DreamWorks Dragons
DreamWorks Dragons is an American computer-animated television series based on the 2010 film How to Train Your Dragon. The series serve as a bridge between the first film and its 2014 sequel.
Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, T.J. Miller, and David Tennant reprise their voice-acting roles from How to Train Your Dragon. Other cast members include Julie Marcus and Andree Vermeulen as Ruffnut, Zack Pearlman as Snotlout, Chris Edgerly as Gobber the Belch, and Nolan North as Stoick the Vast.
DreamWorks Dragons was announced by Cartoon Network on October 12, 2010. According to Tim Johnson, executive producer for How to Train Your Dragon, the series was planned to be much darker and deeper than DreamWorks Animation's previous television series spin-offs, with a similar tone to the movie. DreamWorks Dragons was the first DreamWorks Animation series to air on Cartoon Network rather than Nickelodeon.
A one-hour preview consisting of two episodes aired on August 7, 2012, on Cartoon Network, with the official premiere of the series on September 5, 2012. A total of 40 episodes aired on Cartoon Network during the first two seasons, subtitled Riders of Berk and Defenders of Berk respectively.
Afterwards, the series was named Race to the Edge, the first season of which debuted on Netflix on June 26, 2015. The second and third seasons of Dragons: Race to the Edge premiered on January 8 and June 24, 2016, respectively. The fourth season was released on February 17, 2017. The series was renewed for a fifth season, which was released on Netflix on August 25, 2017. The series is syndicated as part of the newly rebranded Universal Kids on September 9, 2017. Dragons: Race to the Edge was renewed for a sixth and final season which was released on February 16, 2018.
Plot
Taking place between How to Train Your Dragon and How to Train Your Dragon 2, DreamWorks Dragons follows Hiccup as he tries to keep balance within the new cohabitation of Dragons and Vikings. Alongside keeping up with Berk's newest installment—A Dragon Training Academy—Hiccup, Toothless, and the rest of the Viking Teens are put to the test when they are faced with new worlds harsher than Berk, new dragons that can't all be trained, and new enemies who are looking for every reason to destroy the harmony between Vikings and Dragons altogether.Characters
Dragon Riders
- Hiccup Horrendous Haddock, III – An awkward and underweight Viking and son of the chief of Berk. He and his dragon, Toothless, share the strongest bond of all riders and dragons.
- Astrid Hofferson – Hiccup's close friend and partner; and the unofficial second-in-command of the dragon training academy. She has a strong character, is one of the most courageous of the Dragon Riders, and is very competitive. She has a strong bond with her dragon, Stormfly. During Season 5 of Race to the Edge, Hiccup gives Astrid a betrothal necklace, making them officially engaged to be married.
- Fishlegs Ingerman – One of Hiccup's close friends; has a great encyclopedic knowledge of dragons. He is not as courageous as the other Dragon Riders, but is a loyal friend, especially to Hiccup and Astrid. He has formed a very close relationship with his dragon, Meatlug.
- Snotlout Jorgenson – One of Hiccup's friends; reckless, quarrelsome, and often seen mocking or annoying the other riders. He has a complicated relationship with his dragon, Hookfang.
- Tuffnut Thorston and Ruffnut Thorston and Andree Vermeulen ) – Male and female fraternal twins and followers of Hiccup. They constantly quarrel and disobey commands.
Notable inhabitants of Berk
- Stoick the Vast – The Chief of Berk and father to Hiccup; immensely strong, fearless, fierce, and possessed of shrewd judgement and compassion. His first dragon is a Thunderdrum named Thornado, who is later released back into the wild. His second dragon is Skullcrusher, a Rumblehorn.
- Gobber the Belch – The blacksmith of Berk, Stoick's closest friend, and Hiccup's mentor. Later he is seen riding a Hotburple named Grump.
- Spitelout Jorgenson – Snotlout's father. Spitelout takes pride in his son's achievements, but seldom forgives his failures. He is a member of the A-team and rides a Deadly Nadder named Kingstail.
- Gustav Larson – Gustav is a teenager who aspires to be a Dragon Rider. He takes Snotlout as his model and hero, especially in the first two seasons. He becomes the leader of Berk's A-Team and he rides a Monstrous Nightmare named Fanghook, based on Hookfang's name.
- Gothi – The village's shaman. As a mute, she communicates by gesturing or drawing lines and hieroglyphic-like pictures, translated by Gobber or Fishlegs. She rides a Gronckle as part of the A-team.
- Mildew – Mildew is a cantankerous, spiteful, aged and generally disliked Berk local. He is a cabbage farmer and retains a strong hatred of dragons.
- Bucket – A mentally impaired Viking, named for the bucket he wears on his head, allegedly to conceal a missing part of his brain. When the bucket grows tighter, the locals regard this as an early storm warning.
- Mulch – Bucket's closest friend, usually seen by his side and frequently picking up the slack for Bucket's stupidity.
Villains
- Johann – A seafaring merchant who occasionally visits Berk and trades mostly in curiosities. Prior to Dragons: Race to the Edge Season 5, he was thought to be an ally of the Dragon Riders. However, in the finale of Season 5, it is revealed that he has been undercover and is secretly working with Krogan to find and control a Bewilderbeast. He meets his end in "King of Dragons, Part 2", when the Bewilderbeast uses its ice to freeze him to death.
- Krogan – The leader of the Dragon Flyers who works for Drago Bludvist. His overconfidence often clashes with Viggo's patience. When he fails to retrieve a Bewilderbeast for his master in “King of Dragons, Part 2”, Drago has him executed.
- Viggo Grimborn – The leader of the Dragon Hunters and is usually accompanied by his older brother, Ryker Grimborn. Viggo is less strong than his brother, but for what he lacks in build he makes up for in intellect, frequently tricking and outsmarting the Dragon Riders. In "Triple Cross", he is betrayed by Johann and Krogan and has a change of heart before sacrificing himself to allow Hiccup and Toothless to escape.
- Ryker Grimborn – The second-in-command of the Dragon Hunters and the elder brother of Viggo Grimborn. Ryker is physically stronger and more stubborn than his younger brother. He is killed in "Shell Shocked, Part 2" when the Submaripper swallows his ship.
- Savage – Alvin's right-hand man and later that of Dagur before he goes on his own in Dragons: Race to the Edge Season 4. In "Something Rotten on Berserker Island", he attempts to overthrow Dagur to become the new Chief of the Berserker Tribe, only to be defeated and imprisoned by him.
Secondary characters
- Alvin the Treacherous – Exiled from Berk for unspecified treachery, he plots to displace his old friend, Stoick. He later becomes an ally of Berk at the end of Season 2.
- Heather – A mysterious teenage girl found by the Viking youths. Although she was at first introduced for actions against Berk, her true motive, to rescue her parents from Alvin the Treacherous, proved her loyalty. She returns in Season 3, bonding with a Razorwhip dragon named Windshear. She is later revealed to be Dagur's long-lost sister and pretends to be in league with him in order to get close to him and the newly unveiled dragon hunters. She leaves to parts unknown after her plot is uncovered by Viggo. She soon returns, showing romantic feelings for Fishlegs and joins the Dragon Riders. After being with the Dragon Riders for a while, she decides to leave for Berserker Island with her brother, Dagur.
- Dagur the Deranged – A villain-turned-ally and leader of the Berserker Tribe. He becomes obsessed with plotting to hunt and capture Toothless. He is later revealed to be the long-lost brother of Heather. After Dragons: Race to the Edge Season Two, he begins to acknowledge the aims of the Dragon Riders and starts to help them, along with his sister, Heather. Later, Dagur becomes a Dragon Rider with a Gronckle he named Shattermaster, and later on, Sleuther, a Triple Stryke that the Dragon Riders had previously rescued. In Season 6, he falls in love with and eventually marries Mala. Though he acts tough and aggressive, he is also rather sensitive.
- Defenders of the Wing – A tribe of warriors who first appear in the episode "Defenders of the Wing: Part 1". They worship dragons as holy beings and are led by Queen Mala. They are at war with the Dragon Hunters and are therefore extremely distrusting of outsiders. Prior to encountering the Dragon Riders, they know nothing of riding or training dragons, as their culture forbids it. They live on a volcanic island home to an enormous dragon called the Eruptodon. They worship and protect the Eruptodon at all cost, as it feeds on the volcano's lava and prevents their village from being destroyed. Mala later falls in love with and marries Dagur the Deranged.
- Wingmaidens – An exclusively female warrior tribe led by their chieftess Atali who first appear in the episode "Snotlout’s Angels". They care for baby Razorwhips who become their wings until they are old enough to fend for themselves because the adult males of the species would devour the infants and could drive the species to extinction.
Episodes
Production
On October 12, 2010, it was announced that Cartoon Network had acquired worldwide broadcast rights to a weekly animated series based on the movie. According to Tim Johnson, executive producer for How to Train Your Dragon, the series was planned to be much darker and deeper than DreamWorks Animation's previous television series spin-offs, with a similar tone to the movie, and would follow after the events of the first movie. Dreamworks Dragons is the first DreamWorks Animation series to air on Cartoon Network; DreamWorks Animation's previous television series, including The Penguins of Madagascar, , and Monsters vs. Aliens, had aired on Nickelodeon.Although it was initially announced that the series would be called Dragons: The Series, the Comic Con schedule announced in June 2012 revealed the new title to be Dragons: Riders of Berk. The second season of the show was titled Dragons: Defenders of Berk. At the end of May 2014, DreamWorks Animation announced that in spring 2015 the series would move to Netflix instead of premiering on Cartoon Network.