by Jachelle Overstreet, Reporter
It’s a good time to be a Viking. Especially a Viking with a dragon. 2014 is the Year of the Dragon and Dreamworks has big plans for their How To Train Your Dragon fans.
In 2010, Dreamworks studios released their Academy Award nominated feature film, How To Train Your Dragon. They’ve since followed it up with three short films and a television series. The series, which airs on Cartoon Network, is meant to bridge the gap between the original film and it’s upcoming sequel; due to be released in the summer of 2014. Any fans of the series are definitely going to want to check these episodes out. Season one, Dragons: Riders of Berk, is now being followed up with the second season, entitled: Dragons: Defenders of Berk.
Dragons: Defenders of Berk Part 1 arrived on DVD March 25th, and is a fantastic addition to this wonderful series. Join Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III and his best friend Toothless the dragon as they work together with Berk’s other teenage Vikings to help the newly established Dragon Training Academy flourish. They are put to the test, however, as they come up against a variety of new dragons, not all of which they can train, and new enemies looking to destroy Berk’s newfound alliance with their dragons.
Unlike a lot of television series based off of feature films, Dragons: Defenders of Berk doesn’t just stick to the light and fluffy. Like the original film, the series can be a bit darker and deeper than your run-of-the-mill animated series. There is, of course, a ton of humor and light-heartedness, but the series doesn’t balk at putting its main characters in difficult and complicated situations as well. The kids are often in dangerous situations that they have to work together to find a way out of. This is definitely a series that parents and kids alike will find entertaining and can enjoy together.
Jay Baruchel (Knocked Up, This Is The End) returns to the series to lend his voice to Hiccup. He’s joined by other actors from the original film, America Ferrara as Hiccup’s almost-but-not- quite-girlfriend, Astrid, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse as the studious Fishlegs. The voice acting from the entire cast is a treat, and the animation is just as bright and imaginative as the film. The dragons often steal the show with their individual talents and personalities. The series animators didn’t waste the opportunity to stretch their wings and really create some incredible new dragons for the second series. The Fireworm Dragons and the Screaming Death were particularly stunning to watch. The latter even spawning a short featurette in the special features.
Other special features on the disc include digital copies of the episodes, the Dragon Tracker (Part 3) in which Hiccup narrates a map of where particular Dragons can be found, accompanied by clips of his adventures with each. The Evolution of the Screaming Death featurette follows the animators as they created one of the season’s most fearsome dragons. And a Superfly dragon mash-up video. In addition to the ten wonderful episodes, the special features added a little extra fun as we continue to explore the world of Berk and the dragons that inhabit it.
Dragons: Defenders of Berk Part 1 is a wonderfully well rounded mix of creativity, humor, action, and heart. Any fan of these series will enjoy themselves immensely while watching. So check it out and immerse yourself in the land of Dragons. And don’t forget to go see How To Train Your Dragon 2 in theatres this summer!
Keep up with your dragon training at ComicsOnline.com for more Vikings, Berk, and everything geek pop culture!
Rating: 
ComicsOnline gives Dragons: Defenders of Berk Part 1 4 out of 5 Screaming Deaths.
