Linda Sunshine Del Street Books Nonfiction, Art/Media Reference Themes: Dragons ****+
Description
The 2014 animated sequel How to Train Your Dragon 2 brought viewers back to the Viking village of Berk, where former misfit boy Hiccup and his dragon
friend Toothless have ended the generations-long conflict between their people... but trouble is on the horizon, as a new threat to dragon and human alike
arises. In this book, explore the Viking world and its dragons with behind-the-scenes concept art and production notes.
Review
This movie managed the remarkable feat of taking the high bar set by 2010's How to Train Your Dragon and raising it in most every way, from storyline
to animation. (I will concede that I preferred the first film's soundtrack.) With new software and an ambitious vision, the Dreamworks team created a bigger,
bolder, more detailed world with even wilder dragons. The text offers notes on story and design decisions that shaped the final movie, including some major
last-minute shifts and reworkings that ultimately made for a better film. If you enjoyed the movie, you'll enjoy this collection of art and design images and the
smattering of trivia and production insight.
The Art of How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
Linda Sunshine Dark Horse Nonfiction, Art/Media Reference Themes: Dragons *****
Description
The third and final film installment of the How to Train Your Dragon series follows former-misfit Viking Hiccup and his Night Fury dragon companion,
Toothless, as they struggle to achieve their dream of a world where dragons and humans can live together. They've successfully convinced the Berkians that
dragons are friends, and turned the village into a sanctuary for hunted dragons... but they're running out of room and resources, and making themselves more
of a target for dragon hunters. The solution may lie in old legends of a "hidden world" beyond the horizon, from which the dragons originally came. But even
as Hiccup determines to find this paradise, Toothless becomes distracted by a female Light Fury... and Berk becomes targeted by a ruthless hunter determined
to finish exterminating the Night Furies once and for all - and, with them, Hiccup's dream of peace.
This exploration of the art of the movie includes forewords and notes from voice actors and production staff.
Review
The movie was a spectacular animated experience, both visually and emotionally, and this book is a perfect homage as it explores the creative process that
translated it from pencil sketch and story notes to the finished product. Unlike many animated movies, this franchise successfully aged up the heroes,
physically and emotionally, and this book gives insight into that process. Even the dragons do some growing up, particularly Toothless (who remains perhaps my
favorite movie dragon of all time.) The ending was sweet and sad and satisfying, and reading this book brought it all back. (Though, in the interest of full
disclosure, I was listening to the soundtrack from the first film as I wrote this review; about the only area I could fault the second and third films on was
somewhat less absorbing scores, but that was probably just me.) From concept sketches to finished screenshots, this book is a must-have for fans of the movie
and of modern animation in general.
