10 Best Animated Movie Sequels
6. How To Train Your Dragon 2
Catching up with Toothless and Hiccup 5 years after the first installment in this series, this movie has everything that made its predecessor so popular, and more.
Director and writer Dean DeBlois revisited the films of his youth for the inspiration for this movie, looking in particular to The Empire Strikes Back and My Neighbour Totoro, and by convincing DreamWorks to allow him to turn the franchise into a trilogy, it meant the time could be taken to properly flesh out the characters and story.
The result is that this feels less like a money-grab at success (although it grossed over $621 million at release in 2014, the 12th-highest-grossing film of that year, it earned less than the first movie) and more like a considered storytelling opportunity with care given to the landscapes and heritage of the Viking people on which it's based.
How to Train Your Dragon 2 also stands out for its portrayal of a character with a physical disability, and how this doesn't mean he, Hiccup, can't lead a full and happy life. It's great to see diversity on screen, especially in films aimed at children, helping to normalise and celebrate our differences through such an established medium.