If you loved “How To Train Your Dragon,” for sure you’re going to get all fired up over “Dragons: Riders of Berk,” the animated series from the same folks (and most of the same cast) that brought the world the first seemingly untamable dragons.
It begins after the dragons have been tamed and are now the constant companions of heroic kids Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel) and Astrid (America Ferrera).
Flying around on their dragons Toothless and Stormfly (à la Harry Potter and Hermoine on their brooms) one day, Hiccup and Astrid fall off and are caught in an avalanche.
What are a couple of Viking kids supposed to do when they are buried in mountains of snow? Oh wait! Can it be? Their dragons do something no dragon is supposed to do: They save them.
That means that dragons and humans are not just living in the same place without warring, but that the dragons have become fierce protectors of humans. Who knew?
All’s well and good except that with Devastating Winter about to kick in, adults are worried about the farm animals who are so spooked by the dragons — now hanging around like hut pets — that the yaks won’t give milk and the chickens won’t lay eggs.
“It reminds me of the time I moved my mother in with my goat,” recalls Gobber (Chris Edgerly). “She was mean and ornery and ate everything in sight. The goat was so scared of her she wouldn’t give milk!”
Hiccup is called by his father, Stoick (Nolan North), the leader of Berk, and told that a huge (as in Viking huge) blizzard is coming that will sock them in for all of Devasting Winter.
Hiccup’s job is to train the farm animals not to fear the dragons — before the storm hits in just a few days. If he can’t do it, they won’t have any supplies to lay in for the storm ahead.
Unfortunately, it’s not enough time. In fact, all the domesticated animals run away in fear.
Hiccup and Astrid go after the chickens, lambs and yaks on their dragons and the leaders of the tribe, in turn, go after them.
Oh no! All the animals and humans end up trapped in the storm. What’s a boy and his dragon to do?
Your kids will be on the edge of their yaks.
This is about as good as story-telling animation gets. There are enough laugh-out-loud lines to keep a grown-up amused and enough animal, dragon and kid heroics to keep a kid as happy as a boy and his dragon.
In each episode, the human kids learn more and more about the dragon’s unique powers as they fight villains and make the world — both the one they know and the ones they’ve yet to discover — safe from evil. Just terrific.