DreamWorks Dragons Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

DreamWorks Dragons Blu-ray Movie Review

Does this specialty release fly high or crash and burn?

Reviewed by Martin Liebman November 15, 2011

We are Vikings! We are tough! Most of the time.

DreamWorks remains hot on the heels of Pixar for title of "finest animation studio in town." Their How to Train Your Dragon was a spectacle of sight and sound, made by cutting edge computer animation techniques and built around a story worthy of Pixar, a story that exuded heart and integrity intermixed with potent action and fine characterization. With the film's extra-large fire breathing success, it's no surprise that DreamWorks has gone back to the well and produced two short features to compliment the movie. The first, Gift of the Night Fury, is a wonderful short film that looks at life on the island of Berk after the events of the first film and leading up to a very special holiday. The second is little more than a supplemental feature and promotional piece for the studio's online video game. DreamWorks Dragons is well worth the effort, though; the first film is spectacular for a short, and a nice assortment of extra features make this direct-to-video release one that every How to Train Your Dragon fan needs to catch.

I believe I can fly.

Gift of the Night Fury
Rating: 4.5/5

It's a happy, peaceful, but still bitterly cold time in Berk. It's also time for the annual holiday known as "Snoggletog." Just as preparations are being made and the time draws near, the dragons vacate the island, leaving the humans stunned and disappointed; the holiday just won't be the same without their scaly companions. All of them leave, except for Toothless, who cannot travel on his own without Hiccup (Jay Baruchel), the boy inventor/tinkerer who was the first to make friends with a dragon and clear the path towards peace between the two species. He fashions a new device for Toothless so that he may fly on his own, and he immediately departs, presumably to join his fellow dragons. Where have the dragons gone, and can the humans move on without them? More important, will Snoggletog ever be the same, and is it possible that the island's youngsters, including Astrid (America Ferrera), could find a secret that might shed light on the sudden and disturbing disappearance?

Gift of the Night Fury is a solid little micro-movie that's not as adventuresome as How to Train Your Dragon, but it yields the same heartbeat and soul that defined the original movie. All the favorite characters are back, and the filmmakers have gone to great lengths to ensure that this movie looks and sounds just as good as -- if not better than -- the original. In essence, it's a major motion picture whittled down to about twenty minutes. As for the story, it's cute, fast-paced, and enjoyable. It not only delivers strong visuals -- high-flying dragon stunts, for instance -- but it's built on a solid premise that delivers all around the spectrum, including a strong emotional core, balanced humor, a little mystery, and some playful mayhem. If the story says anything, it's that looks can be deceiving (especially when it comes to interspecies relationships!). Just when it seems that there's been great tragedy or that something has gone terribly wrong, something special can rise up from the sadness and make an already once great day even better. It's definitely a simple and well-meaning story that's aimed towards children, but it's certainly polished and should satisfy grown-ups, too.

Book of Dragons
Rating: 3/5

Berk was once a pretty crazy place to live. Never mind the chilly weather; things heated up when man and dragon failed to co-exist. It was a constant war, until Hiccup managed to tame, train, and befriend a Night Fury Dragon. Now, he and his young friends train dragons not because they necessarily have to, but because they want to. It's who they are and what they do, and now that there's a new dragon trainer in town (you!), a new class is set to get underway. Before trainee trainers can interact with dragons, however, it's important that they understand a little bit of the human-dragon relationship and just how man managed to learn about and classify the various types of dragons. Book of Dragons takes a look inside the fabled book, showing how one of Berk's great heroes -- Bork the Bold -- studied his nemeses and managed to collect so much data about them, data that is now refined thanks to the human-dragon relationship but that simply wouldn't exist were it not for Bork's courageous, but sometimes foolhardy, endeavors.

Book of Dragons is something of a mixed bag. It's nothing like Gift of the Night Fury; there's no real story here, at least not one involving the main cast, save for their voiceover work. It's basically actors voicing characters who are themselves providing voiceover work. Or something. The story does introduce viewers to the different types of dragons, but it's basically a repetitive string of animated segments that show the red bearded Bork getting into trouble as he tirelessly works to learn more about the various types of dragons that keep interfering with his life. It has a playful tone and it's generally a fun little companion piece to the How to Train Your Dragon universe, nothing more and nothing less. But it's also clear that it's more of a throw-in supplement sort of feature rather than a complex, detailed, and plot-driven short film like Gift of the Night Fury. Even the voice work feels completely uninspired, like it was accomplished after a long day's work on Gift when the actors just wanted to get out of the studio. There's no life or energy to the performances, which definitely hurts the film but doesn't ruin it. Watched as a brief supplemental companion piece, Book of Dragons is just fine but it doesn't hold a candle to the excellence of Gift of the Night Fury in terms of energy, story, and quality of production.

DreamWorks Dragons Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Dreamworks Dragons' 1080p Blu-ray transfer is flat-out spectacular. Though two short films they may be, DreamWorks has made sure that both titles in this release are just as handsome -- if not even more so -- than the original film itself. Fine detail is nothing short of breathtaking. Grainy and rough wooden objects, scaly dragon hides, and even the texture of freshly-fallen snow and hardened ice look marvelous, intricately detailed right down to the finest little nuance and projected boldly and without flaw on Blu-ray. Even clouds and water look almost like the real thing; this is an amazing merging of faultless high definition video and cutting-edge digital filmmaking technology. Clarity is splendid, too, and colors are some of the most impressive yet to grace a Blu-ray disc. The image is awash in a rainbow of colors, from dreary tans and tarnished silvers to the sparkling bright shades found on various dragon species and Viking warrior shields. Black levels never miss a beat, accentuating the colors and giving nighttime shots an honest, deep, absorbing appearance. The more "general" animation that makes up the bulk of Book of Dragons is equally impressive for what it is. It yields superb colors and endlessly crisp details. Though it may be said of many digitally animated pictures on Blu-ray, this one is of reference quality through and through, no matter which short movie happens to be playing.

DreamWorks Dragons Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Such stunning video should have an equally impressive soundtrack, and Dreamworks Dragons delivers. The Dolby TrueHD 7.1 lossless soundtrack is a showstopper, seamlessly immersing the audience into the action and environments of Gift of the Night Fury and adequately conveying the narration and sound effects of Book of Dragons. Both tracks yield music that's crystal-clear, infinitely rich, widely spaced, and a pleasure to behold. Bass is wonderful, a strong accompaniment to round music into form and an effect to give body and weight to various scenes, like those where pounding noises outside of Hiccup's home may be heard in Gift of the Night Fury. Ambience is splendid, as chilly gusty winds seamlessly blow around the soundstage, and bigger effects, like dragons swooping from front to back and side to side, yield a natural seamlessness that's befitting the material. A few explosions and zipping objects are clear and robust, with perfect imaging and immersion creating a wonderful sonic environment. Dialogue is balanced and grounded in the center speaker. They may be short films, but DreamWorks Dragons delivers large soundtracks worthy of a feature-length picture. Please note that only the English Dolby TrueHD 7.1 lossless soundtrack is available with Book of Dragons, but all four options are selectable in Gift of the Night Fury.

DreamWorks Dragons Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Dreamworks Dragons arrives on Blu-ray with a good little assortment of extras, including a DVD copy of the movies and two Blu-ray exclusive supplements. Also included is an "online video game card" that allows owners (and one friend) to play the movie-related online video game via the included codes.

Blu-ray Exclusives:

• DreamWorks Dragons: Gift of the Night Fury -- The Animator's Corner: Producer Kate Spencer, Director Tom Owens, Production Designer Kathy Altieri, and Head of Character Animator Simon Otto host a picture-in-picture feature that offers viewers storyboards, interviews, analysis of the story and animation, a look into the development of the Snoggletog holiday, and more, all in relation to Gift of the Night Fury. It's basically a combination commentary track and all-inclusive featurette that offers a nice overview of the entire Gift of the Night Fury production process, from story themes to final animation.
• Ultimate Book of Dragons (1080p): This interactive supplement allows users to peruse a digital on-screen version of the Book of Dragons and learn more about their favorite species, including stats, image galleries, logos, animations, and other surprises.

Explosive Features:

• Gobber's Training Secrets (1080p, 2:10): A supplement broken up into six "lessons:" Deadly Nadder, Gronckle, Monstrous Nightmare, Hideous Zippleback, Night Fury, and Terrible Terror. This extra provides short overviews of how to combat various types of dragons.
• DreamWorks Dragons: Gift of the Night Fury Deleted Scenes (1080p, 5:26): Alternate Yak Nog (test), Bad Dream (test), Missing Toe (test), and Letting Go (test).
• Spot the Difference (1080p): A game that challenges viewers to find three small differences on two otherwise identical How to Train Your Dragon-themed images.
• Learn How to Draw: A Baby Gronckle (1080p, 4:04): Director Tom Owens shows viewers how to draw this particular species of dragon.
• Dragons Online Video Game (1080p, 0:54): A brief ad for the online game which viewers may play with the code included in this set.
• World of DreamWorks Animation (1080p): Music from and advertisements for Shrek, How to Train Your Dragon, Kung Fu Panda, Madagascar, and Megamind.
• Hatch a Dragon (1080p, 0:28): Fan drawings come to life.
• Previews (1080p): Puss in Boots and Kung Fu Panda 2.
• Sneak Peak (1080p, 1:02): How to Train Your Dragon: Arena Spectacular.

DreamWorks Dragons Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Dreamworks Dragons is a wonderful little release that all How to Train Your Dragon fans will want to buy. Gift of the Night Fury is a visually and emotionally satisfying little short film that looks and sounds just as good as How to Train Your Dragon. It's enthusiastic, well conceived, and smartly constructed. On the other hand, Book of Dragons is a decent little supplemental feature that introduces viewers to the different types of dragons and prepares them for the online game, nothing more and nothing less. It's a little bland and the voiceover work is tedious, but fans will enjoy it as a basic supplement. DreamWorks' Blu-ray release of DreamWorks Dragons delivers stunning picture and sound to go along with a nice array of extras. Highly recommended to anyone who owns and loves How to Train Your Dragon.