| How to Train Your Dragon 2 | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Dean DeBlois |
| Written by | Dean DeBlois |
| Based on | How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell |
| Produced by | Bonnie Arnold |
| Starring | |
| Edited by | John K. Carr |
| Music by | John Powell |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 102 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $145 million[2] |
| Box office | $621.5 million[3] |
How to Train Your Dragon 2 is a 2014 American animated fantasy film loosely based on the book series of the same name by Cressida Cowell. Produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by 20th Century Fox, it is the sequel to How to Train Your Dragon (2010) and the second installment in the trilogy. Written and directed by Dean DeBlois and produced by Bonnie Arnold, the film stars the returning voices of Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, T.J. Miller, and Kristen Wiig, along with Cate Blanchett, Djimon Hounsou, and Kit Harington as new additions. Set five years after the events of the first film, the film follows twenty-year-old Hiccup and his friends as young adults as they encounter Valka, Hiccup's long-lost mother, and Drago Bludvist, a madman who wants to conquer the world.[4]
A sequel to How to Train Your Dragon was announced in April 2010. DeBlois, who co-directed the first film, began drafting the outline in February 2010. He had agreed to return to direct the second film on the condition that he would be allowed to turn it into a trilogy. He cited The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and My Neighbor Totoro (1988) as his main inspirations, with the expanded scope of The Empire Strikes Back being particularly influential. DeBlois and his creative team visited Norway and Svalbard to look for inspirations for the setting. Composer John Powell returned to score the film. The entire voice cast from the first film also returned, while Blanchett and Hounsou signed on to voice Valka and Drago, respectively. How to Train Your Dragon 2 was DreamWorks' first film to use scalable multi-core processing and the studio's new animation and lighting software.
How to Train Your Dragon 2 premiered at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival on May 16, 2014, and was released in the United States on June 13. It received positive reviews for its animation, voice acting, screenplay, musical score, action sequences, emotional depth, and darker tone compared to its predecessor. It grossed over $621 million worldwide, making it the 12th-highest-grossing film of 2014. It earned less than its predecessor at the US box office, but performed better internationally. The film won the Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film and six Annie Awards, including Best Animated Feature, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. The final installment in the trilogy, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, was released on February 22, 2019.
- ^ "HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2 [2D] (PG)". 20th Century Fox. British Board of Film Classification. May 16, 2014. Archived from the original on September 19, 2020. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
- ^ Kilday, Gregg (June 12, 2014). "Will 'How to Train Your Dragon 2' Help Get DreamWorks Animation 'Back on Track'?". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on June 15, 2014. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
- ^ "How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)". Box Office Mojo. June 13, 2014. Archived from the original on September 20, 2014. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
- ^ Giardina, Carolyn (February 1, 2015). "Annie Awards: 'How to Train Your Dragon 2' Director on Toothless' Storyline in Next Film". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on February 17, 2015. Retrieved March 1, 2015.