How to Train Your Dragon 2 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.5

How to Train Your Dragon 2 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman February 19, 2019

With its acquisition of the DreamWorks catalogue, Universal has released the fan-favorite animated film 'How to Train Your Dragon 2' to the UHD format. The release includes new 2160p/HDR video, a new DTS:X soundtrack, and includes the Blu-ray the studio released in June 2018, which appears to be identical to the disc 20th Century Fox released in 2010.

It's been five years since Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel) befriended, tamed, and trained his dragon, Toothless. Their friendship revolutionized the Vikings' relationships with the dragons. Now, the two species live together and in harmony, and even Hiccup's father Stoick the Vast (voiced by Gerard Butler) has realized the befits of the Viking-dragon relationship and is reaping the rewards with his own dragon companion. Hiccup and Toothless spend their time methodically charting the world around them. On one of their adventures, with Hiccup's girlfriend Astrid (voiced by America Ferrera) in tow, they discover a band of dragon trappers led by a man named Eret (voiced by Kit Harington) who operates under a man named Drago (voiced by Djimon Hounsou) who is building an army of dragons for nefarious purposes. When Hiccup's father hears word of what his son has found, he immediately amasses an army to defeat Drago and his men. Hiccup frantically attempts to avert the coming war which leads him to a surprise reconnection with a past he never knew and towards a fate he could never believe.

For a full film review, please see Jeffrey Kauffman's writing here.

How to Train Your Dragon 2 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc. Watch for 4K screenshots at a later date.

The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc. Watch for 4K screenshots at a later date.

How to Train Your Dragon 2 makes the leap to the UHD format to spectacular result. The presentation is gorgeous, with the HDR color solidifying the image far more so than any textural gains over the Blu-ray. The color palette is brilliant, and that the movie has such a rich and diverse color scheme in its visual arsenal makes the end result even more satisfying. Dull gray rocks and somewhat bland, bleak overcast skies above Berk in the beginning scene deliver perfectly saturated and realistically nuanced shades. Toothless is a black dragon that presents with incredible, inky depth while maintaining clearly visible leathery details, both of which are improved over the 1080p image. Of course it's the more vibrant portions of the palette that are most obviously striking. Various colors on dragons -- reds, yellows, greens, and so on -- are amongst the highlights seen throughout the film, because there are certainly no shortage of vibrantly colored creatures on display. Hiccup's "fire sword" offers significant depth and intensity when it's seen in chapter six, as does the aqua/teal colored ice seen in the same scene and prominently in several other scenes throughout. One of the best HDR displays comes chapter 11, in a dark cave, when several dragons light fires in their mouths, creating a beautiful display of HDR sizzle as the bright, bold reds stand out against terrifically defined blacks.

As far as textural increases go, one can only talk of small degrees rather than large, sweeping improvements. There's little in terms of raw, obvious textural leaps, with some of the most obvious examples of the most intricately detailed components in the film -- Toothless' leathery body, Hiccups' armor -- not revealing a massive overhaul in terms of visual complexity and clarity. The HDR color depth certainly helps bring out a more stabilized appearance, but the resolution proper just doesn't manage to wring out anything of major significance. Fortunately, the HDR improvements prove enough of an increase -- obvious even without performing a proper comparison but just as impressive when doing so -- to carry the presentation to success. A few light stumbling blocks do creep in, though. A hint of banding appears at the 29-minute mark during an underwater scene, and in several other moments throughout the film as well. Several small examples of aliasing creep in during the presentation, too. But the image soars under the new and improved colors, and the movie is one that the added pop really helps solidify the image and make a great movie all the more satisfying on a visual level.

How to Train Your Dragon 2 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Much like the new DTS:X soundtrack for How to Train Your Dragon's UHD, the one accompanying How to Train Your Dragon 2 delivers a well-rounded listen but one that comes up a little bit short of perfection. The track's most glaring weakness is its unwillingness to deliver a more commanding low end presence. There's just not a lot of room-rattling depth, not the sort of high intensity subwoofer yield one might expect, particularly in a movie with so much action, so many explosions, shattering ice, bellicose dragons, and so on and so forth. The low end is not missing, it's just not amazing. Otherwise, the track is very enjoyable. The entire stage is utilized in the pursuit of sonic excellence, with sweeping and swooping dragons flowing through, and above, the listening area, from film's open to film's close. While the low end, as noted, struggles to bring forth a commanding presence, there are several times when dragons power through the stage with some degree of tangible heft, so that the movement is not just about position but also about weight. Dragon movement sometimes extends to the top layer as well, but the track restrains itself from exploring the top end with too many discrete effects. It's mostly used in harmonious, seamless support for action and music alike, both of which present with enthusiastic definition and perfect stage immersion. Dialogue delivery is clear and well prioritized with a firm front-center placement.

How to Train Your Dragon 2 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

How to Train Your Dragon 2's UHD release features a filmmaker commentary track but contains all of its other extras (as well as that commentary) on the bundled Blu-ray disc. These supplements are the same extras as found on the older Fox disc. For full supplemental reviews, please click here. For convenience, below is a listing of what's included. This release ships with a Movies Anywhere digital copy code.

• Dawn of the Dragon Racers: All New 26 Minute Short
• Fishlegs' Dragon Stats
• Drago's War Machines
• Berk's Dragon World
• Hiccup's Inventions in Flight
• Deleted Scenes
• Audio Commentary
• Where No Ones Goes, The Making of How to Train Your Dragon 2
• Gallery
• Theatrical Trailer
• Sneak Peek
• Trailers
• World of DreamWorks Animation

How to Train Your Dragon 2 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

How to Train Your Dragon 2 plays with an adventurous spirit, builds compelling characters, and tells a story of great emotional depth and power. The film is terrific by any measure and may very well be the finest digitally animated film ever made not to bear the Pixar logo. Universal's UHD release is imperfect but very good. The 2160p/HDR video presentation is the highlight. The DTS:X soundtrack could stand to add a little bass. Extras are identical to those found on the Fox Blu-ray release from a few years ago. Highly recommended.