I was fortunate to see a pre-screening of How to Train Your Dragon 3: The Hidden World this weekend. The movie officially releases later this month. I know this blog is mainly about books and my own writing, but it really is about all types of stories. Besides, this movie series is based on a book series by Cressida Cowell so it still fits. I also only wanted to talk about it because of my chance to see it early.

Fun Fact: I didn’t actually see the first movie in theaters (I can’t tell you why because I of course like dragons and it was something I was sure to be interested in). The second movie I did make sure to see opening weekend, and now I’ve seen the third and final installment before its opening weekend. Easy to say I’m a fan. This series is probably my favorite Dreamworks animated series. That being said, I was able to go into this movie with little expectations. I always try to do this so I’m never disappointed. Easy to say that I was definitely not disappointed. I enjoyed this movie greatly and I think part of it was the fact it is the final chapter of a journey that started eight years ago when the first movie was released in 2010.

This movie wraps up the series extremely well and the thematic undertones were strategically placed. This movie’s overall takeaway, from my opinion, is that growing up means being strong enough to let some things go. I almost never tear up during movies, but I have to admit that there were two moments I had to hold back.  To keep this post spoiler free, I’ll let you take that as you will. Of course, certain things can be expected since it is the third movie in a trilogy, but I think the personal growth of Hiccup and his ability to learn, with the help of his friends, that he is stronger than he thinks of himself is the main story arc. It’s something that we all need reminding of from time-to-time.

There are many things I can say about the main villain Grimmel, but again, I want to keep this spoiler free and the things I would talk about would contain spoilers. What I will say is that his character is hypocritical and believes in a world-view that unfortunately I think many people today may align with. Please don’t believe that there are any political undertones to this movie. What I’m vaguely talking about is humanity in general. People believe different things and that is okay. Stories have to have villains and heroes and they almost always have opposing views. The villain is usually believes in things that are grossly evil, but not always. In this case I don’t think he is evil. I think he believes in something that we, the audience, will agree is unjust.

The story picks up after the second movie nicely and ties all three movies together as a final installment should do. Overall, I think this movie will be enjoyed by all current fans of the series. Especially you, reader who found their way here just to get more information about the upcoming release. When you watch this movie, allow yourself the chance to watch it with a child’s eyes, and I hope you grow alongside our beloved characters. As I have.