Boy was I wrong! It was one of the big hits of 2010 and one of the highest grossing animated films of all-time. The first time I saw it was a couple of years ago during Christmas and I found it to be vintage family fun that Disney brought in the 1990's. It did not have the same type of class as those, but it did have a great modern tone and went to places most modern animated films dare not go in case they might offend someone. It definitely brought out the kid in me, and that is what successful animated films can do.
For some reason, I was not going into this with any expectations. I was just hoping to be entertained and hope for the same magic they had in the original.
I think I can safely say that everyone involved has created another romping success. From its beautiful animation that at times almost looked like live action, to the continuing sense of fun and adventure that you just do not see often enough.
Director Dean DeBlois has worked with Disney with the creations of Mulan and Lilo & Stitch which I felt both of them to be pretty solid, but a fraction short on being considered a classic in my eyes.
Since moving to Dreamworks with this franchise, he has broken through and become a well respected animation director and writer.
One thing that liked the most was the ambition to enhance the story and world the team have created. It has a really unexpected touching coming-of-age feel to it.
Whilst it still has that colorful and playful tone, it felt noticeably darker and I felt a lot more threat and risk for the main characters involved. I was really pleased to see that as that reminded of the best Disney films as they presented touching and emotional subjects that were bold and risky, but they paid off.
Some of the content may be too much for the younger kids, but I think films like this are necessary for growing up. I remember growing up with Dumbo, Bambi and The Lion King that went to dark places. But as I've grown up, I have understood why those emotional moments are important for lessons in life. This generation will definitely have that same feeling with this one.
Even with all that, there is great amount of humor, especially from some of the new characters and the supporting cast. As with all great animated films, there are gags there for people of all ages.
More positives to mention is the animation. A lot like the first one, it is visually stunning. But with the progress of technology, I was having to think twice as some of the scenes honestly looked like live action. That is something that I have never said about animated films. Whenever I hear someone say that, I just feel it to be too cliched. But now I know how those people feel, which is a huge plus for the film. There is a lot going on, so some people may want a second viewing to appreciate the artistry of the digital artists.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed myself and give it a huge two thumbs up. I really loved the development of the story from the first installment and that it felt it needed to bring up some touchy subjects which they pulled off spectacularly. The new characters are a great addition and we see great scene-stealing moments from some of the supporting cast.
I am glad to see animated films still willing to go dark and make it emotional rather than making it all happy and tieing the ending up so neatly into a bow.
This deserves a huge taking at the box-office and will surely be the animated film of the summer due to Pixar's latest installment being pushed forward to next year.
Rating: 8/10
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