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Review—Dragons: Race to the Edge
Like many fans of the How to Train Your Dragon world, I enjoyed the first two seasons of Dragons (Riders of Berk and Defenders of Berk) and wondered what changes the move from Cartoon Network to Netflix would bring to the show for Season Three.
It’s a huge relief to find the news is all good. The thirteen initial episodes of Dragons: Race to the Edge are fantastically entertaining, with improvements to just about every element of the production.
My overall opinion: While Season One (Riders of Berk) contains a handful of the very best individual episodes in the saga (Alvin and the Outcasts, Portrait of Hiccup, Thawfest, When Lightning Strikes), Race to the Edge sustains an overall higher level of quality throughout all its episodes. This new season is funnier, scarier, better paced, more intense, better animated, and benefits greatly from a cast that seems more comfortable than ever in their roles.
Dragons: Race to the Edge is a complete pleasure to watch.
I think most fans will agree on the single greatest improvement Season Three brings to the table: the humor. The comedy was fine in Seasons One and Two, but Race to the Edge features more confident, quirkier humor that flows from the characters more naturally than ever before. The timing is spot-on. Special mention must be made of the Twins, who really get a chance to break loose and let their freak flags fly this time around. No more lamenting any lack of Ruffnut dialogue this season: Both Ruff and Tuff are funnier than they’ve ever been before–and that includes both feature films.
I was initially concerned that the show’s new emphasis on the “gang” striking out on their own would leave behind my favorite part of the Dragons world: Berk itself, along with Stoick, Gobber, Sven and all the other adult vikings. Happily, Berk is still very much a part of the proceedings, and everyone’s favorite Chief is not only alive (the events of HTTYD2 are still 2 years in the future), but effectively worked into the storylines in ways that reveal more and more about everyday life in the village. Gobber is also well-utilized, appearing more often in these thirteen episodes than in the entire run of Season Two.
The show looks spectacular, with improved character animation and beautiful lighting effects that bring the fantasy world roaring to life. Still no big crowd scenes, but–hey–it’s television.
Everyone involved in the production of Dragons: Race to the Edge should be congratulated. They’ve accomplished the near-impossible by delivering (again) a show that captures the spark and wonder of one of the best animated movies of all time. I love these thirteen episodes and can’t wait for the next batch!