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A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Wednesday 20 February 2019

A sweet swan song for ‘How to Train Your Dragon’

By JAKE COYLE “How To Train You Dragon”
Associated Press has done a lot of things right
Born in the 3-D land rush, along the way. It brought
“How to Train Your Dragon” in cinematographer ex-
has never quite shrugged traordinaire Roger Deakins
off the bland corporate to add to the rich Nordic
sheen attached to it from atmospherics. (Deakins re-
the start. But almost a de- mains credited as a visual
cade since taking flight in consultant in “The Hidden
2010, these movies have World.”) And the series de-
made up for their lack of serves credit, too, for build-
fire with enough sincerity ing a story — adapted from
and genuine sense of won- Cressida Cowell’s books
der to sustain a mild but — around two unimpeded
moving trilogy. This image released by Universal Pictures shows characters Astrid, voiced by America Ferrera, protagonists (Hiccup and
“How to Train Your Dragon: left, and Hiccup, voiced by Jay Baruchel, in a scene from DreamWorks Animation’s “How to Train Toothless) with prosthetic
The Hidden World” brings Your Dragon: The Hidden World.” appendages.
the franchise to a close Associated Press Without much to draw
with an affectionate chap- ham) whose toothy grin Written and directed by se- There are two compel- on from the surrounding
ter that continues the ad- resembles a moonlighting ries veteran Dean DeBlois, ling parts of “The Hidden characters (voices include
ventures of the Viking boy- vampire with violently ret- “The Hidden World” may World” that validate it. The America Ferrera, Jonah
turned-chief Hiccup (Jay rograde policies on dragon not overwhelm in its neces- first is the courting scene Hill and T.J. Miller), “How
Baruchel) and his faithful coexistence. sity; it’s a tale that lacks between Toothless and To Train Your Dragon” has
dragon Toothless, a sleek, With Berk under attack, the stakes of the previous another white (and pre- always been predicated
black kind of dragon called Hiccup rallies the Vikings to installment, which dealt sumably female) Night on that central twosome
a Night Fury (not to be con- uproot and flee to a mythi- significantly with Hiccup’s Fury who turns up just as and the laudable lesson
fused with an evening-time cal, undiscovered realm parents — the discovery Gimmel does. They swoop that animals, even fire-
presidential tweet storm). called the Hidden World of one (Cate Blanchett) and swoon through the sky, breathing ones, aren’t our
In “The Hidden World,” the where dragons could live and the death of another gliding in the glow of the enemies unless we make
dragon utopia that Hiccup safely away from human- (Gerard Butler). But the $1 Northern Lights like a drag- them so. “How to Train
has built on the Island of kind. It feels like an overre- billion in box office taken on version of “La La Land.” Your Dragon: The Hidden
Berk, where Vikings once action. Fearsome as Gim- in by the first two movies, The second is the film’s terrif- World,” a Universal Pictures
feared and fought drag- mel is, he’s a single and combined, was enough to ic coda, which leaps years release, is rated PG by the
ons, comes under threat kind of goofy villain, and, push the franchise forward forward and adds a wider, Motion Picture Association
from a dastardly dragon plus, real estate values in and put “How to Train Your wistful and more grown-up of America for adventure
hunter named Gimmel hidden worlds are notori- Dragon” back into action dimension to what has al- action and some mild rude
the Grisly (F. Murray Abra- ously unpredictable. five years later (and follow- ways been, at its heart, a humor. Running time: 104
ing the sale of DreamWorks boy-and-his-dog story, just minutes. Two and a half
to Universal). with wings. stars out of four.q

Fashion world descends on London for

fashion week shows

By GREGORY KATZ
Associated Press
LONDON (AP) — London
is taking its turn in the style
spotlight with the opening
of London Fashion Week,
an extravaganza that will
feature up-and-coming
young designers along
with big names like Victoria
Beckham, Vivienne West-
wood and Burberry.
More than 100 catwalk
shows are scheduled along
with countless crowded,
fizzy parties and dozens of A model wears a creation by designer Bora Aksu at the Autumn/
presentations. Winter 2019 fashion week runway show in London, Friday, Feb.
BORA AKSU 15, 2019.
The London-based Turkish Associated Press
designer used his catwalk otherworldly look, set off at the first woman to fly into
show Friday to display a times by pale, almost Arctic space.
series of layered, asym- makeup. He said he was seeking a
metrical dresses in quiet Aksu said the look of his “mystical feel” that paid
shades of white, cream show was inspired by Val- tribute to both her village
and soft blue. Many of the entina Tereshkova, a Rus- roots as well as her space
outfits had an ethereal, sian cosmonaut who was travel.q