DreamWorks Animation has been in a rut lately. Not creatively, but financially. The once powerhouse studio, has now become accustomed to sustaining heavy loses with their animated films.
Rise of the Guardians,
Turbo and, most recently,
Mr. Peabody & Sherman have joined the list of box office underperformers. That does not mean the films are bad (
Guardians and
Peabody are great, in fact), but lousy marketing has prevented them from earning big money and becoming big franchises, which ultimately is what the studio seeks in every animated film they release. After all these 'risky' endeavours, it's understandable that the studio would release a sequel to a film that many consider their best film to date. Sure, sequels are nothing new, but, more often than not, they disappoint creatively by becoming merely retreads of the first film. DreamWorks is no stranger to ruining franchises (the last two
Shrek films are complete train wrecks) but recently the studio has strived to make more serious and heartfelt films, and to shy away from the 'sitcom-esque' model that prevailed for most their previous films. So it's comforting to see that they have actually taken the time to make a sequel worthy of its predecessor and, without any reservation, I can call
How to Train Your Dragon 2 the best DreamWorks film to date.
