2010's How to Train Your Dragon is one of the best animated films in recent memory, and luckily the sequel avoids rehashing the same concept and delivers a worthy follow-up that is at least on a par with its predecessor. A rare animated sequel that both develops the characters and expands the mythology, How to Train Your Dragon 2 provides a superior middle chapter in what could yet turn out to be the best trilogy of the decade. Unusually for an animated feature, the characters have aged in the time since the first movie, a wise move that sets up a whole new set of emotions and conflicts for them to overcome in the narrative. If that all sounds a little serious for a family film, then rest assured that How to Train Your Dragon 2 is still packed with the excitement, charm and humour that made the first movie so memorable, with Toothless once again the star of the show. Writer/director Dean DeBlois turns what could have been a bog-standard 'bigger and darker' sequel into a visually stunning and hugely entertaining continuation of the franchise.