How to Train Your Dragon 2 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids How to Train Your Dragon 2
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Dean DeBlois
Produced by	Bonnie Arnold
Written by	Dean DeBlois
Starring	Jay Baruchel Cate Blanchett Gerard Butler Craig Ferguson America Ferrera Jonah Hill Christopher Mintz-Plasse T.J. Miller Kristen Wiig Djimon Hounsou Kit Harington
Music by	John Powell
Editing by	John K. Carr
Studio	DreamWorks Animation
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release date(s)	May 16, 2014 (2014-05-16) (Cannes) June 13, 2014 (2014-06-13) (United States)
Running time	102 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$145 million
Money made	$621.5 million

How to Train Your Dragon 2 is a 2014 American animated fantasy film that continues the story of Hiccup and his dragon, Toothless. It is the second movie in the How to Train Your Dragon trilogy, produced by DreamWorks Animation. The movie is loosely based on the book series by Cressida Cowell.

Many of the original voice actors returned, including Jay Baruchel as Hiccup and Gerard Butler as his father, Stoick. The story takes place five years after the first film. Hiccup, now 20 years old, discovers his long-lost mother, Valka. He also faces a new enemy, Drago Bludvist, who wants to build an army of dragons to conquer the world.

The movie was a huge success, praised by critics for its amazing animation, exciting story, and emotional moments. It was considered darker and more grown-up than the first film. How to Train Your Dragon 2 won a Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. The final movie in the series, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, came out in 2019.

Plot

Five years have passed since the Vikings of Berk made peace with the dragons. Hiccup and his dragon, Toothless, spend their days exploring and mapping new lands. Hiccup's father, Stoick the Vast, wants him to become the next chieftain of Berk, but Hiccup isn't sure he's ready for that responsibility.

During one of their explorations, Hiccup and his girlfriend Astrid discover a burnt forest. They are attacked by dragon trappers led by a man named Eret. Eret reveals he works for Drago Bludvist, a powerful warlord who is capturing dragons to build an army.

Hiccup and Astrid escape and warn Stoick about Drago. Stoick immediately begins to prepare Berk for an attack. He tells Hiccup that he once met Drago, who offered to protect the Viking chiefs in exchange for their loyalty. When they refused, Drago used his dragons to attack them, and Stoick was the only one who survived.

Hiccup believes he can reason with Drago and flies off with Toothless to find him. On his journey, he meets a mysterious dragon rider. This rider turns out to be Valka, Hiccup's mother, who was thought to be dead for 20 years. Valka explains that she, like Hiccup, couldn't bring herself to harm dragons. She has been rescuing them and living in a secret ice nest created by a giant alpha dragon called a Bewilderbeast. This alpha dragon can control other dragons with its mind.

Stoick tracks Hiccup to the nest and is overjoyed to find his wife alive. But their reunion is cut short. Astrid and the other dragon riders, who had followed a captured Eret, are taken prisoner by Drago. Drago learns about Berk's dragons and sets his sights on the nest.

A huge battle begins. Drago brings his own evil Bewilderbeast, which fights and kills Valka's alpha dragon. Drago's Bewilderbeast then becomes the new alpha, taking control of all the dragons, including Toothless. Drago orders the hypnotized Toothless to attack Hiccup. Stoick jumps in the way to save his son and is killed by the blast.

Heartbroken, Hiccup pushes Toothless away. Drago, now in control of all the dragons, rides Toothless and heads for Berk. After a Viking funeral for Stoick, Valka encourages a lost Hiccup, reminding him that he has the heart of a chief and the soul of a dragon. Inspired, Hiccup and his friends fly back to Berk on baby dragons, which are too young to be controlled by the alpha.

Hiccup arrives at Berk to find Drago has already taken over. He confronts Drago and manages to break Toothless free from the Bewilderbeast's control. Toothless, now glowing with power, challenges the evil alpha. He protects Hiccup from an ice blast and then repeatedly shoots at the Bewilderbeast, breaking its control over the other dragons. The freed dragons join Toothless and defeat the Bewilderbeast, which retreats into the sea with Drago.

The Vikings and dragons celebrate their victory. Hiccup becomes the new chieftain of Berk, and the dragons accept Toothless as their new alpha.

Voice Cast

Cate Blanchett (Valka) and Djimon Hounsou (Drago Bludvist) at the film's premiere.

• Jay Baruchel – Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, the son of the Viking chief Stoick and Valka.
• America Ferrera – Astrid Hofferson, Hiccup's fiancée and a skilled dragon rider.
• Cate Blanchett – Valka Haddock, Hiccup's long-lost mother who rescues dragons.
• Gerard Butler – Stoick the Vast, the chieftain of Berk and Hiccup's father.
• Craig Ferguson – Gobber the Belch, Stoick's best friend and a blacksmith.
• Jonah Hill – Snotlout Jorgenson.
• Christopher Mintz-Plasse – Fishlegs Ingerman.
• Kristen Wiig and T.J. Miller – Ruffnut and Tuffnut Thorston, fraternal twins.
• Djimon Hounsou – Drago Bludvist, a ruthless warlord who wants to control all dragons.
• Kit Harington – Eret, a dragon trapper who at first works for Drago.
• Randy Thom – vocal effects for Toothless.

Production

Making the Sequel

Director and writer Dean DeBlois at the 2014 WonderCon event.

Soon after the first film's success in 2010, DreamWorks announced a sequel. The director, Dean DeBlois, agreed to make the second film only if he could turn the series into a trilogy. He wanted to make a movie that was bigger and more emotional, much like The Empire Strikes Back was for the Star Wars series.

To get inspiration for the movie's setting, the creative team traveled to Norway. They visited cities like Oslo and Bergen and saw the famous fjords. DeBlois also went to the remote islands of Svalbard to see polar bears in the wild. This trip helped them create the beautiful and vast landscapes seen in the film.

All the main voice actors from the first movie returned. New actors joined the cast, including Kit Harington (from Game of Thrones) as Eret, Cate Blanchett as Valka, and Djimon Hounsou as the villain, Drago.

New Animation Technology

U.S. President Barack Obama visiting DreamWorks Animation in 2013 and trying out the studio's animation technology.

DreamWorks Animation used new technology to make How to Train Your Dragon 2. It was the studio's first film to use new animation and lighting software. This allowed the animators to create more detailed and realistic characters. For example, they could show skin moving over muscle, which made the characters and dragons look more alive.

This new technology also let artists see their work in real-time. Before, they had to wait up to eight hours to see the final result of a scene. This change made the animation process much faster and more creative. Over 500 people worked on the film to bring the world of Hiccup and Toothless to life.

Release

Dean DeBlois, Jay Baruchel, and America Ferrera at a special screening for military families.

The film was first shown at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival in France. It was released in theaters in the United States on June 13, 2014. The movie was also shown in IMAX 3D, which made the flying scenes even more spectacular for audiences.

Home Media

How to Train Your Dragon 2 was released on DVD and Blu-ray on November 11, 2014. The release included a new animated short film called Dawn of the Dragon Racers. In this short, Hiccup and his friends create the exciting sport of dragon racing. By 2015, the movie had sold over 7.5 million copies for home viewing. In 2019, a 4K Ultra HD version was released, offering even higher picture quality.

Music

John Powell, the composer for the first film, returned to create the music for the sequel. He wanted the music to feel more mature, just like the story and characters. The score was recorded in London at the famous Abbey Road Studios. It featured a 120-piece orchestra and a 100-person choir.

The soundtrack also included traditional instruments like bagpipes and tin whistles to give it a Viking feel. Jónsi, the lead singer of the band Sigur Rós, wrote two new songs for the movie: "For the Dancing and the Dreaming" and "Where No One Goes."

Sequels and Remakes

The final movie in the trilogy, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, was released in 2019. It concluded the story of Hiccup and Toothless.

In 2025, Universal Pictures announced that a live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon 2 is being planned. It is scheduled to be released on June 11, 2027, following the live-action remake of the first film.

Accolades

See also

In Spanish: Cómo entrenar a tu dragón 2 para niños