RJ Writing Ink

How to Train Your Dragon (2025) Review

Would DreamWorks and Universal please take a bow for How to Train Your Dragon? Not only did they manage to do the original film justice, they managed to utterly embarrass Disney in the process. The House of Mouse is going to be smarting from this for a while!

As a teenager, I never saw the original How to Train Your Dragon in theaters. I would see bits and pieces of it and its sequels, spin-offs, and specials over the years, though, so it’s safe to say I’m a casual fan. However, when I heard that DreamWorks and Universal were doing a live-action remake, I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. I was never on board with these remakes to begin with, and years of hits and misses by Disney haven’t helped matters. It doesn’t matter if they have nostalgia bait or try to add something new to the story. At the end of the day, if people dont think that a remake measures up to the original, then what was the point of making it? If the recent failure of Disney’s Snow White is anything to go by, more and more people are starting to realize this. That movie is so bad, it usurped Dragonball Evolution as the worst-rated movie on IMDb.

So, with people turning on live-action remakes, how does the one for How to Train Your Dragon prove itself? How does it justify its reason for existing? The short answer: it doesn’t…because it knows it doesn’t need to.

How to Train Your Dragon had nothing to prove…

Loosely based on a book series of the same name, How to Train Your Dragon could be considered a timeless animated film. It centered around Hiccup, a scrawny outcast in a village of brawny Vikings who spend their time fighting dragons. In a society of jocks, he’s the lone nerd who wants to win everyone’s respect. Yet when he gets the chance to kill a dragon no one’s gotten close to, he realizes he can’t do it! That act of kindness leads Hiccup to discover that everything his people thought they knew about dragons was wrong, leading to a great change in how they view the world.

The reason why How to Train Your Dragon could be considered a timeless film is because, at its core, its a coming of age story. Hiccup is an awkward teen outcast who can’t fit into his people’s norms even when he tries. When you’re a teen trying to find your place in the world, that can be the scariest thing. It’s only when he chooses to accept himself for who he is and quits trying to be something he isn’t that he becomes the badass he was meant to be. It’s a well-written, well-executed story!

So if it ain’t broke, dont fix it.

…And DreamWorks and Universal knew that.

Someone at DreamWorks or Universal must have been taking notes on everything that Disney was doing wrong, because they avoided the Mouse’s pitfalls. It didn’t try to add any overly preachy, woke messages like Snow White. It used CGI only when necessary for the dragons. And best of all, the characters and their motivations more or less remained the same. While they did tone down Hiccup’s sarcasm to play up his angst and insecurity, it never reached insufferable levels. If anything, Mason Thames’ earnest performance endears him to me all the more. Everyone seemed to bring their A-game.

It also helped that the director of the original film came back for the remake. That meant that they knew what they were doing.

Remaking a film can often be like walking on a tightrope. You have to balance between being faithful to the original and trying to improve on it. How to Train Your Dragon, though, didn’t need to change much. It already knew that it had a winning story that people would love. It knew it had nothing to prove, and that allowed it to soar to new heights. It’s likely the first big hit of the summer, and I might end up seeing it a second time.

As for Disney, maybe getting embarrassed by their rivals will be the wake-up call they need. We dont want another Snow White incident!

I Give “How to Train Your Dragon” a 4.5/5

Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts Season 3 Review

I know I’m beating a dead horse by saying that 2020 stinks, but it’s the truth. This year, for mankind as a whole, has stunk! One of the few silver linings (aside from new video games and consoles) is that this year’s been good to animation. And besides The Owl House, one new show I’ll fondly remember from 2020 has to be Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts. Four months after the release of Season Two, Season Three of Kipo aired in its entirety on Netflix last week. Sadly, this third season is also the show’s final season, bring an end to the show after a run of…nine months?

No, seriously. Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts premiered back in January, 2020, and now its ending. It may not seem like that long a time, but with how this year’s been, it feels like a lifetime. It’s a weird feeling, but it also helps with the pacing for the show as a whole.

Dr. Emillia and Human Supremacy

For those who don’t know, here’s the backstory: two hundred years ago, an unknown disaster forced humanity to live in underground burrows. Meanwhile, the surface became populated by sentient animals called Mutes that hold a grudge against humanity. Enter Kipo, a human girl who gets separated from her people and forced to travel across the surface to find her way home. Along the way, her friendly nature leads her to make friends with most of the humans and Mutes she comes across. While she doesn’t realize it at first, this begins to bridge the gap between humans and mutes alike.

As we learn in Season Two, this is what Kipo’s parents had wanted her to do. They dreamed of a world where humans and mutes could live in peace, so before Kipo was born, they altered her DNA to make her part-mute. The last season ended with Kipo mastering her mute-half and gaining the ability to become a giant, purple jaguar that she uses to protect everyone.

Sadly, Season Two gave Kipo someone who stands in direct opposition to everything she stands for: Dr. Emillia. She’s a xenophobic, sociopathic scientist with the single-minded goal of wiping out mute-kind. And once she develops a “cure” that robs mutes of their sentience, she comes very close to doing so.

The sad thing is the fact that this kind of racist, xenophobic ideology continues to exist in the world. Looking at America in the last few years, it feels like this kind of hatred’s only gotten worse. As a result, Dr. Emillia’s very much a villain influenced by the times we live in.

There Will Always Be Jerks…

I’ve seen several reviews that compare Kipo to Steven Universe, and I can see the parallels. Both are teens with special powers that want everyone to get along and be friends and make peace. For the most part, they succeed, too: Kipo manages to get humans and mutes to give peace a chance. The one person she fails to reach, though, is Dr. Emillia herself. As the madwoman keeps hurting the people Kipo cares about, she brings the heroine close to breaking her pacifistic ideals. She backs down in the end and still offers Emillia a chance to change, which she rejects. A similar thing happened in Steven Universe: Future with Aquamarine and Eyeball Ruby.

Unlike Steven Universe, though, Kipo pushes this concept of people who refuse to change and sticks with it until the end. Thus, it manages to give us the lesson that Steven Universe: Future touched on, but failed to see through. That lesson being that, no matter how hard you try to make peace with others, there will be jerks who refuse to change their ways. People that will insist on trying to hurt others and can’t be reasoned with, and that’s when we have to bust out the fisticuffs to protect those we care about. While I won’t say what happens to Emillia, let’s say she gets her just desserts.

…But There’s Also a Chance To Change

In my review of Season Two of the show, I said that I enjoyed the reveal of Scarlemagne’s backstory. Years of being tortured by Emillia, couple with Kipo’s parents not being able to save him, drove him to become the tyrant we first see. But underneath that maniacal persona lies a troubled and lonely soul. And, Kipo being Kipo, she tried to reach out and help him. She failed in Season Two, but Season Three sees her try once again. But does that mean we should forgive Scarlemagne?

As horrible as Scarlemagne’s past was, it doesn’t change the fact that he hurt a lot of people during his reign of terror. And neither the mutes nor humans are able to forget that. They shouldn’t forget it, either. Scarlemagne has to make up for being such a jerk in the past. While he struggles with it, at first, he manages to succeed by the end of the show’s run.

I’m not telling you guys what happens to him, though. No spoilers!

Watch this Show

If you’re looking for some quality cartoons with important life lessons, then I recommend that you watch Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts. The artwork’s amazing, the characters are great, the story’s awesome, and the soundtrack is lit.

I Give “Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, Season 3” a 4.9/5

Click here to see my other animation stuff.

Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts Season 2 Review

So, this weekend forced me to choose between doing one of two things for Saturday. My first option was to livestream some Pokemon Sword/Shield. My second option was to binge-watch the new season of Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts on Netflix.

I think I made the right choice.

If you didn’t read my post on Season 1 all the way back in January, then I urge you to go read it now! If you have (or already watched it), then you know the first season ended with a bang. Kipo made it back to her people and dad, only for Scarlemagne to capture almost everyone. As a result, Kipo goes on a new quest to rescue her people and take down Scarlemagne.

As before, Kipo remains as colorful and vibrant as before, with the music as dope as humanly possible. What changes is the theme: whereas Season One was about Kipo learning about the surface world, Season Two focuses on learning who she is. The first episode confirms what we already knew: she’s part-mute, and can turn into a purple jaguar. It reminds me a little of how Naruto can turn into the Nine-Tailed Fox in Naruto. I’m not making that comparison because of appearances, though. I’m making it because, like Naruto, Kipo struggles with being able to control her wild side. Her trials whilst learning how to control her powers are the big drive for the season, and it pays off in a very emotional way. Long story short: love and friends are the keys to controlling it.

Scarlemagne Has One Sad Backstory

We had an entire season to see how cruel and insane Scarlemagne could be as a villain, and man was he a good one! But it turns out that there’s someone out that’s even worse than him. In fact, it’s someone who’s responsible for making Scarlemagne who he is now.

Enter Dr. Emillia, this scientist who worked with Kipo’s parents. She’s got this single-minded obsession with reversing the mutation of all animals on the surface so that humanity can reclaim it. Sounds noble, but then you remember that most of those mutes are sentient with their own societies. And she used Hugo, the future Scarlemagne, as a guinea pig to help learn how to reverse the mutation. The only people who cared about the mandrill were Kipo’s parents, and due to circumstances beyond their control, they couldn’t save Hugo.

I loved the reveal of Scarlemagne’s past. Firstly, it gives him a tangible connection to Kipo (they’re technically foster siblings!). Secondly, it makes him into a foil for Kipo. Kipo was able to make friends on the surface that helped her through what she went through, and she never gave up her positive outlook on life. However, Scarlemagne never had that comfort, and it broke him into what we see today.

Finally, the show sets up Dr. Emillia to be the big bad of Season three, as she’s determined to end all Mutes. Consider how this parallels the problems with racism that people are fighting right now, and one can appreciate how timely a hate sink like this woman is.

A Must Watch for the Summer

Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts remains one of the best new shows on Netflix, and I enjoyed being able to binge the new season. And listen to the soundtrack. If you’re looking for a show that balances heart with story, humor, and topical themes about accepting people of all backgrounds, then go watch this show.

I Give Season Two of “Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts” a 4.9/5

Click here to see my other animation stuff.

Jay’s Month of Screams, Day 13- Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

When I started this month-long Halloween prep, I promised that I would get in at least a few movies. I haven’t had the time to do so, until tonight that is. While this film isn’t a Halloween film, it can put in October and tells a kid-friendly, and hilarious, version of a classic horror story. From the creators of Chicken Run, Early Man, and Shaun the Sheep comes this 2005 comedy, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.

Wallace & Gromit, Anti-Pesto

The town’s annual Vegetable Competition is only a few days away, but there’s a small, furry problem in the form of a rabbit infestation. Luckily, Wallace and Gromit are on the job as Anti-Pesto. They capture the pests and lock them where they can’t cause harm, but they keep coming. After accepting a job from a wealthy noblewoman, Wallace gets the idea to rehabilitate the rabbits do they won’t hurt vegetables.

However, Wallace’s attempts backfire in more ways than one. People start making reports of a giant creature, a were-rabbit that eats all vegetables. Is the were-rabbit a mutated bunny, or a man cursed to transform into a fluffy monster? Regardless, it’s up to Wallace and Gromit to stop the beast and save the town!

Fun With Stop-Motion

I think the premise of The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is brilliant. Taking an established monster like the werewolf and recreating it into a family-friendly creature. The plot of the film and the actions of the were-rabbit would into a traditional horror film. Replace the were-rabbit with a werewolf and all the vegetables he eats with livestock or people, and bam! Instant horror story.

It’s not the best stop-motion horror film to watch for Halloween, but I think this British film works thanks to its sense of humor. It’s got a good blend of different kinds of humor. There’s snarky comments, puns, slapstick, and even a few innuendos. The whole thing’s really one series of jokes that will make kids laugh and elicit a smile or chuckle from adults.

Were-Rabbit is A Hilariously Hopping Good Movie

If you haven’t gotten the chance to see Wallace & Gromit, then I recommend you do. I know it’s not scary, but it’s a fun little film for the season. It’s free right now on HBO on demand (I think). I certainly liked it, after all. Happy Halloween

Click here to see the FANDOM Article I did for Halloween last year.

Click here to see my other animation stuff. Or here to see all holiday related posts.

Jay’s Month Of Scares, Day 8- Captain Underpants

When I was a kid, I loved Captain Underpants! I thought it was one of the funniest thing I ever read. That led me to go see the DreamWorks film when it can out, and while I’m not a big fan of the Netflix series, I see the appeal it has to kids. Since the Netflix series came out with a Halloween special today, I thought it would be fun to watch it for my daily Halloween quota. In this case, though, it would be Hack-a-Ween.

It’s almost Halloween in Piqua, and everyone’s getting ready for the holiday. Everyone except Melvin and Mr. Krupp, who hate Halloween, but for entirely different reasons. Melvin hates it because he’s “candy intolerant”, and because George and Harold prank him every year. Krupp hates it because he’s Krupp. So they spearhead a campaign that does the impossible: getting Halloween banned in Piqua!

Next to getting really bad clothes as Christmas presents, no Halloween seems like a kid’s worst nightmare. Yet George and Harold refuse to let their favorite holiday die. Since they can’t celebrate Halloween, though, they come up with their own holiday: Hack-A-Ween.

Hack-A-Ween is essentially Halloween but with different names for everything. It’s so stupid yet so clever in the end! I can’t help but admire it. As a side effect, it helps everyone remember why Halloween’s so much fun. It also helps George and Harold realize the real reason why Melvin hates it: he never got enjoy Halloween with anyone. Once they fix that problem, and a few other problems, Melvin realizes the true joy of Halloween!

A Good, But Not Great, Special

Did I enjoy the Captain Underpants Halloween Special? I did, to an extent. To be honest, the show is not as funny as the books or movie were. It can still appeal to kids, but unless you’re a hardcore Captain Underpants fan, you can skip this special.

Yet, I have to give the special credit, as it reminds people of why Halloween can be so much fun, even when you’re an adult. Yeah, grownups have to worry about decorations and buying candy, but when you get down to it, it’s still a lot of fun. I’m an adult, and yet I love Halloween as much as any kid does! It’s nice to see a special that reminds people of that. Growing old isn’t the same as growing up, after all. So whatever your age may be, Happy Halloween!

Click here to see the FANDOM Article I did for Halloween last year.

Click here to see my other animation stuff. Or here to see all holiday related posts.