Dragon Taming Made Easy 2

Young Viking Hiccup (voiced by Daniel Axt) has made it clear to his father, tribal chief Haudrauf (Dominic Raacke), and the other inhabitants of Berk that dragons are not their enemies, and humans and dragons have been living peacefully together in the small Viking village. The everyday life of the Vikings is now determined by idyllic harmony and lots of fun. So Berk is actually the perfect place to live. But this is not enough for Hiccup. He wants to know what else the world outside has to offer. And that's why he flies through the air again and again with his dragon friend Toothless to explore and map the area around Berk. When one day he meets the dragon hunter Eret and his men, Hiccup realizes that peace for Berk and all the dragons living there are in great danger. Eret is supposed to capture all dragons for the unscrupulous Drago, so that he can build up a powerful dragon army and become invincible. When Haudrauf refuses to accept his son's suggestion of mediating with Drago, the courageous Hiccup sets out on his own to meet the sinister villain. In the process, he makes an encounter with a mysterious dragon huntress that will change everything for the young Viking.

Four years ago, the story of shy Viking boy Hiccup and the lovable dragon Toothless charmed audiences in the millions around the world. With worldwide box office takings of almost 500 million dollars, the amusing and moving adventure was one of the biggest animated hits of 2010. After Hiccup and his friends were able to experience new adventures in the series Dragons - The Horsemen of Berk and Dragons - The Guardians of Berk, the second major motion picture finally follows. The first few minutes of Dragon Taming Made Easy 2 are a little disappointing, though. This is not due to the animations, which are absolutely first class, nor to the humour, which is not particularly subtle, but delightfully quirky.

More to the point is the fact that the very fast-paced opening sequence lacks the charm of its predecessor and uses too conventional means of contemporary animation. There is the obligatory 3D roller coaster ride, accompanied by many Ahhhhas and Juhuuus and then a snappy pop song is also used as a soundtrack. If you've seen a few similar animated films in the last two years, this unfortunately feels far too familiar. But just when you are inclined to believe that Dragon Taming Made Easy 2 would have jumped on the inevitable faster, louder, bigger bandwagon, this impression changes noticeably.

While the sequel remains more spectacular and also more action-packed than the first part. However, after the hectic opening sequence, there is a much greater focus on the story, which at times has an astonishing depth and in one scene even made some of the children present at the press screening cry. The characters are very lovingly drawn and quickly grow on you - and that's what makes this aforementioned scene so extremely emotional. But it's not just the heartbreaking plot twist that makes Dragon Taming Made Easy 2 a very successful sequel. The characters and their relationships have been consistently developed and as a result you never feel like you're simply watching a tepid rehash of the first film, but a true continuation of the story. The fact that the excellent work of the animation specialists also makes it extremely easy on a visual level to dive deep into the world of Hiccup and co. intensifies this positive impression even more.

Although the message of the film is not exactly subtly conveyed, you sense that the makers do not consider their audience to be completely underexposed. So there is just not only action and humor, but also a really nice story and a pleasant emotional depth. This makes Dragon Taming Made Easy 2 perfect cinema entertainment, which children can find extremely cool because of the many dragons alone, but which also entertains adult companions and young-at-heart animation fans. Those who already liked the first part will love this great sequel. And for that there is a very clear: Absolutely worth seeing!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp