If you’ve considered seeing How to Train Your Dragon 2, be prepared for an enjoyable sequel to a children’s movie… yes, it is possible.

In this day and age, I rarely have high hopes for a sequel, but all of the initial murmurs I heard about How to Train Your Dragon 2 were good: they successfully handled the maturation of characters over the four years since the first one came out, they managed to develop the story by successfully incorporating new characters and enhancing the relationships between old characters, and the visuals were nothing to scoff at.

I’m happy to report that for the most part, this is all a correct assessment of How to Train Your Dragon 2. There are some things I don’t love: the poorly written lines of Valka (who speaks as though she’s spent twenty years living among dragons…), the eerily similar nature of the basic plot premises between the first movie and this one, and occasional moments of exposition that I know are there for the kids but I’m pretty sure just make everyone in the audience cringe with their obviousness. Also, the bad guy. So stereotypically bad, with nothing to make him truly evil or interesting… but maybe that’s the psychologist in me asking for more.

On the whole, kids should love this movie, and adults won’t hate it. It’s a pretty solid continuation of the original story, is beautifully animated (just like the first), and worth the extra money to see it in 3D.