Dragons: Riders of Berk discussion thread

[Mr Light]

They clearly show the Bewilderbeast vibrating the antenna protrusions on his forehead and a strange buzzing sound coming out when the other dragons go slit-eyed and under his control.

So, the blu ray has a 26 minute "mini-movie" showing the origin of the Dragon racing. But it's done at the quality (CGI and writing wise) of the tv show so I'm pretty sure this is just the third season premiere that's going to air on Netflix in Spring 2015. Like the tv series, it wasn't that great and nowhere close to the level of the second movie.

 

[Destructor]

Like the tv series, it wasn't that great and nowhere close to the level of the second movie.

But... the TV series was great.

 

[Mr Light]

it wasn't bad but it was clearly geared to a younger demographic than the movies. I didn't see

Spoiler: movie 2

the main character's best friend and pet brutally murdering his father before his eyes

in the tv show

 

[Christopher]

^What does target age have to do with quality? I'm always disturbed by the assumption that "for children" equals "of inferior quality." What kind of society would fob off inferior goods on its children? I find that some of the smartest, best-made shows on television are aimed at younger viewers.

Also, of course, the TV show couldn't kill off a main character because it has to maintain the status quo between movies, so that's not really a good example.

 

[Destructor]

I find that some of the smartest, best-made shows on television are aimed at younger viewers.

Yeah, I agree. I mean, you can tell the difference between a show that respects its viewers and one that doesn't, whether it's a kids show or not. Shows like Avatar, Batman TAS (and JL), Gravity Falls, Samurai Jack, Clone Wars, they are all made for younger viewers, but I've enjoyed them all as an adult because they all have largely consistent internal worlds populated with appealing characters.

I enjoyed the first HtTYD, but then when I watched 'Legend of the Boneknapper' as a DVD extra I realized I didn't just like the movie, I liked the *world* and wanted more. I was over the moon when they announced the series and even happier when I watched it and realized it aspired to the same sense of fun and exploration that the movie had.

The movies can certainly explore different territory, but I think my love for the show comes in part from spending time with the characters in a way that the movies can't replicate (over longer periods of time), and that certainly enhanced the movie for me, because I felt like I 'knew' the characters more than I would have without the show.

 

[Mr Light]

I've never heard Gravity Falls held in that same august company- I haven't seen it... what's so great about it?

 

[Destructor]

I've never heard Gravity Falls held in that same august company- I haven't seen it... what's so great about it?

It's interesting actually... for the first few episodes I thought it was quite bleh. But I soon realized that it was building it's own mythology, setting up characters and ideas that they would return to again and again, building on them each time. It's also very funny, which helps a lot. I wouldn't say it's as good as perhaps those other shows, but it definitely has an appeal- an almost Simpsons-like appeal, really. I really enjoy it now (which is why it's included in the list- it's a kid show that I enjoy as an adult).

 

[Christopher]

By the way, there's a new Dragons special up on Netflix and presumably elsewhere, Dawn of the Dragon Racers. It's a tie-in/prequel to How to Train Your Dragon 2, featuring the origins of the dragon-racing sport that was featured in the film's opening sequence, but it's under the TV series' DreamWorks Dragons banner, is produced by the TV series crew, and features the TV cast. So it's basically a bonus episode of the show (though longer, at 26 minutes), although it features somewhat higher-quality animation than the show (mainly noticeable with the characters' hair texture and movement), though it's well below feature quality. It's a nice transitional piece between the show and the second movie, opening with the older, sequel-era characters and then flashing back to the post-season-2 TV era, and featuring cameos by Bucket and Mulch and a dialogue nod to Dagur and Alvin. The movie sequel didn't overtly reference anything from the series, so this is probably the closest we'll get to an official tie-in, at least until the next TV season.

Hmm... given the extended running time, I bet they could lop off the sequel-era frame sequence and run the main story as an episode of season 3. I wonder if maybe it started out as a TV episode but then someone decided to rework it as a feature tie-in.

 

[dansigal]

Awesome, thanks for the head ups!

 

[Solid Snack]

http://www.ew.com/article/2016/12/05/how-train-your-dragon-3-delayed-2019-release-date

Well, looks like we've "repented of How to Train your Dragon". Thanks Ted Cruz.....you and your benefactors got your wish I guess...

 

[JD]

Wow, hopefully this will actually come out some day.