So, I plan to analyze the very final scenes of HTTYD3. Obviously, this will have spoilers, so please only read it if you've seen the film!
I won't be discussing the separation scene here, I will be discussing when Hiccup and Toothless reunite.
First, I love seeing older Hiccup and older Astrid as parents. It is also strangely beautiful to see him sailing that small ship. It's weird, but we didn't see him sailing much at all in the other parts of the franchise (it's a major step down from flying!).
Of course, the direct quotation from the very first book was insanely good. That hit me right in the nostalgia. I can see why Cressida loved this film. It felt like a lot of the themes (particularly those of responsibility, the depravity of wicked men, and selfless sacrifice) were very similar to the books, and as someone who likes both the movies and the books, I was happy to see them end on a similar note.
I adored so much of the final scene. Hiccup and Astrid's kids are extremely adorable. I would venture to guess that it has probably been anywhere from eight to ten years since Hiccup and Toothless were separated. That may not be right, but the daughter looks between seven and nine to me.
I think we can also safely assume that Hiccup and Toothless have not seen each other at all during this time. They have gone on to live separate lives. Happy lives, full lives, but lives where they do not have each other anymore. They are having to stand alone.
Toothless not recognizing Hiccup at first is another evidence that it has been a LONG time since they have seen each other. I was so impressed by that moment. Seeing Toothless look wild and powerful again... it felt so much like the first movie! He is this terrifying, awe-inspiring beast... the stuff of nightmares. He lands on the boat, ready to defend his kingdom. He's not a safe dragon... he never really has been (second movie).
Then Toothless recognizes Hiccup. Years and years of separation hasn't changed the dragon's heart in the slightest! He leaps onto his boy, now a grown man and a proud chief. That was so heartwarming. It is a perfect display of how unending Toothless's devotion to Hiccup is. Even if they are apart, their hearts have been connected the whole time!
So, why has it been so long? Why is this the first time the boy and dragon have seen each other? I believe Hiccup and Toothless have stayed apart because of the danger of the warlords. Hiccup has had to establish Berk and establish his family... and so has Toothless. The heat of the epic battle needed to die down and Berk needed to fall off the radar. Seeing Toothless would risk exposing the Hidden World, and that would destroy the last hope of peace. So, Hiccup and Toothless bear the great sacrifice: they stay apart year after year. Obviously, they did not forget one another, but they had to live with that slight pain of loss... the occasional reminder of what used to be.
However, I think Hiccup's visit at the end is one of hope. I think Hiccup shows his son and daughter the dragon who he used to spend his every waking moment with. Then, Hiccup mounts his old friend, the person who first believe in him and accepted him, and they take to the skies, their new families right at their heels.
I would like to think that the end of the movie, with Hiccup and Toothless soaring up into the sky, marks the end in more ways than one. It was the end of the HTTYD story, but it is also the end of Hiccup and Toothless's painful separation. I can't imagine Hiccup would risk losing his kids and exposing the Hidden World if it was not safe to go back and find his truest and best friend. I think Hiccup will continue to see Toothless. Sure, they will not live under the same roof, but with New Berk being close to the Hidden world, and with both Hiccup and Toothless having managed to establish their kingdoms and families, I deeply believe the end is supposed to make us think that our heroes really do live the rest of their lives together... on and off... happily ever after.
One more thing before I go. I think Hiccup showing his frightened children the deadly dragon that he befriended back in the first film can almost be symbolic of what we can all hope to do. We've been inspired and moved by that dragon... much like Hiccup was inspired and changed. So, one day, maybe ten years from now, we'll sit down with our own kid, put in an old animated film, and let them see that incredible black beast. Sure, he's scary at first, but once you touch him, once you see his heart, you suddenly realize he's one of the purest and most wonderful things in the world. Many of us have grown up with the franchise, and now we've seen a flash-forward of one of the many happy moments that still lie ahead of both us and our heroes.
That's how you end a movie.
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