Dragons: Race to the Edge (2015–2018) User Reviews

Great Filler for the Movie Franchise.

[mollyeproudfoot · 9/10 · 26 February 2018]

I am a big fan of the How To Train Your Dragon movie franchise and was rather excited to delve into this series.

Many have complained that there are errors and elements that are left out of the series and contradictions to the second film. I can see why they aren't completely satisfied with some character developments and focus. However after completing the series and waiting until the 2018 final series to come out, I can honestly say it was a wonderful experience with alot of adventures, interesting new dragons and characters and concludes nicely to lead onto the second film.

The characters have lots of development, with the introduction of new unique characters with interesting back stories. The series is PG and connects with young kids and the older generation. The kids loved the action and all the dragons and jokes, whilst the adults also enjoyed. A great family series.

I won't go into too much detail as do not want to spoil the series, but if you like the franchise and want to experience new adventures of hiccup and toothless, along with an array of colourful new dragons. This is the series for you.

top quality drama comedy mix

[murrayjones-20970 · 9/10 · 11 March 2018]

Dragons: race to the edge is quite possibly the best dragons title so far. the characters are interesting, the plots diverse. this explains what happens to the gang after the 2 movies and, although I've only watched 3 seasons so far as cbbc is behind, it is already a favourite of mine. the dragon hunters story arc is interesting while still being funny at the same time. overall I would recommend this series to anyone who likes drama with comedy thrown in as well

Wonderful series for all ages!

[sasham-03307 · 9/10 · 24 February 2018]

For someone who loves the How to Train Your Dragon Francaise like me they will enjoy this series very much. The first 2 seasons were a bit boring and there wasn't a very good plot and there wasn't much character development. But from season 3-6 it was a very impressive series. The characters themselves were put into a lot more detail and there were twists and turns you could never see coming. Some of the more recent characters like Viggo Grimborn and Mala were very engaging. Viggo is a very lovable villian throughout the series mainly because he is very intelligent and makes an impact to the other characters especially Hiccup. Mala is a very strong female character that was very well spoken and very well done. The relationship between characters such as the relationship between Astrid and Hiccup was also well done, and added a lot of depth especially in the last season. Fans like me loved all the Hiccstrid moments throughout the series. I also love how we pay more attention to more miner characters such as Tuffnut and Ruffnut because they are given very little detail in the movies. Another thing i love is the soundtrack. The HTTYD francaise has always had amazing music and they nailed it throughout the series. The character development was very well done in preperation to HTTYD as we get to see different perspectives to all the characters. The revealations were built up through a period of time and kept fans on the edges of their seats to see what would happen, and to develop many theories. This series was very thought out, fans realised this in the final season when they explained some very important details and facts about one particular thing that I will not say so that you can discover it yourself.

Overall, this series is a very enjoyable series and was a great bridge between HTTYD 1 & 2. I recommend this series for 11- bascially any age, because adults I know enjoy this series very much.

Pretty Solid

[StevenUniverses · 10/10 · 21 August 2015]

Having finally finished watching the entire Dragons: Race to the Edge to its full fruition, I'm going to retract my previous review.

Race to the Edge is not as formulaic and repetitive as I had initially assumed. The first season might have been a little dull but by the second- and third season, the show is a full- on action packed adventure with the right amount of romance, comedy and drama. Viggo Grimborn is one of the most cunning and vicious villains to grace animated television. It's just an added bonus that he is voiced by the great Alfred Molina.

Adults will enjoy this alongside with their children. It builds up to the second How to Train Your Dragon, showing us how the youths grew up. The animation as well is remarkable, pretty impressive for a mini television show.

One of the best shows I have ever seen! More than what I could ask for!

[AbbyHayle · 10/10 · 22 September 2015]

Please don't listen to the naysayers, I doubt they have even bothered to watch the show. I can agree that Heather is poorly written and intrusive, she clearly shouldn't have existed, there is no doubt there, but the rest of the show is pretty darn good! This show is not only great but it gets better and better for each season! The last season blew me away, it was so much more than I could've imagined.

Usually a show lessens in quality and becomes more stale over time. With Race to the Edge it is the exact opposite! It started out exceptional enough but then it got even better! Midway through the action, romance, storytelling and stakes leveled up and it just became insanely good!

As a big Hiccstrid shipper, I must say the writers did a tremendous job with Hiccup and Astrid's relationship. They started out as friends and then halfway into the show we started to see their bond grow stronger and watch them fall in love. I honestly feared they wouldn't do their relationship justice but they did not only meet my expectations, they blew me away! After watching each season back to back, I can say with confidence that's most well written romantic relationship I have seen in an animated series.

Another big surprise for me was how they handled Hiccup's relationship with his father. The last season focused heavily on that and the writers did a superb job! It hits you right in the heart.

They really managed to tie the series in with the second movie, which was always going to be difficult but they made it seem effortless. It was all done very tastefully! Well, all except for the unwanted Heather story, which the show probably would've been better off without.

Aside from that, I would like to say thank you to Douglas Sloan, Art Edler Brown, John Tellegen, Jack C. Thomas, FM DeMarco, Will Morey, TJ. Sullivan and everyone else. Especially thank you to Douglas Sloan and Art Brown for running the show and putting so much time and effort into it. Thank you for all the wonderful 4 years of amazing content that made everyone cry in joy, frustration, anger, happiness, sadness and shock. You evoked so many emotions in us fans and made the experience very memorable! We will always cherish this. Thank you and good luck with your other projects!

The best series ever

[mariuspopescu-33768 · 10/10 · 24 July 2019]

I write this mostly because i finished it now and i want more,i liked all the aspects about it:the story,characters,sound of all the episodes etc.OMG!You need to watch it!It is interesting for all the ages!

Yes!

[emilybutler-70259 · 10/10 · 9 April 2020]

I am a big fan of the movie franchise, so when I found out this was a thing I had to watch it. This series has hilarious joke with action packed scenes. Though I love the newest addition, Chicken. He just add another sense of humor to the series. Just Spectacular series!

Perfection

[talfrenkel-54888 · 10/10 · 26 October 2023]

I was slightly skeptical whenever I decided to watch the show, I love the franchise with my whole heart so I just had to see what they have done, most of the tv shows of famous franchises always feel very different from the movies. But it's definitely not the case here.

First of all, the writing in the show is absolutely top notch(arguably even better than the movies), every single character of the show has so much depth to him and it really helps showcase more the supporting characters of the movies and fill them with personality. In addition, it's hilarious and the humor is outstanding to pretty much most of the tv shows I have ever seen.

One thing I really love about it is that every episode feels like an entire adventure of the characters and every two parter is just almost a movie on it's own, truly fleshing out the franchise in it's full glory.

The second point is the animation, even though you can somewhat feel the lower budget, it takes absolutely nothing from the glorious battles scenes and the good parts of the animation are really not forgotten.

To conclude, this is now my new comfort show for probably forever and I just can't get enough of it, in my opinion every single person who remotely likes the franchise can have an absolute blast watching this show.

So go watch it now, you won't regret it.

One of the best DreamWorks/Netflix shows of the past decade!

[gavin-thelordofthefu-48-460297 · 10/10 · 5 September 2020]

Back at 2010, DreamWorks Animation released How To Train Your Dragon, a story about a young viking who befriends a deadly dragon by showing compassion. After learning the tactics of training a dragon, he changes his entire town of Berk and thus the battle between vikings and dragons ended. It became a critically acclaimed hit and started a trilogy with the second film in 2014. A year later, after the end of the Cartoon Network series Dragons: Riders and Defenders of Berk, Netflix, after making a deal with DreamWorks Animation in 2013, decided to make another TV series that takes place before the second film.

Race to the Edge continues the story line as Hiccup and his band of dragon riders find a Dragon Eye that unlocks many secrets. But little do they know that many dangers lie ahead as new villains want it for other purposes, so it's up to them to work together, make allies along the way, and save Berk.

Now that it's been five years since it came out, I'll review this show. So I won't do any spoilers to those who haven't seen this yet.

This show is perfect and one of the best DreamWorks/Netflix shows next to Trollhunters and Voltron: Legendary Defender. Not only is it well-written and provides character development for not only Hiccup, but everyone else including his friends Astrid, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut along with the return of Dagur the Deranged. And the new villain Viggo, voiced perfectly by Alfred Molina, is great. Calculating, manipulative, and smart is what he succeeds at.

The music score from John Paesano (who scored the Maze Runner movies) continues to do a solid job in retaining the motifs of John Powell's score from the movies while giving it's own identity, the pacing is very good to the point where it can have quiet moments for the characters, and the voice acting from everyone involved apart from Alfred Molina is also great. Jay Baruchel continues to impress as Hiccup by giving the character pathos, authority, and a sense of humor when needed, America Ferrera also shines as Astrid who continues to give support for him and her team while Ruffnut and Tuffnut still bring some comedic levity that isn't overdone. There were some instances where Snotlout can get somewhat annoying, but not too much while Fishlegs is still the expert on reading the tactics of any kind of dragon.

And last but not least the animation and it's very impressive. The visuals are very good and the character animation lifelike and expressive. Even the action sequences shine brilliantly.

Overall, Dragons: Race to the Edge is a great continuation of the Cartoon Network series and one of the best Netflix shows of the past decade. Go check it out! :)

Too much focus on Heather and unimportant stuff - disappointing beyond words.

[mellielli · 6/10 · 3 July 2017]

I don't know what I expected but it certainly wasn't this chaotic bundle of mess. I think that is an accurate way of summing up the entirety of the show.

One of my biggest pet-peeves is the excessive and heavy focus on Heather, (she is in over 30 episodes!) This character is so redundant yet she takes over the entire plot and sidelines and upstages all the other preexisting characters. She is easily one of the lowest and weakest parts of the show. The story would have stood stronger on the shoulders of the dragon riders - the actual heroes. It's the dragon riders we, the audience, have an emotional attachment to - not Heather. I really couldn't care any less about her and her family drama. It's all so very annoying and rather boring to endure.

The second issues is the plot in itself. It makes absolutely no sense when you take the movies into account and consideration. There are so many contradictions and continuity problems I have lost count of them. The writing is mediocre at best, only saved by Tuff and Ruff but even they can't save this mess. The writers wasted so much time on the unnecessary Heather-Dagur arc that the Viggo- Ryker ending, the Hiccup-Astrid relationship and the wrapping up of everything - it all just feels tacked on in the last minute.

Pretty Impressed

[terciyzyyaegqw · 10/10 · 19 September 2015]

I am simply amazed that so much was accomplished with such a small budget and cartoon. The animation is very impressive for just a netflix only series compared with the earlier cartoon that ran until 2014. My only flaw with the show would be the lack of character development throughout the show, but its not quite a big enough flaw to constitute anything less than 10 stars. The creators of this show have perhaps started a new era of TV show movie spinoffs,but we will just have to wait and see. Again, I am very impressed by everything that this wonderful kids show has to offer to the netflix community, and I certainly wish that it would still come on regular TV so others that don't have netflix could enjoy this show. But otherwise, great job, DreamWorks!

do not recommend to movie lovers you will get angry and disappointed

[mellaella · 31 December 2015]

If you are like me and love the httyd movies to death I DO NOT RECOMMEND WATCHING THIS. I REGRET WATCHING. DO NO WASTE YOUR MONEY

Where to begin? Hiccup and Astrid relationship.. THEY RUIN IT. In the first episode they make it look like Astrid was going to leave Hiccup if they'd not found the dragon eye.. NOPE! In the other episodes Hiccup doesn't care for her! This is the same girl he LOVED in the movies. In the heather episodes that I HATED we hear Astrid say they are just friends... WHAT WERE YOU DOING FOR THREE WHOLE YEARS

I also hated Toothless and Hiccup in this show. Hiccup is so selfish and only cares about himself. He acts like Toothless is his PET not his BEST FRIEND AND SOULMATE. I hate this Hiccup. WORST HICCUP EVER!

Heather is the worst character by far. She is a female Hiccup and she gets so many scenes alone with Hiccup just because she is the creators wet dreamgirl. She looks nothing like Dagur, only good character. They could've made her look more like Dagur but then she would be ugly so they didn't.

Everything will make you fall out love with dragons. The character you loved like HICCUP behaves really selfish and relationships like Toothcup and Hiccstrid are ruined. This show just mocks the movies don't waste your money.

Fairly decent animated show

[allan-14931 · 6/10 · 26 October 2017]

The TV show could be said to be a let down compared to the movies, and that is true, but it is still mostly a good show with several decent episodes. The animation is dated, and the script occationally lazy, and the villains lackluster, but it is all to be expected in an average animated TV show like this.

Just avoid season 5 or stop watching somewhere in season 4. They have run out of material and try to keep going and it gets very painful to watch in the end.

Predictable, unoriginal storytelling with good animation

[Darth-Andedudu · 3/10 · 24 November 2015]

The main story in Race to the Edge builds up to Heather defeating her brother Dagur the Deranged in order to take his place as the new Beserker Chief to bring peace. A Copy/Paste of Zuko's story from ATLA only with a boneless character. Heather and Dagur were created for the show and fortunately make no appearance in the award winning movies written/directed by Oscar nominee Dean DeBlois. Dagur the Deranged voiced by David Faustino breaks out of prison at the most convenient time - just as Hiccup and the riders leave Berk to explore outside the Archipelago. Heather as well voiced by Mea Whitman decides to terrorize ships and be discovered by the riders exactly three years later. The riders look older but behave and interact as strangers. They are static, lifeless shadows of their strong movie counterparts.

The only noticeable changes in character behavior comes from Heather. Race to the Edge is her story - there is a long line of episodes dedicated only to parade her. DeBlois' characters may be on the forefront but they are reduced to naught but background noise next to Heather.

Such an amazing Series

[sarahfaithfranklin · 10/10 · 17 February 2017]

If you're a Dragon Riders fan, then this show will satisfy your Dragon needs. The characters are the same except for a few little tweaks but that's bound to change. (*wink* *wink*) Stories about more dragons, discovering and building and fighting. All your favorite How To Train Your Dragon jazz. With new characters to go. This series follows, Dragons Riders of Berk and other Dragons shows. This is the third installment, and is in between HTTYD and HTTYD2. But this looks like HTTYD2 character styles. The excellent Animation and story is sure to impress and i hope they continue to make many more episodes. Releasing a season about every 6 months on Netflix, i'm always counting down the days until they drop a new one. And i wish it was more and sooner. But this is a great bonus while you're waiting for the next HTTYD3 Movie. Which is taking forever. But all in all, the Dreamwork animators have out done themselves, yet again. And hopefully continue to do so.

Hopeful, yet Concerned...

[hannahharris555 · 10/10 · 31 May 2016]

As excited as I am for the third season of 'Dragons: Race to the Edge', I am also concerned about the lack of development between Hiccup and Astrid, as well as their own personal development.

It seems as though their relationship has been on a stand-still for a long while. These two have been 'almost there' since they were 15. And now that they have reached adulthood, with their friendship consistently dangling below that point where they know and want to be at, it seems to now be damaging their relationship.

In Race to the Edge, Hiccup's current behaviour towards Astrid has given me the impression that he cares for her as a person of higher power in a workplace cares for his employee. He doesn't think twice about putting her in her place and scolds her for not disclosing information about Heather's ulterior motives, regardless of whether or not she was sworn to secrecy for Heather's safety.

Hiccup doesn't seem to have the higher tolerance for his teammates as he used to, and he is beginning to come off as self-righteous and stand-offish. He is no longer an enjoyable character, but a force to be reckoned with, even when it comes to his closest allies and friends. He seems to only behave compassionately towards his father and Heather, which clearly speaks volumes when it comes to where he and Astrid stand. Regardless of how Heather feels about Fishlegs, however playful or platonic it may seem.

As for Astrid - the strong and self-assured shield-maiden that is Astrid - where has she gone? She seems to have been replaced by someone who is easily submissive, emotional, and eager to please. Astrid has always been one to speak her mind, providing a blunt force of reason yet remaining supportive of one's decision, especially Hiccup's. In Race to the Edge, when current situations are not in her favour, all that she provides is emotionally-driven excuses and complaints, and then says nothing more. Astrid seems to have lost her playful nature that we have all come to love in 'How to Train Your Dragon 2', as well as her honest, competitive and fiercely independent personality that was evident in both installments.

As for Hiccup, he needs to understand that entering into a situation with an easy manner and an open mind just might help open up ways of solving a problem without further conflict, especially when it comes to his teammates. He needs to understand that everybody makes mistakes (including himself), and needs to learn to forgive and forget. Dwelling on and punishing himself for his own mistakes is not healthy either. I have noticed that Astrid does this also, especially when it harms the people she cares about, indirectly or not. This requires some serious personal healing and self- development.

It also requires closure, being able to be honest about their feelings. Hiccup and Heather may understand one another and possess a special connection, however, when it comes to Astrid it is more than just a budding relationship – we have all seen it, not just because it is evident in the second installment. It is obvious that there is a lot of pent-up feelings and emotions when it comes to Hiccup and Astrid. It is now time to lay all of the cards down on the table - being open and vulnerable to what may come of their relationship is long overdue.

Just Relax and Enjoy it!

[mila_alessia · 9/10 · 3 February 2016]

I watched the movie versions of How to Train Your Dragon. Loved them. First one more than second one. That being said I started watching the Race to the Edge series and I've been laughing myself silly (er) ever since.

No, it's not all about Hiccup and Astrid, but frankly, are the ingénues ever the best characters? I find Ruffnut and Tuffnut to be HILARIOUS and worth spending the time to "relax and enjoy" the ride in the clown car.

It's not about reality or angst. Not about sweet, sweet cartoon romance (cuz, that's not weird at all). It's about jiggling that funny bone once in awhile. Shoot, I've laughed more at the antics of the twins than watching most other shows of late that claim to be comedies.

See what you think, but I'm hoping that we get to continue to watch the twins navigate their days. Well, maybe not navigate...more like accidentally trip through.

You have to watch it

[ianmaiafontes · 10/10 · 9 September 2018]

Man, it is so good, just watch it. You won't regret, I promise. If you enjoyed the movies, go ahead in the series

Eggcelent show! ha ha

[missclawz · 10/10 · 20 February 2017]

Spoilers *Duh This is a great show people are being to darn Picky. It starts out not as good as you may want it to be but by the end of Season 4 you are getting what you want out of it. My personal favorite Hicstrid! Do not judge a show by somebody's review, watch it for yourself.

Love It!!

[orraaron · 10/10 · 4 June 2017]

This franchise is quickly becoming my new favorite animated franchise. i loved the movies so much that i wished there was more of them, then i found this show and got so many more hours of toothless :) the series is a little bit more for kids and the production quality is a little less than the movies but that is to be expected. all in all i'm so glad the new season is out. i've been waiting what seemed like forever. i can't wait for the 3rd movie even though it is the end from what i hear.

From intriguing and interesting to stupid and patterned.

[SilverOrlov · 7/10 · 19 December 2018]

The first couple of seasons were interesting and inspired by the intrigue that the series with a story of excellent full-time animations will tell me an interesting stories about dragons. But how am I mistaken... Each story must have its end. Every series in the world, which stretched on more episodes than the author can "give birth to ideas" just to extend the screen-time and for harvesting more money - never became interesting. If at first some stupid acts, flat jokes and banal for serials, plot twists could be attributed to "well, this cartoon is watched by children too", after a certain point, from season to season, it became just plain stupid. Fourth and fifth seasons I just rewound all the filler series, and could barely watch the main plot episodes: Enemies are not finished off - otherwise there will be no plot for more episodes, stupid jokes do not stop - the normal ones have already jumbled. First, to speed up the event very much to show the danger of the situation, and immediately to slow down much so that everyone can do everything(even drink tea if you wish). Starting from the fourth season, after in my opinion the disastrous end of the third, I'm just tired of the folly and banalities of this series. So 7/10.

Great for all ages

[wiccawitch8 · 10/10 · 22 January 2016]

When this came on Netflix, myself and mum was very excited to see what was new with this new set of episodes. The gang is a bit older and you find out more between How to train your dragon and How to train your dragon two On an travel there find an old friend and he tell as story, within this there find the Dragon Eye which there all agree on to name it, but Dagger is wanting it and tries to find them Within this there wanting to find there own island. So it comes down to one island, and it becomes there home and its named Dragons Edge. There go on journey's having some adding danger along, becoming closer and helping each other out. There is a few bumps and lies in the way of there friendship and Dagger and others are wanting the Dragon's Eye. We get to see new dragons and family problems. Besides all of this, the show is amazing,

Hiccup and Astrid's characters are completely slaughtered

[oichrs · 1/10 · 20 January 2016]

If you are a fan of Hiccup, Astrid or Hiccup/Astrid - do yourself a favor: Stick to the movies only. You aren't missing any worthy character- or relationship development here.

According to this show, Hiccup is a bland, selfish and annoyingly perfect "hero" while Astrid is a bland, brutish, angry and narrow minded "one-note" character.

An extremely superficial and degrading interpretation of the two most beloved human characters from the movies.

Hiccup is not the russet-haired, tooth-gaped, dorky but sarcastic little boy from HTTYD. Neither is he the handsome, ridiculously theatric but impressive and charming guy from HTTYD 2. The guy who would put the people he loves first. The guy who cares for humans and dragons alike. Irresponsible, sometimes even a little overconfident, but still endearing and likable. The Hiccup everyone fell in love because of his soft and welcoming personality.

That guy is nowhere to be found here. Calling Hiccup unlikeable on Race to the Edge is an understatement. More often than not, he is used as a self-insert by the show's writers and forced into obsessing over the show's original characters.

Astrid is the main female character of HTTYD. She is praised by fans for being a girly girl and able to kick butt at the same time. Astrid on Race to the Edge is masculinized and written as a brute. Even her fighting style, usually acrobatic - relying on technique over strength, is inconsistent and badly executed. The show went as far as painting her disrespectful, rude and standoffish. There is lots of passive aggressive hate from the writers directed at her.

Race to the Edge completely slaughters Hiccup and Astrid's characters. It's no wonder their relationship is handled as carelessly. They couldn't write the characters right, it shouldn't come as a shock that their interpretation of their relationship is just as disappointing.

Again, stick to the movies.

Splendid Series To The Franchise

[RECB3 · 8/10 · 25 September 2023]

This is an absolutely astonishing series for everyone to watch. The storyline is huge and tremendous and fits well with the rest of the franchise. It sets up the second film of the franchise nicely. The cast selection was really great. They committed and connected strongly to the storyline and to their respective characters. With the franchise being fantasy, it also has some aspects of life that anyone can use. I am a writer, and these kind of franchises have given me new creative ideas to write about. This is a fun and great series and addition to the franchise that connects really well. All viewers will enjoy watching this series.

GREAT TV SHOW!!!!!

[lohare-52611 · 10/10 · 28 March 2019]

Possibly my favourite tv show ever, absolutely loved it. I just don't understand why they stopped it as it's so popular, why not just do what Pokémon does and keep it in a kind of time loop?! As long as the content isn't to boring and u add new dragons every so often the show could literally stay running for years