7. Toothless Kills Stoick - How To Train Your Dragon 2
In the pre-release hype for Dreamworks' Viking-fantasy sequel director Dean DeBlois made some very grand comparisons between his growing series and the behemoth that is Star Wars; in one interview he even went as far as to compare the second movie directly to The Empire Strikes Back. It's all a little self-promoting, seemingly blinded by the praise the first film received for not resorting to pop culture references. And when ten minutes into the film one-legged protagonist Hiccup whips out a fire-sword a vwing away from a lightsaber it seems the whole thing is really trying too hard to actually be Star Wars. Thankfully the fire-saber is the only overt link between the two franchises; How To Train Your Dragon 2 may be a sequel that raises the stakes and greatly widens the scope of the world, but it's really its own beast. Not just a fun animated comedy for kids, but a well-directed action adventure that more than stands shoulder-to-shoulder with its live-action rivals. It also boasts a plot event that, thanks to the absorbing world, comes as a genuine shock; in a battle that makes the fight with Red Death at the climax of the first film feel small scale, Hiccup's father, clan leader Stoick, is killed. And not just in the usual end-of-second-act motivation manner; he's murdered by the adorable Toothless. It's unexpected as it is, but being at the hands of Hiccup's own dragon makes it heartbreaking.
