendship of Hiccup and Toothless the show definitely has heart as well. As said the characters are still engaging, I've always loved how Toothless is so lovable and touches and warms the heart without even speaking, and most of the voice actors return and do typically fine jobs, even the new voice of Stoick courtesy of Chris Noth (although Gerard Butler's voice suits the character far more). Alvin is a fun adversary with a good amount of menace about him and Mark Hamill's voice fits perfectly. All in all, terrific show, the films are a little better but compared to most animated shows now and other shows airing on Cartoon Network Dragons: Riders of Berk compares more than favourably. 9/10 Bethany Cox

I'm a huge fan of How to Train Your Dragon. In fact I would rate it as my favorite animated movie, even more so than anything Pixar can come up with. I love the feeling of magic it gave me, and the interesting characters and setting. So of course I was worried about Dragons, considering the show for Kung Fu Panda was disappointing. I expected the same amount of great character development and heart touching story lines from Kung Fu Panda Legends of Awesome, but didn't get those. I was expecting Dragons to suffer the same fate, and I was wrong. Right away, I notice that the animation quality is just better than other Dreamworks animated shows. then there's the plot. No little 15 minute stories here, instead we get 30 minute plots that show a problem, involve character development followed by the solution to the problem. Most of the voice actors have returns and the music sounds incredibly, so the sound quality of the show is amazing. The writing is pretty much on par with the movie as well, and the jokes are funny and witty. Its a truly great show that CN should be glad that they picked up.

I'm a big fan of HTTYD so I thought I'd give this show a try. At first I wasn't sure, but it really grew on me. I haven't finished the entire show yet, I'm on season 3 but it's actually really entertaining! My only criticism is that some episodes are predictable and feel like filler episodes, however considering I'm older than the target audience it's not a big deal. It's still a great show and majority of the episodes are really engaging, they don't shy away from high stakes plot lines. The animation is actually surprisingly good, definitely not the movie quality but it holds up well. I really like this show and I love how it lines up with the timelines of the movies. It makes you feel much more connected to the characters and their world.

After binge watching both seasons over the course of three days (Never do this), I can honestly say that this is among the best children's shows currently shown.

Unlike most kid's fare around these days it doesn't pander to random humor and trying to be "cool". It instead uses plausible situations and character development to drive a narrative forward, the way kid's shows used to be until the late 2000's. It carries on pretty much exactly where the first film leaves off and portrays Hiccup's difficulties in assimilating dragons into Berkian life and facing off against several different villains. Of these three, Dagur the deranged is the best written, and even I find myself smiling at some of his lines and mannerisms.

The score to the show is surprisingly well done, with John Ceazarone taking Powell's themes and implementing them quite well in each episode. The animation is certainly not on par with the film's themselves, and as a result Hiccup and Toothless can look a bit strange at times, but this is understandable and shouldn't impede the viewing.

The writing and plots are mostly predictable for the aged and educated viewer, but still has a surprise every now and then that redeems it. The jokes, while occasionally repetitive and catering to a young audience, still keep the show interesting, and there is occasionally a particularly good one that will stay in your head a while.

If you loved the first movie and now the second I would advise seeing it. You will certainly not be disappointed and it will give the fix of dragon you'll need to hold you over until the third film.

If there's something that a grown person has to know while watching animation films is that they are mostly aimed to young audience. So they have to show values. How to train your Dragon was a very beautiful movie, but the series are even better. The steal-strong friendship between Toothless and Hiccup is the most beautiful and encouraging thing ever. The different types of people in their group teach about acceptance and respect between companions, or to oneself, everyone has it's strong and weak point. Partial incapability in not an end, friendship can move mountains and change people's hearts. Time is necessary to make a change, bad people will always exist, but they are never rewarded. If I had kids Riders of Berk would be the series I would make them see ever and ever again.

For adults there's also entertainment; The landscapes are precious, the jokes funny and the action moments make you hold your breath. It's light and happy, the perfect series for enlighten your mood and believe in magic again.