<Review by: Sailesh Ghelani>

Directed by Dean DeBlois. Starring the voice talent of Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, Cate Blanchett, Kit Harington, Craig Ferguson, F. Murray Abraham, Gerard Butler, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Kristen Wiig

Running time: 1 hour 50 minutes

The closing chapter for the tale of a Viking boy and his dragon buddy is pretty standard story-wise but certainly is heart warming.

A lot of reviews have called the Night Fury dragon Toothless a pet to his human Viking chief Hiccup (Jay Baruchel). I’d see it more as a buddy relationship actually. Hiccup counts on his friend to be there for him and give him company. Pets and humans usually end up becoming buddies of sorts.

The How To Train Your Dragon series has never shied away from being a bit grown up and tackling darker issues like the loss of a loved one or a leg! In The Hidden World, we see the loss of a friend and the evil side of humanity.

The Vikings are happy in their world of Berk with their trusty dragons but other Vikings who want to control the dragons for world domination are plotting. They hire the evil dragon hunter Grimmel (F. Murray Abraham) to seek out the alpha Night Fury who leads all dragons. This he does, using the Light Fury dragon female who flirts with Toothless who is beguiled be her beauty and magic.

There’s lots of slapstick and formula comedy courtesy of the sidekick characters, but it is the more intimate and deep moments that make The Hidden World worthy of a watch. The flashbacks to Hiccup’s father (Gerard Butler), the moments between Toothless and Hiccup especially at the end, the mating ritual that the Night Fury and Light Fury fly through, are all very deep and sometimes tear-jerking moments.

Visually the film is a neon, glowing delight. But ultimately what gets you to care about it is the touching bond between a young boy who must grow up and his faithful companion who must leave and start a new life. Something we’re all familiar with.

Read our Behind the Scenes coverage of How To Train Your Dragon 3 at the Toronto International Film Festival.