If my nephew was going to write this review, all it would consist of him saying is, “Can we watch the dragons again?!” In fact, that’s exactly what he said on multiple occasions this past weekend.  We wound up watching How to Train Your Dragon 2 three times within 48 hours. We then watched the original AND the two short films (Book of Dragons and Legend of the Boneknapper) on Netflix the day after. KitKat (the nephew, if you’re new here) loves his dragons.  If I were to write this review, which I am heh, I might be compelled to say “Can we watch the dragons again?!” too! Okay, so like the adult I try to be, I would space the watching a bit more than what KitKat did (the dude sure loves to repeat,) but I can’t complain much, because this movie is truly worth enjoying more than once.

While KitKat was all over the dragons (and each and every one of them needed a name according to him; there are hundreds in this movie, and they’re all Whoa, awesome!) I couldn’t help but enjoy just how beautifully the story was made. The graphics are incredible, so much so, you can easily get lost in watching this movie just to enjoy the landscape. And the story itself is will send your heart on a much-fun roller-coaster ride.

The second movie of How to Train Your Dragon takes place five years after the original, where Hiccup is becoming an adult. He’s older and wiser, and has this innate sense to help and protect his village, both Viking and Dragons alike, while courageously exploring lands they weren’t able to see before without the help of flight.

A mad warlord wants to disrupt their peace though, and its up to Hiccup and Toothless, along with their friends to save their village from a violent tyranny.

… And I kid you not, I’ve just had to take a break from writing this review, ’cause KitKat saw the picture above while I was editing it in Photoshop for this review, and he literally said, “Can we go watch dragons now?”

The story is heartwarming, an exploration of family, and all the different definitions it can encompass. The animation is bright, and colourful and such a pleasure to simply watch. It’s funny in that way that DreamWorks does so well, and there’s never a dull moment. The music during the credits roll even has KitKat dancing in front of the TV to celebrate Hiccup’s and Toothless’ victory.

I do have to note that there is a moment in the film that can be heart wrenching, but despite my brief fear, the four year old KitKat took to the situation well, accepted it and moved on quickly to watch his heroes fight for freedom. And considering the original movie, the moment fits.  How to Train Your Dragon series as a whole is remarkable in handling those moments in life that challenge us all: family dynamics, love and loss, disabilities/differently abled skills, and how to accept shifting paradigms.

If you’re looking for a great DVD to fill your kid(s) stockings with this holiday season, or need an inexpensive gift to give to a family, I truly recommend adding this Blu-Ray/DVD/Digital combo pack to it!

And in great timing, I just found How to Train Your Dragon 2 combo pack on Amazon.ca for 50% off ($24 after discount), so its an amazing time to purchase this DVD for yourself or as a gift.

Have you seen this movie yet? Does your family love it as much as KitKat?