How to Train Your Dragon: Homecoming
Detailed parental analysis
Dragons: Homecoming is a warm and nostalgic animated short, infused with the gentle quality characteristic of holiday specials. The story follows Hiccup and his family as they seek to pass on to the next generation the memory and love of dragons, now absent from their world. The film is aimed primarily at young children and families already attached to the How to Train Your Dragon trilogy, with a resolutely festive and benevolent tone.
Underlying Values
The narrative places intergenerational transmission at its heart: adults strive to keep alive a memory and affection for beings the children have never known. Tolerance is presented not as a moral abstraction but as a concrete inheritance that parents actively choose to pass on. Friendship and emotional loyalty in the face of separation and time form the emotional engine of the film, without ever tipping into heavy-handed moralising. It is a sober and sincere message, accessible to the youngest viewers without being condescending.
Parental and Family Portrayals
Hiccup is shown in an engaged and attentive parental role, keen to share what matters to him with his child. The parental figure here is a model of openness and gentleness, without authoritarianism or failure. This portrait offers a natural foundation for discussing with a child what parents choose to pass on and why.
Violence
The film contains some light jostling and a scene of fire on a theatre stage, handled with tension but without lasting severity. Hiccup sustains a few minor impacts with no real consequence. Overall it remains well below the threshold of concern for a young child, and these moments serve only to drive the action forward in a playful manner.
Strengths
The short succeeds in condensing genuine emotion into a brief span of time, particularly resonant for viewers who grew up with the trilogy. The narration is efficient and does not dwell: it trusts in the audience's pre-existing attachment without exploiting it. The setting of Snoggletog, the Viking equivalent of Christmas, is used with consistency and gives the film a festive atmosphere that works well for family viewing. For children discovering the universe for the first time, the film poses a simple yet powerful emotional question: how can you love something you have never seen?
Age recommendation and discussion points
The film is suitable from age 4 or 5 onwards, without particular reservations. After viewing, two natural angles for discussion present themselves: ask the child how one can love or respect something one does not know directly, and explore with them what the adults in their own life pass on to them as memories or values.
Synopsis
It's been ten years since the dragons moved to the Hidden World, and even though Toothless doesn't live in New Berk anymore, Hiccup continues the holiday traditions he once shared with his best friend. But the Vikings of New Berk were beginning to forget about their friendship with dragons. Hiccup, Astrid, and Gobber know just what to do to keep the dragons in the villagers' hearts. And across the sea, the dragons have a plan of their own...
About this title
- Format
- Short film
- Year
- 2019
- Runtime
- 21m
- Countries
- United States of America
- Original language
- EN
- Studios
- DreamWorks Animation
Content barometer
- Violence1/5Mild
- Fear1/5Mild
- Sexuality0/5None
- Language0/5None
- Narrative complexity0/5Simple
- Adult themes0/5None
Values conveyed
- Friendship
- Acceptance of difference
- Compassion
- Loyalty
- family
- legacy
- reconciliation