The first How To Train Your Dragon was an unexpectedly moving and rather wonderful story of a boy and his giant flying reptile, and we've been eagerly looking forward to the second instalment. Now a teaser has appeared online, offering a brief action sequence from the film that suggests all the lyricism of the first film is present and correct (even amid the gross-out gags and Viking pratfalls).
The story this time sees a now-older Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) still partnered with dragon Toothless and exploring far beyond his home village of Berk, once a Viking outpost plagued by dragons and now one that's partnered with them. Says the official synopsis:
"The thrilling second chapter of the epic How To Train Your Dragon trilogy brings back the fantastical world of Hiccup and Toothless five years later. While Astrid, Snoutlout and the rest of the gang are challenging each other to dragon races (the island’s new favorite contact sport), the now inseparable pair journey through the skies, charting unmapped territories and exploring new worlds. When one of their adventures leads to the discovery of a secret ice cave that is home to hundreds of new wild dragons and the mysterious Dragon Rider, the two friends find themselves at the center of a battle to protect the peace."
Yes, it's a trilogy, as seems the norm nowadays - but if they're all as good as the first, that would be no bad thing. We like the idea of Hiccup and Toothless as their own little USS Enterprise though, and the confidence of giving us a teaser that's just a bloke and his dragon soaring through the air.
All the original voice cast back for this one, so expect America Ferrera as Astrid, Kristen Wiig as Ruffnut, Jonah Hill as Snotlout, T.J. Miller as Tuffnut, Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Fishleg, Craig Ferguson as Gobber and Gerard Butler as Stoick the Vast. Kit Harrington joins the cast as someone IMDb lists as "Dragon Prince", who we suspect is the aforementioned Dragon Rider and doubt is a Game Of Thrones spoiler.
Dean DeBlois is directing and wrote the screenplay (he also directed the first with Chris Sanders), based very, very, very loosely on the books by Cressida Cowell.
How To Train Your Dragon 2 is out on June 20, 2014, with the sequel due in 2016. Hopefully by the time the latter hits cinemas someone will have dealt with the pressing matter of breeding us all dragons of our own.