Discussions regarding a thirdHow to Train Your Dragon film began in December 2010, with DeBlois later stating that the second film was being intentionally designed as the second act of a trilogy. The animation challenges of the production required DreamWorks Animation to update and invent new software to handle complex tasks, such as lighting the Light Fury dragon.
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World was released in Australia on January 3, 2019, and in the United States byUniversal Pictures on February 22. Like its predecessors, it received critical acclaim, with reviewers considering it a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy, with praise for the animation and its emotional weight. The film grossed $540 million, and received several accolades, including fiveAnnie Awards nominations, aGolden Globe nomination, and a nomination forBest Animated Feature at the92nd Academy Awards.
A year after becoming chieftain,[a] Hiccup, his Night Fury Toothless, and their fellow dragon-riders continue to rescue captureddragons to bring them to Berk. However, the island has become overpopulated with dragons and faces constant attacks by dragon hunters. In response, Hiccup desires to find the "Hidden World", a safe haven for dragons once spoken of by his late father, Stoick. Meanwhile, a white female Light Fury, held captive by warlords, is given to an infamousdragon hunter named Grimmel the Grisly as bait for him to capture Toothless for the warlords' use as analpha.
Toothless finds the Light Fury in the woods, and they become enchanted until she flees, sensing Hiccup and Astrid nearby. Later, Hiccup and Tuffnut discover Grimmel's dragon traps. That night, Grimmel visits Hiccup, demanding Toothless while boasting of killing nearly every Night Fury to extinction. Hiccup, having prepared an ambush, faces Grimmel, who escapes as his Deathgripper dragons destroy Hiccup's house and Berk. Hiccup then leads the citizens and dragons to seek the Hidden World for safety from hunters.
Mid-journey, the Berkians discover an island on which they initially plan to rest, but soon begin to settle there, dubbing it "New Berk". Seeing Toothless' inability to fly solo hindering his growing relationship with the Light Fury, Hiccup rebuilds an automatictailfin for him.[b] Upon receiving it, Toothless flies off, meeting up with the Light Fury and flying with her to an unknown land. On a scouting patrol, Valka notices Grimmel's approaching army and reports back to Hiccup. Hiccup and the dragon riders head to capture Grimmel, but fall into his trap and barely escape, except Ruffnut, who irritates Grimmel until he lets her go.
Hiccup, Astrid, and Stormfly search for Toothless and find the Hidden World, where Toothless has become the alpha of the dragons there with the Light Fury as his mate. When the resident dragons spot Hiccup and Astrid, they attack the duo, but Toothless saves them and returns to New Berk. Hiccup realizes that humans would be intruders and are unsafe in the Hidden World. Ruffnut returns but unknowingly leads Grimmel right to them. He captures Toothless and the Light Fury, who had followed Toothless back to the island. Grimmel uses Toothless's alpha status to capture Berk's dragons by threatening to kill the Light Fury if he does not comply.
With Astrid's support, Hiccup joins the dragon riders to thwart Grimmel and his army. They surprise Grimmel's forces while gliding on wingsuits, sparking a battle to rescue the dragons. Hiccup, aided by Stormfly, frees Toothless as Grimmel drugs the Light Fury and flies off with her. Hiccup and Toothless chase Grimmel, defeating his Deathgrippers with lightning, but Grimmel tranquilizes Toothless midair, making him fall. Realizing he needs help, Hiccup frees the Light Fury and urges her to save Toothless before falling with Grimmel towards the ocean. The Light Fury saves Toothless and returns to rescue Hiccup, who removes his prosthetic leg that Grimmel was holding onto before being carried away, leaving him to die from the impact.
Back on the island, Toothless and Hiccup acknowledge that dragons are not safe in the human world and that humans are forbidden in the Hidden World. Hiccup shares a heartfelt goodbye with Toothless as the Berkians release their dragons to the Hidden World. Months later, Hiccup and Astrid marry and become New Berk's chieftains.
A decade later, Toothless and the Light Fury have mated and hatched three hybrid dragon fledglings called Night Lights. Hiccup, Astrid, and their two children[c] sail across the sea to visit them at the edge of the Hidden World. After introducing his son and daughter to his old friend, Hiccup and Astrid take their children flying on Toothless and Stormfly, accompanied by the Light Fury and their offspring. Hiccup vows that, until humans and dragons are ready to co-exist peacefully, the dragons will stay hidden while the Berkians guard their secret.
Jay Baruchel – Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, the son of Valka and the late Stoick the Vast, the newly crowned Vikingchief of Berk, the one who initially trained the dragons, and Astrid's husband[4]
A.J. Kane – younger Hiccup
America Ferrera – Astrid Hofferson, an excellent fighter and Hiccup's wife[4]
F. Murray Abraham – Grimmel the Grisly, an infamous dragon hunter who is responsible for the near-extinction of the Night Furies[5]
Cate Blanchett – Valka Haddock, a dragon rescuer, Hiccup's mother, and Stoick’s widow, now living on Berk after twenty years of isolation[4]
Gerard Butler – Stoick the Vast, the late father of Hiccup, late husband of Valka, and Berk's previous chieftain, as seen in flashbacks[6]
Craig Ferguson – Gobber the Belch, a seasoned warrior, blacksmith, and dragon dentist[7]
Jonah Hill – Snotlout Jorgenson, a brash, overconfident, and fairly unintelligent but reliable friend of Hiccup[7]
Christopher Mintz-Plasse – Fishlegs Ingerman, an enthusiastic friend of Hiccup knowledgeable in dragon lore, which he often relates in a role-playing game style[7]
Kristen Wiig – Ruffnut Thorston, Tuffnut's fraternal twin who is friends with Hiccup[8][7][9]
Justin Rupple – Tuffnut Thorston, Ruffnut's fraternal twin who is friends with Hiccup.[8][7][9] He was originally voiced byT.J. Miller in the first two films and thetelevision series. Miller was originally set to reprise his role for the third film, but DreamWorks chose to recast Miller after the actor wasaccused of sexual assault andarrested for calling in a fake bomb threat.[10] Rupple was brought on to dub over Miller's lines.
Kit Harington – Eret, Son of Eret, a former dragon hunter who used to work for Drago Bludvist, who has joined the dragon riders after the events of the second film[5]
Julia Emelin – Griselda the Grievous, an aggressive warlord who works with Grimmel
Ólafur Darri Ólafsson – Ragnar the Rock, an incompetent warlord who works with Grimmel
James Sie – Chaghatai Khan, a less aggressive and stubborn warlord who works with Grimmel
David Tennant – Ivar the Witless, a dragon trapper who works for the Warlords
Tennant also voices Spitelout Jorgenson, the father of Snotlout
In December 2010, DreamWorks Animation CEOJeffrey Katzenberg announced that there would also be a third film in the series: "How To Train Your Dragon is at least three: maybe more, but we know there are at least three chapters to that story."[11] Dean DeBlois, the writer and director of the second and the third film, stated thatHow to Train Your Dragon 2 was being intentionally designed as the second act of the trilogy: "There are certain characters and situations that come into play in the second film that will become much more crucial to the story by the third."[12] DeBlois said in an interview that the third part would be released in 2016.[13] Although the series has taken a different path of telling a story of Hiccup andVikings, author Cressida Cowell revealed that the trilogy and the book series will have similar endings (with "an explanation as to why dragons are no more").[14]
The film was produced byBonnie Arnold[15] andBrad Lewis. DeBlois andChris Sanders were the executive producers; Sanders was an executive producer of the second film and co-director of the first.[15] Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Kristen Wiig returned in the third film,[15] with Justin Rupple replacingT.J. Miller as Tuffnut.[8] DeBlois revealed that Miller did originally return to voice Tuffnut, but DreamWorks recast him after the actor's sexual assault allegations and arrest for calling in a fake bomb threat.[10] Cate Blanchett also reprised her role as Valka from the second film.[4] On November 14, 2017, it was announced that Kit Harington would reprise his role as Eret and F. Murray Abraham had joined the cast.[5] During the earlier stages of production, DeBlois stated thatDjimon Hounsou would also return as Drago Bludvist.[16] It was even planned to have Drago redeemed by the film's end, but halfway through development, DreamWorks co-founderSteven Spielberg convinced DeBlois that the story of Drago's redemption required more screen time that they could not provide, causing his inclusion to be scrapped.[17] On April 17, 2018, DreamWorks Animation announced that the sequel's title would beHow to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World.[18][19] The animation challenges of the production required DreamWorks Animation to update and invent new software to handle complex tasks, such as lighting the Light Fury dragon.[20]
Like the previous two films, the film's score was composed byJohn Powell.[21] In addition, Powell's collaboratorsBatu Sener, Anthony Willis, andPaul Mounsey are credited as additional composers. Also returning from the previous films,Jónsi wrote a new song for the film, titled "Together from Afar", which was released as a single on January 31, 2019.[22] Jónsi also provided vocals for a track titled "The Hidden World".[23]
In September 2012,20th Century Fox, DreamWorks Animation's then-distributor partner, and the studio itself announced that the film was originally going to be released on June 17, 2016.[15][24][25] In September 2014, the film's release date was pushed back a year from its original release date of June 17, 2016, to June 9, 2017.[4] DeBlois explained the release date shifts as such: "It's just that these movies take three years. I think it was a little ambitious to say 2016... As is normally the case, they kind of throw darts out into the future and wherever they land they call that a release date until we start talking about it in practical terms, and then it's like, 'Uh yeah that's not enough time'. So knowing that they take three years from this moment, from outlining and writing the screenplay through to the final lighting of it, it's just a process of building models and doing tests and animating, storyboarding, the whole thing just adds up to about three years."[26]
In January 2015, the release date was pushed back a year again from June 9, 2017, to June 29, 2018, following DreamWorks Animation's corporate restructuring and lay-offs meant to maximize the company's "creative talent and resources, reduce costs, and drive profitability."[27][28] On June 18, 2016, the release date was moved up from June 29, 2018, to May 18, 2018, taking the release date of theWarner Animation Group'sThe Lego Movie 2: The Second Part.[29] On December 5, 2016, the United States release date was pushed back from May 18, 2018, to March 1, 2019.[30] The release date was moved up for the final time from March 1, 2019, to February 22, 2019, taking the slot ofThe Turning, a live-actionDreamWorks film which in turn was pushed back to January 24, 2020.[31][32]
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World grossed $160.9 million in the United States and Canada, and $379 million in other territories, for a worldwide gross of $540 million, against a production budget of $129 million.[3]Deadline Hollywood calculated the film's net profit as $130million, accounting for production budgets, marketing, talent participations, and other costs; box office grosses and home media revenues placed it 12th on their list of 2019's "Most Valuable Blockbusters".[36]
In the United States and Canada,How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World held early screenings at 1,000 theaters on February 2, 2019, and grossed $2.5 million, one of the highest advance showing totals ever.[37] It was released alongside the wide expansion ofFighting with My Family, and was initially projected to gross $40–45 million from 4,259 theaters in its opening weekend.[38] After making $17.5 million on its first day (including $3 million from Thursday night previews), weekend projections were increased to $60 million. It went on to debut to $55 million finishing first at the box office.[3][39][40] The film made $30 million in its second weekend, retaining the top spot, before being dethroned by newcomerCaptain Marvel in its third.[41][42]
The film grossed $1.5 million on its opening day in Australia, setting a record for a DreamWorks Animation film in that country (surpassingShrek 2). In New Zealand, the film grossed $173,000 on its opening day, ranking as DreamWorks Animation's second biggest opening day in the country, behindShrek 2.[43] By its third weekend of international release the film has grossed a total of $41 million.[44] As of March 24, 2019, the film's largest markets in other territories were China ($53.7 million), Russia ($26.8 million), France ($25.0 million), United Kingdom ($24.8 million) and Mexico ($21.0 million).[3]
On review aggregation websiteRotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 90% based on 272 reviews, and an average rating of 7.3/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "The rare trilogy capper that really works,How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World brings its saga to a visually dazzling and emotionally affecting conclusion."[45] OnMetacritic, the film has aweighted average score of 71 out of 100, based on 42 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[46] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale (the same score earned by the first two films), while those atPostTrak gave it a 90% positive score and a 77% "definite recommend".[40]
Jennifer Bisset ofCNET praised the voice performances of the main characters, while also citing the visuals and action sequences, and singled out the development of the relationship between Hiccup and Toothless, saying, "Continuing a series-long focus on family and love,How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World narrows on what those values mean for Toothless. He experiences romance. He grows up. And with heavy, satisfied hearts, we let him, and Hiccup, go."[47]
Michael Nordine ofIndieWire gave the film a B, saying, "Directed once again by Dean DeBlois,The Hidden World strikes a bittersweet chord in reminding its young audience that all good things — including the age of dragons — must come to an end." He later went on to applaud theCGI, lauding the "arresting visuals", and stating that "The animation itself is striking — an early sequence in which the sky is filled with dragons is an early sign of the visual treats to come — and ends up being the film's highlight."[48] Ben Kenigsberg ofThe New York Times gave a positive review of the characters and emotional messages of the film, writing "More bittersweet and less triumphal than its predecessors, and directed by a returning Dean DeBlois,The Hidden World concerns the exigencies that Hiccup faces as a leader, both politically and personally. If you truly love that dragon you trained, its message says, let him go."[49]
Conversely, some critics felt the film had the presence of too many juggled sub-plots and an obligatory ending, withMovie Crypt concluding that "Fans will enjoy seeing their characters grown and progressing as story arcs are closed, but the final resolution rings hollow. Ultimately, none of it appeared necessary other than a need to say goodbye; the dragons and their champions certainly earned a better conclusion than that."[50] Kerry Lengel ofThe Arizona Republic says that "The plot is thin and holey and the characters are mostly just a single gag set on repeat" and calls it "a lazy effort".[51]
A short film titledHow to Train Your Dragon: Homecoming was released on December 3, 2019. Set before the epilogue ofThe Hidden World, it depicts Hiccup and Astrid teaching their children about the friendship between humans and dragons in order to protect their legacy.
An animated television series, titledDreamworks Dragons: The Nine Realms, premiered in October 2021, and ran for eight seasons, concluding in December 2023. Set 1,300 years afterThe Hidden World, Hiccup and Astrid's descendant Tom Kullerson explores the realms with his friends and his dragon named Thunder, who is a descendant of Toothless and the Light Fury.
^Hiccup had previously built an automatic tailfin for Toothless but Toothless later discarded it, as depicted in the short filmGift of the Night Fury (2011)
^DeBlois inDragons 3 Le Monde Caché : Rencontre avec Dean DeBlois et Brad Lewis / Dragons 3 The Hidden World: Meeting with Dean DeBlois and Brad Lewis (YouTube). Cloneweb. Event occurs at 00:53.Archived from the original on November 17, 2021."In early drafts of 'Dragon 3', we did focus on the return of Drago. I'd always intended to give more dimension to the character by showing a redeemed version of him by the development of 'Dragon 3.' Midway through the development of 'Dragon 3' I was asked to come up with a fresher take that wasn't dependent on 'Dragon 2.' ... So very wisely, Steven Spielberg had said to me, 'The redemption story of Drago requires so much screen time you don't have in order to really sell it properly, and you would do yourself a disservice to try to force it in.'
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