Reviews

Having been a kid when Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, I was curious about them bringing back an iconic character when I heard a movie was in the works. I had also watched the Netflix series Spirit: Riding Free so once the first trailer was released, I realized it wasn't gonna be an exact sequel to the earlier film.

While the horse in the series and this movie is called Spirit, it's obvious from his forehead marking he's a different horse and theorized to be his son or descendent. So it's more of a continuation of Spirit's family than his personal story.

In regards to this movie, it's based off the Netflix series but isn't a direct continuation or origin for the characters. This movie features Lucky arriving to Meridaro and befriending the wild stallion Spirit (Spirit Jr. If that distinction makes it easier). She makes friends with Prue and Abby like in the Netflix series, and the trio go after some outlaws after they steal SJ's herd.

On it's own, it's a pretty entertaining movie that lets the viewer get a taste of the frontier town and the wacky characters that live there. As someone who watched and mostly liked the Netflix series, I found Lucky to be a much better character in this movie over the series. She still has a free spirit and klutzy attitude, but with a little more vulnerability that rounds her out.

Prue and Abby aren't as fleshed out as their Netflix counterparts, but when the trio do embark on their journey their chemistry really shows. There's also a good message about family that ties everything in a neat bow.

The villain is pretty obvious, but highly serviceable for this movie. Not too over the top but has a good design.

For those looking for a movie to kill some time, it's pretty good with some nice animation. Fans of the show will probably enjoy it, but prepare for a lot of differences.

Spoilers: Unlike the show, the movie's reason for Lucky arriving to Meridaro is due to an incident at her grandfather's house where she has stayed since a baby. Show fans know her mother used to ride horses for performances after escaping from thugs, but not much else is known. The movie starts with a riding accident that caused her father to send Lucky away as a babe cause he could not handle his grief and raise her. This has led to the pair to become estranged from one another, not helped when her dad bans her from going near SJ for fear she will get hurt like her mother.

This is in stark contrast in the show where Father and Daughter were close knit and ready to tackle the frontier together. This may disappoint some people, but the trope is done well enough.

Aunt Corra remains supportive and her usual high born self. She's toned down a bit from the over preppy class lady, but still a good character.

Pru and Abby are still true to their Netflix roots, if a bit abridged. Snips also makes an appearance along with Sr. Carrots, though unrecognizable without his bright red curls.

As someone who was entertained with the show but not blown away by it, the movie is still fun to watch.

'Turbo' is a simple underdog story where a small dreamer snail gets a chance to live his dream despite the odds stacked against him. Simple, yes, but the visual and emotional aspect is what helps makes this movie so entertaining.

Even though the movie is about Theo, the other characters provide great support. Tito works with his brother in a taco shop in a unpopular town strip that consists of three other owners; a tomboy mechanic, an short but feisty nail sailor lady, and an old gentleman that deals with car sets. After seeing what Theo can do, they begin to believe that the snail can help them and enters him into the race. The five snails, Whiplash, Skidmark, Burn, White Shadow, and Smooth Move, are a wild group that shares Theo's love of adrenalin. They act as Theo's encouragement group and are always there to make sure he has a chance to live his dream. Chat is Theo's older brother and is the exact opposite of the other in personality, preferring to stay slow and safe. While it may seem like he doesn't care about Theo's happiness, Chat actually acts that way because he doesn't want any harm to come to his brother. In the end, he sees that his brother's dream wasn't so crazy and encourages him to keep going after his shell breaks. The last character is Guy Gagne, Theo's idol that encouraged the racing committee to let the snail race. Later however, it's revealed he only did so to heighten his popularity, shattering Theo's idolizing of him.

Theo is kind of like Remy from Pixar's 'Ratatouille'. Both have dreams that seem impossible due to who they are, but they're lucky enough to find people who believe in them and they're able to overcome the odds. The endings are also similar. Remy is able to personally make Anton's meal, impresses him, and becomes the chef he always wanted to be. Theo manages to win the race, even with his diminished speed and broken shell, thanks to the support of his friends.

Of course there's also a comparison to 'Cars', also by Pixar, but just the racing aspect of it. The main thing in 'Cars' was that Lightening McQueen realized that you don't always have to live in the fast-line and winning isn't everything. Personally, I found Theo's injury during the race in 'Turbo' was more emotional than the King's injury in 'Cars'. Mainly because throughout the whole movie, Theo was the character you attach yourself to so seeing his shell broken really tugged at my heart strings. The King was cool and his crash was horrible, but it didn't feel so personal because McQueen was the main character and he didn't get hurt.

At the end of the movie, I liked how Theo's shell had a scar after it grew back. It's kind of like Hiccup losing his leg in 'How to Train Your Dragon', a reminder that you survived a harsh challenge and lived to tell the tale.

The animation in this movie, as with most DreamWorks movies, is very well done and really gives a realistic feel to it. The attention and focus to the details in everything shows that the film makers spent a lot of time making sure people will enjoy it. I saw it in both regular and 3D, but suggest just seeing it in regular. The only thing I wasn't a big fan of was the music, but that's mostly because I'm not a big fan of hip-hop and prefer written scores. However, I did find myself tapping along with the beat and it wasn't that bad.

If you're going to see it with kids the only things to watch out for is crows snatching snails up (they fly off screen so there isn't anything to see), the street racing bit where Theo falls into nitrous oxide, and the racing scene where Theo is almost crushed. Besides that, the rest is just clean DreamWorks humor.

I would recommend the movie if you're into a great underdog story or racing. The movie has a great message about not giving up on your dreams, no matter how big or small you are, and listen to those who believe in you. Its story is quick paced and easy to follow thanks to its simple plot and wonderful animation.

As with most people who are in love with the movie, I had some high expectations for the series and was worried that 'Dragons' would end up like 'Kung Fu Panda' and 'Penguins' (which I understand is geared towards kids, but it kind of ruined the franchises for me). Luckily, the people involved with the movie seemed to want to set this apart from those two. Instead of airing it with Nickelodeon, DW aired it with Cartoon Network, much to my personal dismay. As the series progressed however, I found myself (mostly) agreeing with their decision because of the seriousness of series.

Just a real quick overview of the series in general: it doesn't really seem to have a set time of where it begins in terms of the movie. It does however look like it happens a little after 'Gift of the Night Fury'(still doesn't clear up the time line) because the teens know that dragon eggs explode. Next, the quality is not as great as the movie, but that can be chalked up to a limited budget so don't let it distract you too much. Lastly, it's main focus is on the teens and their dragons trying to help Berk get along with its new residents. While most people are willing to cooperate, there are some who aren't willing to let go of grudges. It also expands on ideas that were mentioned in the movie and digs deeper into the characters.

One thing I like about the series is that it's easy to see how the teens grow in their relationships with both their dragons and each other. At the end of the movie, we see the teens begin to respect Hiccup and the series expands on that. There are some exceptions, mostly with Snotlout, but when the situation calls for it they'll listen and be there for him. Next there's the awesome relationship between him and Toothless. In almost every episode, it's obvious that the pair have grown close and will do whatever it takes to protect each other. In the episode 'The Terrible Twos', the pair go through a small split that results in Hiccup stranding Toothless in their cove. In the end however, they make up and realize how important it is to listen and trust one another, which continues on for the rest of the series.

There's also the focus on Hiccup and Stoick's family relationships and conflicts. 'Gift of the Night Fury' offered a slight glimpse of them trying to work things out and the series picks up from there. The first is when Stoick gives Hiccup the old dragon killing arena to use as a Dragon Academy, showing that he's willing to trust his son with responsibility. In 'Alvin and the Outcasts', Stoick is generally worried about Hiccup when he finds out that Alvin the Treacherous, their greatest enemy, has taken his son and in a later episode titled 'We are a Family: Part 2'. Also, Stoick is willing to embrace his son's ideas by accepting his own dragon in 'How to Pick Your Dragon', something he claims earlier goes against their Viking traditions. During this episode, it seems like Hiccup's efforts do not work due to his father's stubborn and Viking-like attitude, but at the end it shows that Stoick does listen to his son (though he'll deny it). The greatest example of their improving relationship is in 'Portrait of Hiccup as a Buff Young Man'. In this episode, Hiccup goes on a small quest to prove to his dad (and himself) that he can be the kind of Viking they think he should be. The challenges in this quest (which even Stoick took on) are only solved by Hiccup being himself, proving who he is to both himself and his father. The end of the episode shows the two standing side-by-side with Stoick's arm on Hiccup's shoulder, eyes filled with pride.

And let's not forget the Hiccup and Astrid romance here. Surprisingly, there's very little focus on that. Instead, the focus is on them becoming good friends who offer each other advice and brutal truths. When Hiccup is faced with a conflict he can't solve on his own, Astrid is one of the first people who offers to help him. In return, Astrid sticks by him to make sure he follows her advice and keep him from getting killed (which happens quite a bit). There's a few glimpses of their blossoming love: when they huddle close together for warmth in 'Animal House' only to back away from each other embarrassment, Astrid giving him playful punches on his arm, and when Astrid grows jealous of Heather in 'Heather Report: Part 1/2' because the other girl is stealing Hiccup's attention (there's a bit more to it but don't want to spoil it from here).

So while the series has some of its amazing moments, there's also some parts that drag it down. I won't dwell into those though much because those types of matters depend on your opinions. I can go on about the series, but I'll stop here before I give everything away.

To wrap it up, 'Dragons: Riders of Berk' is a very good series that helps strengthen (and sometimes weaken) the franchise in general. It's a bit more serious than DreamWorks' other spin-off series, but it works well due to the nature of the movie and can be off-set by its comedy (also sometimes weak). For those of you who can't get enough of 'How to Train Your Dragon' and can't wait for the second movie, this series is great for you. Besides, I heard that this and the next series, 'Dragons: Defenders of Berk' which will premiere sometime in September, deal with events that occur between the two movies so its probably good to see what happens.