Have I made it clear how much I LOVE summer movie dates with my boys? Seriously – it’s the best time! And during the summer there are so many more options to see and something to make us all happy. This last mother/sons date was to see How to Train Your Dragon 2 – and I loved it!

My Personal Take

Disclaimer: I love the first How to Train Your Dragon (HTTYD) and technically I was more excited to see this one than my boys were. They’re hitting that wonderful tween stage where “cartoon movies are for kids, mom!” but I made it happen because, well, I payed for it. And, just based on the trailer (above) I knew they’d like it. They just didn’t want to see any of their friends as they went into it.

Overall, I thought the story/premise was a bit weaker than the first movie, but that tends to happen in any sequel. On the plus side, this movie had an older and wiser Hiccup and Toothless, a formidable team. Astrid & Hiccup had a good relationship as well. And, to really make this mom happy, Hiccup finds his own mom…and finds out where he gets his love of dragons from as well as his sense of adventure and kindness.

Here there be spoilers…read at your own risk

This movie involves quite a bit of death – both human and dragon. While some parents may not think the dragon deaths are as meaningful as the human ones, remember that kids don’t think like we do. They just may have a greater affinity for the dragons! The one human death that might disturb younger or more sensitive children is Hiccup’s dad. Espcially when Hiccup blames Toothless and sends him away. I’m not sure which act bothered me more, to be honest.

There’s a lot of love in this movie. Teen love, teen lust, parental love, love between parents, and general “over-the-kids-heads” sexual references. Not over MY kids heads, but younger kids may not get why mom and dad chuckle.

There is also a lot of friendship in this movie. Human friendship, Human/Dragon friendship and even just Dragon friendship. There’s learning to do the right thing, knowing when to stand up for others and for yourself, learning to be an adult. All wonderful ideas and concepts for children of any age to start learning.

Totally for Kids!

Although it’s rated PG instead of G, I definitely think it’s safe for many kids. Unless they have trouble with loud noises, fast action and the death of characters, they should be fine.

This movie received a 1.3.2 rating on www.kids-in-mind.com. Read the full review/overview here: http://www.kids-in-mind.com/h/howtotrainyourdragon2.htm.

Recommendation

It give this 4 out of 4 hippos. So…totally go see this if you haven’t yet!! It’s definitely worth a Saturday afternoon with the kids!

XO – T.

PS – As I was searching for images for this post, I found this other blog post and image. It compares Hiccup to Neville Longbottom from Harry Potter. Just as Matthew Lewis grew up and got more attractive, Hiccup did as well (considering he’s a teenage animated character, I think I’m safe to say that.) What do you think?