How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World is a 2019 American animated fantasy film written and directed by Dean DeBlois, based on the book series by Cressida Cowell. Produced by DreamWorks Animation, it is the sequel to How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014) and the final installment of the How to Train Your Dragon trilogy. The film features Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, Cate Blanchett, Craig Ferguson, Gerard Butler, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Kristen Wiig, and Kit Harington reprising their roles from the first two films, with F. Murray Abraham joining the cast. The film follows 21-year-old Hiccup seeking a dragon utopia known as the "Hidden World" while coming to terms with Toothless's new bond with a female Fury, as they deal with the threat of Grimmel the Grisly, a ruthless dragon hunter.
Discussions regarding a third How to Train Your Dragon film began in December 2010, with DeBlois later stating that the second film was being intentionally designed as the second act of a trilogy. The animation challenges of the production required DreamWorks Animation to update and invent new software to handle complex tasks, such as lighting the Light Fury dragon.
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World was released theatrically in Australia on January 3, 2019, and in the United States on February 22, 2019, by Universal Pictures. Like its predecessors, it received positive reviews, with critics considering it a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy, with praise for its animation, voice acting, score, and emotional weight. The film grossed $540 million, and received several accolades, including five Annie Awards nominations, a Golden Globe nomination, and a nomination for Best Animated Feature at the 92nd Academy Awards.
Plot
A year after becoming chieftain, Hiccup, his Night Fury Toothless, and their fellow dragon-riders continue to rescue captured dragons to bring them to Berk. However, the island has become overpopulated with dragons and faces constant attacks by dragon hunters. In response, Hiccup desires to find the "Hidden World", a safe haven for dragons once spoken of by his late father, Stoick. Meanwhile, a white female Light Fury, held captive by warlords, is given to an infamous dragon hunter named Grimmel the Grisly as bait for him to capture Toothless for the warlords' use as an alpha.
Toothless finds the Light Fury in the woods, and they become enchanted until she flees, sensing Hiccup and Astrid nearby. Later, Hiccup and Tuffnut discover Grimmel's dragon traps. That night, Grimmel visits Hiccup, demanding Toothless while boasting of killing nearly every Night Fury to extinction. Hiccup, having prepared an ambush, faces Grimmel, who escapes as his Deathgripper dragons destroy Hiccup's house and Berk. Hiccup then leads the citizens and dragons to seek the Hidden World for safety from hunters.
Mid-journey, the Berkians discover an island on which they initially plan to rest, but soon begin to settle there, dubbing it "New Berk". Seeing Toothless' inability to fly solo hindering his growing relationship with the Light Fury, Hiccup rebuilds an automatic tailfin for him. Upon receiving it, Toothless flies off, meeting up with the Light Fury and flying with her to an unknown land. On a scouting patrol, Valka notices Grimmel's approaching army and reports back to Hiccup. Hiccup and the dragon riders head to capture Grimmel, but fall into his trap and barely escape, except Ruffnut, who irritates Grimmel until he lets her go.
Hiccup, Astrid, and Stormfly search for Toothless and find the Hidden World, where Toothless has become the alpha of the dragons there with the Light Fury as his mate. When the resident dragons spot Hiccup and Astrid, they attack the duo, but Toothless saves them and returns to New Berk. Hiccup realizes that humans would be intruders and are unsafe in the Hidden World. Ruffnut returns but unknowingly leads Grimmel right to them. He captures Toothless and the Light Fury, who had followed Toothless back to the island. Grimmel uses Toothless's alpha status to capture Berk's dragons by threatening to kill the Light Fury if he does not comply.
With Astrid's support, Hiccup joins the dragon riders to thwart Grimmel and his army. They surprise Grimmel's forces while gliding on wingsuits, sparking a battle to rescue the dragons. Hiccup, aided by Stormfly, frees Toothless as Grimmel drugs the Light Fury and flies off with her. Hiccup and Toothless chase Grimmel, defeating his Deathgrippers with lightning, but Grimmel tranquilizes Toothless midair, making him fall. Realizing he needs help, Hiccup frees the Light Fury and urges her to save Toothless before falling with Grimmel towards the ocean. The Light Fury saves Toothless and returns to rescue Hiccup, who removes his prosthetic leg that Grimmel was holding onto before being carried away, leaving him to die from the impact. Back on the island, Toothless and Hiccup acknowledge that dragons are not safe in the human world and that humans are forbidden in the Hidden World. Hiccup shares a heartfelt goodbye with Toothless as the Berkians release their dragons to the Hidden World. Months later, Hiccup and Astrid marry and become New Berk's chieftains.
A decade later, Toothless and the Light Fury have mated and hatched three hybrid dragon fledglings called Night Lights. Hiccup and Astrid, along with their daughter and son, sail across the sea to visit them at the edge of the Hidden World. After introducing his children to his old friend, Hiccup and Astrid take their children flying on Toothless and Stormfly, accompanied by the Light Fury and their offspring. Hiccup vows that, until humans and dragons are ready to co-exist peacefully, the dragons will stay hidden while the Berkians guard their secret.
Voice cast
Jay Baruchel as Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, the son of Valka and the late Stoick the Vast, the newly crowned Viking chief of Berk, and the one who initially trained the dragons A.J. Kane as younger Hiccup America Ferrera as Astrid Hofferson, Hiccup's fiancee F. Murray Abraham as Grimmel the Grisly, an infamous dragon hunter who is responsible for the near-extinction of the Night Furies Cate Blanchett as Valka Haddock, a dragon rescuer, Hiccup's mother, and Stoick’s widow, now living on Berk after twenty years of isolation Gerard Butler as Stoick the Vast, the late father of Hiccup, late husband of Valka, and Berk's previous chieftain, as seen in flashbacks Craig Ferguson as Gobber the Belch, a seasoned warrior, blacksmith, and dragon dentist Jonah Hill as Snotlout Jorgenson, a brash, overconfident, and fairly unintelligent but reliable friend of Hiccup Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Fishlegs Ingerman, an enthusiastic friend of Hiccup knowledgeable in dragon lore, which he often relates in a role-playing game style Kristen Wiig as Ruffnut Thorston, Tuffnut's fraternal twin who is friends with Hiccup Justin Rupple as Tuffnut Thorston, Ruffnut's fraternal twin who is friends with Hiccup. He was originally voiced by T.J. Miller in the first two films and the television series. Miller was originally set to reprise his role for the third film, but DreamWorks chose to recast Miller after the actor was accused of sexual assault and arrested for calling in a fake bomb threat. Rupple was brought on to dub over Miller's lines. Kit Harington as Eret, Son of Eret, a former dragon hunter who used to work for Drago Bludvist, who has joined the dragon riders after the events of the second film Julia Emelin as Griselda the Grievous, an aggressive warlord who works with Grimmel Ólafur Darri Ólafsson as Ragnar the Rock, an incompetent warlord who works with Grimmel James Sie as Chaghatai Khan, a less aggressive and stubborn warlord who works with Grimmel David Tennant as Ivar the Witless, a dragon trapper who works for the Warlords Tennant also voices Spitelout Jorgenson, the father of Snotlout Robin Atkin Downes as Ack, a blond-bearded Viking Kieron Elliot as Hoark, a Viking with a knotted beard Ashley Jensen as Phlegma the Fierce, a female Viking who works as a botanist at the School of Dragons Gideon Emery as a trapper Randy Thom as vocal effects for Toothless, Stormfly and Light Fury
Production In December 2010, DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg announced that there would also be a third film in the series: "How To Train Your Dragon is at least three: maybe more, but we know there are at least three chapters to that story." Dean DeBlois, the writer and director of the second and the third film, stated that How to Train Your Dragon 2 was being intentionally designed as the second act of the trilogy: "There are certain characters and situations that come into play in the second film that will become much more crucial to the story by the third." DeBlois said in an interview that the third part would be released in 2016. Although the series has taken a different path of telling a story of Hiccup and Vikings, author Cressida Cowell revealed that the trilogy and the book series will have similar endings (with "an explanation as to why dragons are no more").
The film was produced by Bonnie Arnold and Brad Lewis. DeBlois and Chris Sanders were the executive producers; Sanders was an executive producer of the second film and co-director of the first. Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Kristen Wiig returned in the third film, with Justin Rupple replacing T.J. Miller as Tuffnut. DeBlois revealed that Miller did originally return to voice Tuffnut, but DreamWorks recast him after the actor's sexual assault allegations and arrest for calling in a fake bomb threat. Cate Blanchett also reprised her role as Valka from the second film. On November 14, 2017, it was announced that Kit Harington would reprise his role as Eret and F. Murray Abraham had joined the cast. During the earlier stages of production, DeBlois stated that Djimon Hounsou would also return as Drago Bludvist. It was initially planned for Drago to have been redeemed by the end of the film; however, halfway through development, DreamWorks co-founder Steven Spielberg convinced DeBlois that the story of Drago's redemption required more screen time that they could not provide, causing his inclusion to be scrapped.DeBlois in On April 17, 2018, DreamWorks Animation announced that the sequel's title would be How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. The animation challenges of the production required DreamWorks Animation to update and invent new software to handle complex tasks, such as lighting the Light Fury dragon.
Music
Like the previous two films, the film's score was composed by John Powell. In addition, Powell's collaborators Batu Sener, Anthony Willis, and Paul Mounsey are credited as additional composers. Also returning from the previous films, Jónsi wrote a new song for the film, titled "Together from Afar", which was released as a single on January 31, 2019. Jónsi also provided vocals for a track titled "The Hidden World".
Release