Baruchel flying higher in Train Your Dragon 2

MANILA, Philippines - Jay Baruchel returns as the voice of Hiccup in How To Train Your Dragon 2. Directed by Dean DeBlois, it’s the second installment in the animated trilogy about the adventures of a Viking boy and his trusted dragon, Toothless. In the original film, Hiccup and Toothless brought peace to the Island of Berk, ruled by Hiccup’s dad, the mighty Stoick The Vast (Gerard Butler). Five years on, dragons and humans are living harmoniously, but there are more daunting challenges for this young hero.

Soaring through the sky, exploring uncharted territories at the frontiers of the Viking world, the intrepid Viking dragon rider, Hiccup, and his amazing Night Fury dragon, Toothless, are back for another thrilling adventure. The 2010 Oscar-nominated hit, How To Train Your Dragon, from DreamWorks Animation was hugely successful and grossed nearly $500M at the worldwide box-office. Now, five years have elapsed. On the Island of Berk, Hiccup is celebrated as a hero for ushering in a new era of peace. Where Vikings were once slaying dragons, they are coexisting with these magnificent fire-breathing creatures, in a harmonious community. Life seems idyllic — except that the plucky hero is encountering some tricky problems with his father, Stoick, the Chieftain of Berk (Butler), who believes it’s time for his son to face his responsibilities as a future leader, and stop idling around. But Hiccup isn’t interested in taking charge; he wants to spend his time flying with Toothless, searching for new horizons. He also loves hanging out with his fearless girlfriend Astrid (America Ferrera), champion of Berk’s Dragon Races. In short, he wants his freedom and has no desire to grow up — at least not yet.

Action packed, funny and visually stunning, How To Train Your Dragon 2 is a fantastically entertaining coming-of-age story as starred in by the now grown-up hero, Hiccup, voiced by Baruchel. 

Below are excerpts.

Where do we find Hiccup at the start of the film?

“In the first film, Hiccup was sort of a square peg, born into a world that he really didn’t understand. But Toothless and Hiccup have had a very positive impact on their world. In this film there’s more adventure and more challenges. Now everyone in Berk, even Hiccup’s father, old Stoick, has a dragon. But Hiccup is dealing with the obligations of manhood, which are starting to pile up. There are expectations from his father that he doesn’t know if he can or even wants to live up to. I think what he is going through is a universal theme, what anyone at the age of 19 or 20 is going through. Stoick wants Hiccup to be just like him, and he expects that his son is going to have all the same interests as him and lead a life similar to his. But Hiccup is not like his dad; he’s not interested in the same stuff as Stoick.” 

He is an unlikely hero isn’t he?

“He’s not a typical hero at all, although I don’t know that there is such a thing as typical anymore. There are a million reasons why Hiccup shouldn’t succeed in life, given who he is. But he is incredibly smart. He may be awkward and he’s not brawny, but he is strong. He’s a guy who won’t ever give up. He won’t ever abandon his friends. He won’t ever leave a fight. He’s stubborn, and that’s the best quality he has inherited from his dad. He’s a Viking in his heart, even if on the surface he doesn’t seem like one.”

Available in 2D, 3D and 4DX, How To Train Your Dragon 2 will open in cinemas tomorrow, June 11, from DreamWorks Animation and 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.