HTTYD2 day!

Well, it has been 6 years folks! Six years since I cried my eyes out during the credits of this film! Haha, in all seriousness, I am really thankful for the direction HTTYD2 took the franchise. It isn't common that an animated sequel feels as true to the original while also being bold enough to age up the entire cast and grow characters in the way Hiccup and Toothless were grown in the second film. I am hoping to watch the film tonight with some fellow fans. Here is to yet another year of loving this dynamic duo! 

HTTYD2: Five Year Anniversary

Well, it's that day again! June 13th has rolled around, and this marks five years since HTTYD2 was released. It's kinda funny... because, in the years between HTTYD and HTTYD2, I really did not anticipate the direction the franchise was going. I genuinely thought all the characters would stay about the same age, that we might get a human villain or some sort of treasure quest (based on the second HTTYD book). I was shocked when the images confirming the aged up characters hit the internet! But, now looking back, I'm really thankful for those decisions. HTTYD2 is not my favorite out of the three films, but it is an absolute masterpiece. The complexity and counter-intuitiveness of the themes is brilliant. After the very archetypical storyline of the first film (in which a visionary young person follows their heart and changes the opinions of all the closed minded adults), it was really refreshing to see a film that gave the adults credit, a film that showed the heavy weight of idealism. Hiccup gets a devastating blow in the second film, something that could have shattered him and his views forever, but he weathers the storm, and it makes for a fantastic climax. 

However, even if we ignore the particular themes of pacifism, human cruelty, being "born-different", and unconditional love, the second film still holds a gem that shines out bright even when compared to the other two films: we get to see Hiccup vocalize his motivations. Hiccup is an incredibly introverted protagonist, and his best friend is a dragon who does not speak. As such, we get this rich mine for analysis: what is Hiccup thinking? Why is he doing that? What are his motivations? What does he want to be? Who does he admire? For years many people in the fandom had noticed and loved the selfless attitude Hiccup so often expressed, but then in the funeral scene, we actually see just how much Hiccup wants to be like his dad. He wants to be brave. He wants to be selfless. That scene still stuns me. It feels perfectly natural and in-character for Hiccup to finally vent in this darkest and saddest of times. And with that speech, we see exactly what Hiccup has been thinking and feeling for the past two films, and it is a stunning testimony to how well Dean and Jay worked to craft this quiet, humble hero. 

So, yeah, I'm gonna watch the film again tonight! Kinda worried I'll cry a lot... but it has to be done!

Dangerous Dragons

Although I have used a gif from the second film, I really want to take a moment to appreciate the trilogy as a whole on this subject. I want to tackle the inherent danger of any interaction between humanity and the dragons, how this is balanced in the films, and why it makes the friendship Hiccup has with Toothless all the more remarkable. I was particularly pleased with two scenes in the third film... so let's dive in!

How They View Their Dragons

Now that we've seen the last chapter of the HTTYD story, I want to expand upon a post a wrote way back comparing Hiccup, Valka, and Drago. This will be my attempt to analyze the mindset of each of these characters, especially in regard to the dragons that inhabit their world. This will contain spoilers, so please only read ahead if you've seen the third film!

Watching (sobbing) through the Second Film... the Last Time Before We See The End

Whew, well... I tackled the second movie this evening! Gosh, it's basically just one day until seeing the third one! I knew this day would come eventually, just not so soon! I don't feel ready! I've made notes while watching through the second film, but they probably aren't as thoughtful as the ones I made for the first one (because I was crying too much, tbh!!). If you'd like to see my thoughts, click the "read more".

HTTYD2 Fourth Year Anniversary!

Well, it's been four years since HTTYD2 released! I'm gonna celebrate it by watching the movie this evening! I'll post a few pictures of the "private screening" as well... and once I finish the film, I'll come back to more fully edit this post (explaining the few other things I did today to celebrate). Ok... bracing myself to cry.

I got a record player!

For those who are wondering, I'm not dead yet! Ha, my lab work has eased up just a little, so I have had some time to do a little bit of nerdy stuff... So, I went and got myself a turntable! It's pretty fun, and I got some very nerdy vinyls to listen to on it! I'll go into more detail about them and show them under the read more.

The Drastically Unusual Nature of HTTYD2

So, it’s been a while since I’ve done a full blown analysis post on HTTYD or HTTYD2, but I hope to make up for it with this one! I’ve wanted to write it ever since 2014, but I’ve always been too intimidated or too busy. In this post, I want to talk about to mold-breaking nature of the HTTYD movies, particularly in their “teen vs parent” theme. I think the How To Train Your Dragon franchise has actually pulled off something that most other animated movies treat in a very one-dimensional, almost naive fashion. So, let’s hit this thing running!

Why it's a Good Thing for Toothless to be Scary

Well, it's Halloween again, so I've managed to crank down and actually get another post out! I was actually really hoping to do an art piece, but I just didn't have the time. Still, hopefully you'll find this analysis interesting. I hope to take a look at the darker, scarier side of the best dragon of all time and to then explain how that is one of the many elements that makes Toothless great. So, turn off your lights, and let's just dive right in.

How Strong Is Toothless?

Just when I think I might be growing up a little, the eight year old in me jumps up and starts making demands. I've always had this habit of comparing and contrasting characters on the basis of... well... how powerful they are! It's kinda silly and immature, but I have fun with it. Heck, it was one of the driving forces behind the creation of my old Dsplash role playing game. So, in this post, I want to try and break Toothless down and gauge just how powerful he is. Obviously he's not on tier with many protagonists from many series... or is he?

HTTYD Alpha system pt 2 (video)

Well this has got to be a record! I could have sworn I wouldn't get the time to make this video, but here it is! I hope you enjoy it. To those of you who frequent my blog... this will probably be old news, but I'm kinda hoping to expand my blog's readership by reaching out on other sites. If you guys have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments section. Also, if you enjoy it, feel free to go to my YouTube channel in order to like and subscribe. 

Also, I did a speed art for the sake of this video, and I'll include it under the "read more"

HTTYD Alpha System pt 1 (video)

Well, I've done another YouTube video. It's nothing novel for anyone who frequents this blog, but you might be interested in hearing me ramble. This is just me introducing the topic, and it still took me 13 minutes! Also, if you'd like to like the video and subscribe to my YouTube account, that would be awesome. Please let me know what you guys think. It's kinda disorganized, and a little off the cuff, but hopefully it will still be interesting. 

Happy Anniversary HTTYD2!

Man, this is one heck of a sequel. Today marks the third year anniversary of the theatrical release of HTTYD2 in theaters in the USA. I actually went to a pre-showing on the twelfth, so it's been just a little over three years since I first saw (and bawled through) this movie! I have just finished watching it, and WOW... I think I can barely handle watching this film once a year. I nostalgia cried, happy cried, touched cried, scared cried, and ugly cried! Ah, that was cathartic.

Anyway, the second movie is just amazing. I hope you all get the chance to watch it every once in a while. I was sooooooo worried during this film's development that it wouldn't be able to live up the magic of the first film, but HTTYD2 surpassed my expectations in every way. The story is brilliant, the visuals are gorgeous, the soundtrack is a work of art. It has every bit as much thematic depth as the first film, and that truly impressed me. I'm very thankful that we got such a great continuation of HTTYD... now all we have to do is buckle down and wait for the third film! 

Despicable, Deplorable, Depraved Villains... the "Butts" gallery

So, what with it being Halloween and all, I thought I'd spring and do another post. Perhaps this won't be long, but I'd love to see it generate some discussion the same way the last post did (you guys are great). Anyway, I am going to make a compilation of the villainous characters in the few fandoms I like that me and my brother charmingly refer to as "Butts" (the height of all insults, I'm sure). These aren't just well designed villain characters (like Bill Cipher from Gravity Falls or Ghirahim from Skyward Sword) these are characters that stab the the characters I care about and then twist the knife in the wound. These are the absolutely disturbing characters that attack on the personal level. So, let's check them out. Be warned, spoilers will follow!

Happy 2nd year anniversary HTTYD2!

HTTYD 2 turned two today! It's pretty crazy to think that this movie... which I still feel I have only totally barely scratched the surface of analyzing... is now two whole years old. Haha, in truth I am pretty sure I've only ever watched through the whole thing about 12 times... which is not much compared to the 70ish times I've watched the first one. My reason for that is that this second one is such a powerfully emotional roller coaster ride that I can't usually force myself to sit down and watch it unless I've really prepped myself. Every time I've watched it I've cried at least once. I watched it again today in celebration of it's anniversary, and I think I'll do a tiny bit of discussing what I thought of it below. Click the "read more" if you are interested.

Speaking from the Soul

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.

Happy (belated) HTTYD2 day!

Well, as you will all note, I am not posting this on the 13th! So, that makes it a little late. However, I did follow my tradition, so I watched HTTYD2 yesterday evening! When I went to try and make this post, my internet wasn't working, so I had to wait until today. I hope you all have had a great year since first seeing HTTYD2. I for one am still extremely pleased with it as a sequel, and I think we are lucky to have gotten such a great second step in Hiccup and Toothless's lives and friendships. I must admit, I cried more than usual when I watched it last night. Happy crying, sad crying, disturbed crying... yeah, that movie packs quite a lot of feels! So, anyway, I hope everyone's June 13th was great! We have a spectacular third film to wait for, but I think the second one can hold us over! I haven't made up my mind about what I think the next tv series will be like... the first one had a lot of weak points. However, I will toss out that I got to see the Deathsong clip, and the dragon's design is really cool (and sinister! Wow, they need to get rid of that thing!). So, whose willing to wait three more years for the next sequel? I am.

"It runs in the family": The thematic of heredity

Whew, take a deep breath! I am about to try and dive into one of the most complex... and TOUCHY... facets of the second movie. We all loved how Hiccup changed the world in the first film, we loved the line "300 years, and I'm the first Viking who wouldn't kill a dragon!", but then HTTYD2 comes out... and we figure out that Hiccup most certainly wasn't the first viking to ride a dragon. The question becomes... did Hiccup inherit his dragon-training, culture changing world-view from his mother, and does what Valka did take away from the significance of Hiccup's own actions back in HTTYD1. Obviously, this topic is touchy, and should be! If you want to venture with me into it, please click the "read more". Please note: this isn't meant to be a Valka hate post. She has many, many wonderful facets, so if I say negative things about her, keep in mind that I love her as a character... with all of her flaws and yet all of her beautiful strengths!

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

It seems Big Hero 6 has won the Oscars. It took the Academy Award for best animated feature of 2014. All I have to say is that, though I liked Big Hero 6, I am seriously unhappy with the judge's verdict. Allow me to gif my feelings to you.

Angry

Come at me bro

Bravo critics...

Seriously? The robot movie?

The pig is the critics

Ugh the ridiculousness hurts my head.

I mean, Big Hero 6 was a *good* movie, but it broke ZERO new ground and truly, truly failed to move me anywhere near as much as HTTYD2 did. Its story telling was simpler, its morals were more one dimensional, and its graphics were just not as good. It was a fun movie, but a movie filled with super hero cliches and nothing all that notably fresh. HTTYD2 was shocking, and it was a story that had many elements that we do not often see in animated media. Why Big Hero 6 won the Oscar, I don't know. But it stinks.

Discover the World of How to Train Your Dragon 2

DreamWorks has released a spectacular little pamphlet full of extremely high resolution images of HTTYD2 along with quotes from critics. It is really lovely to look at, and I'd suggest going to the site. Here is a link to it.

https://dreamworks.uberflip.com/i/459166