Movie · 2019 · Animation, Family, Adventure · 1h 44m · PG · English
Curator score: 6.5/10 (814.4K ratings)
Fly on your own. Find your way home.
Overview
As Hiccup fulfills his dream of creating a peaceful dragon utopia, Toothless’ discovery of an untamed, elusive mate draws the Night Fury away. When danger mounts at home and Hiccup’s reign as village chief is tested, both dragon and rider must make impossible decisions to save their kind.
Ratings
Curator score: 6.5/10
IMDb: 7.4/10
Letterboxd: 3.70/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 90%
Metacritic: 71
TMDB: 7.8/10
Director
Dean DeBlois
Production
DreamWorks Animation
Cast
Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, F. Murray Abraham, Cate Blanchett, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Kristen Wiig, Kit Harington, Justin Rupple, Robin Atkin Downes, Kieron Elliott, Julia Emelin, Gideon Emery, Ashley Jensen, AJ Kane, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, James Sie, David Tennant
Curator Review
Verdict
A rousing, emotionally satisfying finale that leans into spectacle, tenderness, and bittersweet closure. It’s especially rewarding if you’ve followed the series, with standout animation, a lush score, and a sincere story about growing up, letting go, and choosing peace over power.
Best for
families and older kids
viewers invested in the trilogy
fans of heartfelt animated adventure
people who like big emotional finales
audiences who value strong score and visual craftsmanship
Skip if
you haven’t seen the earlier films and want maximum impact
you prefer tightly self-contained stories
you dislike sentimental endings
you want darker fantasy with more edge than warmth
Overview
This is a polished, emotionally generous conclusion to a beloved animated trilogy. It balances playful dragon fantasy with a more mature story about leadership, change, and the painful beauty of saying goodbye. The movie’s biggest strength is how confidently it turns spectacle into feeling, using flight, color, and music to carry the emotional weight of the finale.
Worth noting
The animation is consistently gorgeous, especially in the aerial sequences and the luminous hidden-world environments. Toothless’ new romantic thread gives the film a lighter, more whimsical energy, while Hiccup’s arc gives it real thematic gravity. The result is a family adventure that feels both accessible and surprisingly poignant.
Bottom line
It may not have the propulsive novelty of the first film, but as a closing chapter it lands with sincerity and craft. For viewers who connected with the series, it offers a satisfying mix of wonder, melancholy, and earned resolution.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Alex IHE (4★) · 4815 likes
Tfw the How to Train Your Dragon trilogy is better and more consistent as a set than the matrix trilogy, the original star wars trilogy, the spider-man trilogy, the nolan batman films, mad max trilogy, alien trilogy, terminator trilogy & more. Great stuff. Breathtaking in imax.
sofyan (4★) · 3711 likes
Love the endingLove the storylineLove the animationLove the scoreLove the universeLove the dragons Love to cry Love to say goodbye
THANK YOU.
👽 Zara 👽 (4★) · 3050 likes
toothless gets laid; the movie
DirkH (5★) · 2991 likes
My oldest daughter (11), who has seen the previous two parts and the Netflix show a gazillion times and has read all the books, cried and smiled during the final act."Good job", she said.
My youngest daughter (6) watched with mouth wide open and a handful of popcorn never reaching its target because yet another exciting thing was happening. "I want a white dragon.", she said.
My son (8) laughed. A lot. And kept insisting he wasn't holding my… more
noelle (4★) · 2222 likes
that john krasinski and emily blunt cameo at the end was so powerful