Trailer Link

Release Date:

June 13, 2014

Synopsis:

From IMDb: “It’s been five years since Hiccup and Toothless successfully united dragons and vikings on the island of Berk. 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. Now, Hiccup and Toothless must unite to stand up for what they believe while recognizing that only together do they have the power to change the future of both men and dragons.”

Poster: B / B- (7) / C / B- / B+

Review: (#1-#9) A competent poster that could be quite exciting for fans of the original, but otherwise lacks a spark of creativity. The seven character posters pair character with their dragon companions. These are great for fans of particular fans or dragons in general, but they aren’t particularly inventive. The ninth poster is a foreign import and conjures up better images of the original film’s designs, which isn’t aesthetically pleasing.

(#10-#11) Of the two new posters, the tenth is part of the original set of character posters I discussed above. The eleventh is a conglomeration of characters and dragons, a culmination of the character posters. It’s interesting, but a tad too chaotic.

Trailer: C / C+ / C

Review: Sure, it’s exciting, but there’s nothing particularly memorable or adventurous in this teaser. Hopefully, the next trailer will give us more information about the film.

(#2) The second trailer is bit more exciting than the first and exposes the audience to a better look at the plot. There’s a touch of humor to it as well, but the plot isn’t very clearly laid out and other than trying to remind audiences why they loved the first film, it doesn’t accomplish much.

(#3) Instead of improving on the prior trailer, they focus even more on the periphery cuteness and almost entirely eliminate the plot. One of the things that worked about the original film was that it had a fun, engaging plot. Is this a sign that the writers didn’t come up with anything but fan service and haven’t really got much of a plot to speak of? It’s possible.

Oscar Prospects:

The first film received two Oscar nominations, but didn’t win any. The Academy has already shown it can accept sequels as winners, but not very often. Unlike other branches where sequels win because their predecessors didn’t, the Academy has a tendency to reward new material, not old. Still, a nomination is almost guaranteed.

Revisions:

(July 21, 2013) Original
(April 20, 2014) New Trailers (#2 & #3) / New Posters (#1-#9)
(June 8, 2014) New Posters (#10-#11) / Updated Release Date (changed from 6/20/14)

Additional Posters