It’s been about five years since our last adventure with the young Viking Hiccup and his dragon buddy Toothless. Our old pals are back this February in the animated sequel HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON: THE HIDDEN WORLD.
A lot has happened since the first HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON was released back in 2010. We put together a history of the series — it’s a guide to everything you need to know about this mythical dragon-filled world before the highly-anticipated third installment flies into theaters. (Note: Some spoilers for the first two films follow.)
A World of Vikings and Dragons
The movies take place around a mythical Viking village called Berk, where dragons are stealing livestock. Young Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) lives there with his dad, Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler), who is also the town chieftain. One day, Hiccup accidentally shoots down a dark dragon known as a Night Fury. Instead of killing him, Hiccup lets the creature go. The dragon’s tail fin is damaged, however, and he’s unable to fly. So Hiccup fashions a makeshift prosthetic and helps his new friend, whom he names Toothless, learn how to fly again.
Hiccup realizes the Vikings don’t need to kill the dragons. They’re actually quite friendly, and easy to train! Soon after, Hiccup and his pal Astrid (America Ferrera) discover that the dragons are only stealing livestock to feed a huge, evil dragon. While the other Vikings remain skeptical, Hiccup and Astrid team up with their other pals – and their new dragon buddies – to save the day. They prove that dragons are friends, not enemies.
Bigger Battles, Bigger Dragons
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2 takes place five years later. The Vikings live in harmony with dragons. Stoick pressures Hiccup to follow in his footsteps and become the next village chieftain. The young Viking, however, is happy exploring the lands with Toothless. One mission brings them face-to-face with a dangerous dragon-trapper named Eret (GAME OF THRONES star Kit Harington) and his boss, the warrior Drago Bludvist (Djimon Hounsou).
Drago is trapping dragons to build a massive, fire-breathing army. Despite his father’s warnings, Hiccup tries to avoid war with the chieftain. Then Hiccup discovers that his long-lost mom, Valka, is still alive. She’s been rescuing dragons from Drago and taking them to an icy nest created by a huge Alpha dragon known as a “Bewilderbeast,” which has the power to control the smaller dragons. Unfortunately, Drago has a Bewilderbeast of his own. After an epic battle, he becomes the new Alpha. Under his control, Toothless tries to kill Hiccup, but Stoick jumps in the way and is killed instead. In a surprising twist, Hiccup is able to get through to Toothless and break the Alpha’s control, and the pair successfully defeat Drago.
Back to Berk
With Stoick dead, Hiccup has become the new village chieftain, and his first order of business is creating a utopia where Vikings and dragons live in total peace. But Hiccup’s troubles are far from over. In HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON: THE HIDDEN WORLD, a dangerous new enemy threatens to destroy everything Hiccup has created.
At the same time, Toothless discovers a wild, mysterious dragon who appears to be his mate, and who comes from a world previously thought to be a myth. In order to save Berk, Hiccup will have to embark on his most epic journey yet, leaving his home behind to travel with Toothless to the hidden world of dragons.
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON: THE HIDDEN WORLD opens on February 22.
