Friday, June 13, 2014

So in other news I saw the next billion dollar movie. How To Train Your Dragon 2 is a masterpiece. That is all.

A few years ago, my friend James was in town and he wanted to see a movie. He suggested that we see the new Nightmare on Elm Street remake. But I dissuaded him of that (I had an inkling it would be terrible) and instead suggested that we try out How To Train Your Dragon. He agreed because we are both fans of Renderman, Maya, Alembic, and Open VDB (these are names of software packages used to animate some incredible films) and how computers have been utilized to essentially transform the cartoon industry, if not the movie industry as a whole. Of course we both loved it. HTTYD remains one of the best films we've seen together, and it was probably one of the most memorable experiences we've had in our long friendship.
Well Dreamworks' latest endeavor, How To Train Your Dragon 2, is an even better production (and that really is saying a lot). As the credits started rolling in the movie theater last night, I realized I was flooded with feelings about this film that are pretty rare...those kind that bubble to the surface and make me realize that I've just witnessed something awesome, something wonderful, that had everything from humor, to adventure, and to loss. I was pretty speechless, which for me is saying a lot.
How To Train Your Dragon 2 is the kind of movie franchise that comes along in a single generation. Together, the two films are better than anything Pixar has ever put out. Pixar is of course a better animation studio overall because everything else that Dreamworks puts out is comparably worse to every other Pixar product with the exception of maybe Cars. But the story writers behind the How To Train Your Dragon sequel have composed a masterpiece, and its animated with such incredible skill that every frame is something I just want to savor for its sheer beauty.
The How To Train Your Dragon sequel gave me everything that I wanted. I saw the characters grow, I saw new dragon species, I saw dragons as large as kaiju (which is pretty damn ridiculous), I saw the next evolution of Berk, there was humor, there was joy, and there was sadness. In every sense of the word, How To Train Your Dragon is a coming of age story, and I really loved it. There are inevitable comparisons that I made in my head about the relationship of Hiccup to Toothless and Elliot to E.T. (an eighties film a lot of you have probably not seen). But if you have seen E.T., you might see some of what I'm talking about in this film. You know...the good things...like the heartbreaking hug that E.T. gives Elliot at the end of that movie and how friendship and loyalty are seemingly enough to conquer anything. Even if this isn't how the real world works, I like Hiccup's more because it allows me that escape to believe in the impossible. And that, my friends, is movie magic. It's sorcery. And it's left me stunned into silence.
And now of course, I'm wondering how the t.v. series is going to be affected by the events of this amazing tale. So much has changed by the end of How To Train Your Dragon 2 that one can't help but wonder where Hiccup and company can go next. I suppose I'll have to wait like legions of others. But in finishing, I'll be shocked if this sequel doesn't become the next billion dollar movie. That is all.

13 comments:

  1. HTTYD is my all time favorite animated film, and possibly my all time favorite, period. I've been excited to see HTTYD II but with lower expectations, worried it wouldn't live up to the first one, as so many other sequels do. But I'm happy you enjoyed it so much and now I'm even more excited to watch this film.

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  2. The first one hit all the right notes - that rare, near-perfect film. Seeing the second one this afternoon and am buoyed by your words of praise. Another blogger buddy saw it in the UK and said it was dull and disappointing.

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  3. I'm sure it's going to crush 22 Jump Street this weekend. When I got around to seeing most of the first one on HBO or something it was good. Still I don't watch kids movies in the theater.

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  4. I liked the first movie a whole lot, glad to hear the sequel holds up.

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  5. Seeing it this evening and can't wait!

    I don't know if HTTYD beats out UP for me (i frickin love UP and i cry every time) but it's definitely wonderful

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  6. Yay! Seeing it tomorrow with the whole fam.

    Not to mention HTTYD2 as zero, ZERO competition (no other animated films) at the box office right now. Pixar isn't even releasing anything this year. What's up with that? :)

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  7. Now I have to see this. Thanks for the moving recommendation.

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  8. I so want to see this. I loved the first one. It's one of my favorite movies of all time. But this weekend... Sigh. I guess I'm just going to have to carve out some time.

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  9. I've never decided to see a movie because I'm a fan of the software packages they used.

    I thought the first one was okay. I imagine this one will be good too. Not sure I'll be quite as amazed as you, but then my taste in software protocols is probably different to yours.

    mood
    Moody Writing

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  10. I know these movies are popular but that just doesn't look like a dragon to me.

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  11. My grand-niece is in town, maybe I'll take her to see it.

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  12. I loved the first one and hope to see the second one. Toothless always reminds me of my cat Juliette. They have the same look about them. LOL!

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  13. I saw it and mostly it was really good. But in terms of the villain I thought he was not properly fleshed out. But the movie was still really good and the animation was visually stunning.

    The first movie will always be the best for me. My brother said it's so amazing because it is a movie that does not run like a lot of typical animated movies. It's just an amazing movie that makes you not care whether it is animated or not because the story is done so amazingly. I have to agree with him, though I love animation.

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