Movie review
December 3, 2019 · 22 min · PG · Kids · Fantasy · Animation · Adventure · Family
Hiccup lives on New Berk with Astrid and their two children, ten years after the Vikings and dragons agreed to live apart. He misses Toothless, while his children have learned from old books that dragons are dangerous monsters. Hiccup and Astrid bring back the Snoggletog pageant to show the younger villagers how the two peoples became friends. Toothless and his dragon family secretly return, turning the holiday into a warm and comic reunion.
The short treats fear of dragons as a mistake caused by old stories and a lack of personal knowledge. Hiccup tries to protect his children from repeating the hatred held by earlier Vikings, but the story keeps that lesson inside its fantasy world. Astrid helps lead the plan, and Hiccup works with Gobber to honor both Toothless and his late father, Stoick. The tone stays gentle and playful, with family love, loyalty, memory, and friendship carrying more weight than fighting or danger.
Community feedback
Was our 6% Woke rating accurate?
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for How to Train Your Dragon: Homecoming.
Woke representation / casting
Not present. The special uses the established animated designs and voice roles for Hiccup, Astrid, and the other Vikings. It does not turn casting or identity into a message.
0%
Woke political dialogue
Not present. The dialogue concerns dragons, family, memory, and a holiday pageant. It does not argue for a current political or activist cause.
0%
Identity-driven story themes
Not present. The story asks Vikings to stop fearing dragons after learning the truth about them. Its lesson stays within the fantasy conflict between two kinds and does not focus on race, sex, or modern identity groups.
0%
Western institutional / cultural critique
Not present. The story honors family, holiday traditions, Hiccup's father, and friendship. It does not attack men, women, religion, family life, or Western institutions.
0%
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant. Hiccup and Astrid keep their established roles from the trilogy. The new children and the pageant extend the story without an identity-driven rewrite.
0%
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Not present. No notable title-specific complaints say that the short pushes DEI or identity politics. Fan criticism focused on length, humor, character writing, and continuity.
0%
Creator track record context
The supplied creator notes give this factor a mild, mixed background signal. Jonathan Groff has an openly gay public profile, LGBTQ-centered roles, and advocacy work. Tim Johnson has used immigrant, representation, and anti-colonial language in earlier promotion. Cressida Cowell has environmental themes, while Jon Pollack and Christi Soper Hilt have little activist context in the supplied notes. Homecoming does not bring those creator themes into its own story.
28%
Production
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