It has taken me over a year to finally screw up enough courage to write about this scene. Don't expect anything novel or profound... I'm sure you'll have read other people's reviews on it already. There are MANY facets of the funeral that are beautiful, and unspeakably tragic, but I just want to focus on one element of it. I still don't know if I have the capacity to really discuss this as it deserves to be discussed, but I want to talk about Hiccup's eulogy... and what he says about himself, and what he says about his dad.
I would love to stop and talk about Valka's brief speech to Hiccup, as well as the massive step in his character arch that Hiccup takes during this scene, but I don't really have the time at the moment to do that (darn you college!) What I really do want to point out is this: We see Hiccup pour out his soul in the funeral scene. In the first film, he did not have a human companion to speak to until fairly late in the story, and even then he was somewhat reserved. He's not an extroverted, gushy kind of character. Even with Astrid in the second movie he looks pained when trying to explain the turmoil he is experiencing while trying to understand who he is.
To be honest, we've seen Hiccup speak of many things. We've seen him talk to Astrid, we've seen him and Toothless have their one sided buddy conversations. We've even seen Hiccup boldly give speeches to the whole island. He's talked about dragons, he's talked about himself, but we've not really ever seen him talk about his dad... except when he is bemoaning how difficult their relationship is while doing his mock-Stoick voice.
But, this scene finally proved something that I believed about Hiccup from the beginning. And that is that Hiccup deeply wanted one thing in the first (and even in the second) film, and that was to make his father proud of him. In the first movie, we see Hiccup being frequently sarcastic in self defense, and that lead some people to feel that he fit neatly into the stereotypical teen mold. At first glance, the whole plot of HTTYD could be seen as a rebellious teen who decides to actively rebel against his father's belief's, and in the end he proves every grown up wrong thus enforcing the modern notion that kids are always right and parents are always wrong. Thankfully, a slightly deeper look reveals a much more complex and rich dynamic between Hiccup and his dad. In the first film, Hiccup is trying to kill a dragon (mainly) to impress his father. Yes, he wants the culture to appreciate him, yes he wants a girlfriend, but both of those appear to really just be surface issues. He wants his dad to be proud of him. It is such a genuine, human desire. Most guys want to make their dad's happy with them. I really want my own dad to be happy with me. Hiccup gives that up for the sake of what is right in the first film, which is what makes so many of his actions so clearly selfless and sacrificial. But, even though he gave it up, in the end he is given it (right before the battle with the Red Death). That was one of the incredibly satisfying moments of the first film, the fact that Hiccup and his father had come to a happy relationship.
But, when we see Hiccup at the funeral, we finally see him voice what we had only been able to subtly see in his actions. Hiccup has struggled with his identity through the entire film, but now his attention turns towards his dad, and an explanation of why Hiccup has struggled to fill his father's shoes. This short speech puts to rest any arguments that Hiccup does not (or did not) respect his father. Hiccup's stammered words, "I was so afraid of becoming my dad, mostly because I thought I never could. How...how do you become someone that great, that brave... that selfless?" reveal his character in such an open, vulnerable, beautiful way. This is the only instance where we've seen him be truly transparent about what he saw in his dad, as well as the qualities he so desperately wants to have himself. He displays humble love and admiration for his father, and a desire to be like him. This is Hiccup, a character who we have seen be both brave and selfless many times before, and yet he looks to his dad and sees himself as being inferior. It's incredible, and it is beautiful to see Hiccup want to simply pick himself up off the ground where he has been shattered, put himself back together, and just try to be like his dad. Maybe he won't make it, but he will try.
So, I've probably rambled here. I may not have said all that I wanted, and I probably just got off on rabbit trails, but I do just want to say that this scene is so incredibly special because it showed us the deep respect, love, and admiration Hiccup had for his dad, as well as the qualities Stoick had that Hiccup deeply wants to imitate. It's beautiful, and at the same time very, very sad. That's the wonder of the second movie. It brings the full sweep of human and family emotion. From joy, love, and forgiveness, to sorrow, admiration, and courage. It's such a wonderful expansion of Hiccup's story, and as his life expands we get to see his character more and more clearly, and I just love it. I've always kinda related to him (ok, not kinda, REALLY related with him). So, when he gave that speech and revealed how he felt about his father, it connected so deeply with how I feel about my dad, and that made this scene utterly unforgettable.
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