Common Sense Media Review
By Grace Montgomery
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Short, silly, and mostly sweet romp for series fans.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 6+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
What's the Story?
As the kids from the dragon academy get ready for the dragon race, they reminisce about how the sport of dragon racing was invented. In flashbacks, they remember that Stoic (Nolan North) put Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) in charge of planning the annual Viking Regatta while he was away. But instead of focusing on getting things ready for the big race, Hiccup found himself dragged into a sheep-gathering competition with his friends. Soon everyone was caught up in the fun and the Regatta was forgotten -- that is, until Stoic returned. Will Stoic be mad? Or will he get caught up in the competitive spirit, too?
Is It Any Good?
DRAGONS: DAWN OF THE DRAGON RACERS is a short and silly romp that should be entertaining for fans of How to Train Your Dragon as well as those new to the series. It's goofy, lighthearted, and fast-paced. Although the kids from the dragon academy are very competitive with each other and not all of them always play fair, they show that people with different personalities and strengths can be the best of friends. It's certainly not the best of the How to Train Your Dragon series, but it adds some nice backstory for die-hard fans who can't get enough of dragon racing.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the kids at the dragon academy in the How to Train Your Dragon series. They're all very different. Why do you think they make such a good team?
Why do you think Tuffnut and Ruffnut cheated? Is it ever OK to cheat?
Which is your favorite movie in the How to Train Your Dragon series? Why?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : November 11, 2014
- Cast : Jay Baruchel , America Ferrera , Christopher Mintz-Plasse
- Directors : John Sanford , Elaine Bogan
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Latino Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : DreamWorks Animation
- Genre : Family and Kids
- Run time : 26 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : September 20, 2019
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate