“This is Berk. We’ve got ice, we’ve got snow, and we’ve got more ice, but we’ve also got dragons. We train them, learn from them, protect them, and they protect us, sometimes from ourselves. One thing’s for sure, we wouldn’t trade this for anything. Would you?”

Hiccup and the rest of the dragon riders of Berk are back for another 10 action-packed, fun-filled animated adventures. This DVD release collects the second half of the second season of the hit Cartoon Network series with 10 new-to-DVD episodes, beginning with the second half of the cliffhanger that closed out the previous Part 1 DVD release:

Disc 1: (1:53:07)
• “A View to a Skrill Part II”
  Hiccup finds Ruff and Tuff on Outcast Island. He discovers that his enemies, Alvin and Dagur, have teamed up and have control of a Skrill dragon. Now the dragon riders must figure out what evil plan this new duo is hatching, and find a way to stop it.

 

• “The Flight Stuff”
  Snotlout is convinced that he is dying after he witnesses four of the five signposts of Valhalla, so he starts to train young Gustav to take his place as a dragon rider. Meanwhile, the others try to figure out what secret weapon Dagur is building on Outcast Island.

 

• “Free Scauldy”
  While on Screaming Death patrol, Hiccup, Fishlegs and the twins discover a wounded Scauldron on Changewing Island. They try to find a way to help the dragon, but it doesn’t seem to want their assistance.

 

• “Frozen”
  The freezing cold weather has kept the riders stuck inside for a week, and they are going stir crazy. So Hiccup jumps at the opportunity to help guide Trader Johann’s ship into port. But when Hiccup arrives back at Berk, he finds everyone in the town mysteriously missing.

 

• “A Tale of Two Dragons”
  After a Screaming Death Attack Drill goes awry, the riders are ordered to clear a field for planting. However, Hiccup soon finds himself trying to resolve an argument between Snotlout and Astrid that has escalated into a disagreement between their dragons Hookfang and Stormfly.

 

Disc 2: (1:53:06)

• “The Eel Effect”
  There’s an outbreak of eel pox in Berk, so the riders head out to pick up the long list of ingredients needed to make the medicine. Hiccup flies to Eel Island to pick the final ingredient, but Toothless accidentally swallows a bloodbane eel and starts coughing up plasma blasts uncontrollably.

 

• “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes”
  Shortly after Trader Johann visits Berk, the village finds itself being robbed by metal thieves in the dark of night. As the riders try to capture the thieves and get the missing weapons and armor back, Tuffnut pines over the loss of his dear mace Macey.

 

• “Bing! Bang! Boom!”
  Hiccup is testing his new Thunder Ear invention—which can pick up sounds from miles away—when he hears something odd. He and Stoic investigate and find three baby Thunderdrums, which they bring back to Berk. Now the riders must train these out-of-control baby dragons before Stoic kicks them off the island for wreaking havoc.

 

• “Cast Out Part I”
  Hiccup suspends Snotlout from the Dragon Academy after his recklessness during an Ambush practice almost gets Astrid killed. Snotlout storms off to live on his own, but soon discovers the location of the Screaming Death. Meanwhile, Alvin the Treacherous makes a proposition to ally the Outcasts with Berk in the fight against the Berserkers.

 

• “Cast Out Part II”
  Acting Chief Hiccup enlists Alvin’s help to rescue Stoic from Dagur on Outcast Island. Meanwhile, the other riders try to stop the Screaming Death which is making its way closer to Berk.

 

I have thoroughly enjoyed the DreamWorks Dragons series thus far, and this collection is no different. While the episodes can be enjoyed individually, it also makes for great binge-watching. I really like how the series progresses as the season goes long, with each episode building off of the previous ones. There is an interesting ongoing story arc and character development, while each episode also provides a mini problem-of-the-week for the riders to overcome.

The series seems to have really kicked up the humor for these final ten episodes of the season. I found myself laughing an smiling even more than usual while watching this batch of episodes—Fishlegs, Snotlout, and Ruffnut & Tuffnutt all get some hilarious scenes!

The series does a great job at recapturing the same spirit and fun of the original film, and even brings back many of the original voice cast from the movies, including Jay Baruchel (“Hiccup”), Christopher Mintz-Plasse (“Fishlegs”), T.J. Miller (“Tuffnut”) and America Ferrera (“Astrid”). The animation is really well done—the 3D environment and characters come to life on the TV screen. The dragons look amazing as they fly around, shoot fire, and attack their targets.

For the most part the video quality is really great, with lots of detail. However, there is the occasional scene that has a bit of a dull, blurry look—these are usually scenes that take place on rocky terrain. I also found that text—like the credits or episode titles—have some ghosting. While the series originally aired in HD on Cartoon Network, it is only receiving a DVD release. I wish Fox would release the animated DreamWorks series on Blu-ray as well so that they could be viewed in their full HD glory! The DVD release also comes with a Digital Ultraviolet copy, but it only redeems in Standard Definition as well.

As for the bonus features, they are similar to those found on the previous DVD releases for the series. There’s featurettes on the new dragons seen in these 10 episodes, an interview with the visual effects supervisor about the “Skrill” dragon, and a musical montage. Specially-marked packages also include $7.50 in Movie Cash to use towards the new How To Train Your Dragon 2 film in theaters.

What’s Included on the DVD:

Episodes:
• The second 10 episodes of the season (3:46:13)

  • “A View to a Skrill Part II”
  • “The Flight Stuff”
  • “Free Scauldy”
  • “Frozen”
  • “A Tale of Two Dragons”
  • “The Eel Effect”
  • “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes”
  • “Bing! Bang! Boom!”
  • “Cast Out Part I”
  • “Cast Out Part II”

  DVD:

  • Widescreen 1.78:1
  • Audio: English DD 5.1
  • Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
  • Closed Captioned

  Digital Copy (Redemption Deadline 5/27/2017):

  • UltraViolet Digital (Standard Definition) Copy redeemable via Flixster, Google Play or Vudu

Extras:

• Dragon Tracker Part 4 (7:29)
  A look at some of the new dragons discovered by Hiccup and his friends in the episodes on this DVD set. Play All or select from Skrill, Baby Thunderdrums, Speed Stinger, and a sneak peek at the four-headed Snapper Trapper.
• Evolution of The Skrill (5:22)
  Visual Effects Supervisor David M.V. Jones talks about how the series is able explore the backstory of the new dragons in great detail. He discusses the research he did for the design of the Skrill’s powers and the way it negates Toothless’ plasma shots, and how that affects the interactions between the two dragons.
• “Here Comes The Fire” Dragon Mash-Up (1:36)
  Montage of scenes from the season set to music.
• Sneak Peek (9:26)
  Trailers for Monsters vs. Aliens Series, Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness, “Shrek the Musical”, School of Dragons, “Turbo”, “The Croods” and “Walking With Dinosaurs”.
• World of DreamWorks Animation (11:02)
  Music videos and trailers for popular DreamWorks franchises
  • Shrek — “I’m a Believer” music video
  • Madagascar — “I Like To Move It, Move It” music video
  • How To Train Your Dragon — “Fly High” music video
  • Kung Fu Panda — “Kung Fu Fighting” music video
  • The Croods — “Shine Your Way” music video
  • Turbo — “The Snail is Fast” music video
• Exlcusive Mystery Box Code for School of Dragons Online/Mobile Game
  Insert includes activation code for the Ultimate Battle Pack redeemable at www.schoolofdragons.com/DVD. Offer expires 06/01/2015
• DreamWorks Dragons Toy Coupon
  Insert includes a $3 manufacturer’s coupon for any Power Dragon toy. Valid May 27, 2014-January 31, 2015.
• Movie Money ($7.50 value) for How to Train Your Dragon 2
  While our review copy did not contain this, specially-marked retail copies include Movie Money ($7.50 value) to redeem towards a ticket to see How to Train Your Dragon 2, in theaters June 13.

Final Thoughts:

In its second season, DreamWorks Dragons continues to be a thoroughly entertaining series. This DVD collection gives viewers 10 more fun and exciting adventures with Hiccup and his friends. The bonus features included on the disc are a little slim, but still a nice, welcome addition.

If you’re already planning to see How To Train Your Dragon 2, then the inclusion of the $7.50 in Movie Cash makes the purchase of this DVD a no-brainer and practically free! As always, this series comes Highly Recommended.