DreamWorks Dragons

DreamWorks Dragons
Genre Action
Adventure
Comedy-drama
Fantasy
Animation
Created by Chris Sanders
Dean DeBlois
Developed by Linda Teverbaugh
Mike Teverbaugh
Voices of Jay Baruchel
Chris Edgerly
America Ferrera
Christopher Mintz-Plasse
Julie Marcus
T.J. Miller
Nolan North
Zack Pearlman
Andree Vermuelen
Theme music composer John Paesano[1]
John Powell (themes)
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 3
No. of episodes 66 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s) Linda Teverbaugh
Mike Teverbaugh
Producer(s) Art Brown
Douglas Sloan
Running time 22 minutes
Production company(s) DreamWorks Animation
Release
Original network Cartoon Network (2012–14)
Netflix (2015–present)
Audio format Dolby Digital 5.1
Original release August 7, 2012 – present
Chronology
Preceded by How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
Followed by How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)
External links
Website

DreamWorks Dragons is an American computer-animated television series based on the 2010 film How to Train Your Dragon. The series serves as a bridge between the first film and its 2014 sequel, showing every step of the plot and revealing the secrets the movies did not tell.[2][3][4]

A one-hour preview consisting of two episodes aired on August 7, 2012, on Cartoon Network,[5] with the official premiere of the series on September 4, 2012.[6] A total of 40 episodes aired on Cartoon Network during the first two seasons, subtitled Riders of Berk and Defenders of Berk respectively while a third season entitled Race to the Edge debuted on Netflix on June 26, 2015.[3]

DreamWorks Dragons was announced by Cartoon Network on October 12, 2010.[7] According to Tim Johnson, executive producer for How to Train Your Dragon, the series was planned to be much darker and deeper than DreamWorks Animation's previous television series spin-offs, with a similar tone to the movie. DreamWorks Dragons was the first DreamWorks Animation series to air on Cartoon Network rather than Nickelodeon.[8]

The series features Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, T.J. Miller, and David Tennant reprising their roles from the How to Train Your Dragon film. New cast members includes Julie Marcus and Andree Vermeulen as Ruffnut (previously voiced by Kristen Wiig), Zack Pearlman as Snotlout (previously voiced by Jonah Hill), Chris Edgerly as Gobber the Belch (previously voiced by Craig Ferguson), and Nolan North as Stoick the Vast (previously voiced by Gerard Butler).

Plot

Taking place between How To Train Your Dragon and How to Train Your Dragon 2, Riders of Berk follows Hiccup as he tries to keep balance within the new cohabitation of Dragons and Vikings. Alongside keeping up with Berk's newest installment — A Dragon Training Academy — Hiccup, Toothless, and the rest of the Viking Teens are put to the test when they are faced with new worlds harsher than Berk, new dragons that can't all be trained, and new enemies who are looking for every reason to destroy the harmony between Vikings and Dragons altogether .

Characters

Dragon Riders

Other inhabitants of Berk

Villains

Secondary characters

Dragons

Episodes

Season Episodes Originally released
First released Last released
1 20 August 7, 2012 (2012-08-07) March 20, 2013 (2013-03-20)
2 20 September 19, 2013 (2013-09-19) March 5, 2014 (2014-03-05)
3 26[14] June 26, 2015 (2015-06-26) January 8, 2016 (2016-01-08)

Production

On October 12, 2010, it was announced that Cartoon Network had acquired worldwide broadcast rights to a weekly animated series based on the movie.[7] According to Tim Johnson, executive producer for How to Train Your Dragon, the series was planned to be much darker and deeper than DreamWorks Animation's previous television series spin-offs, with a similar tone to the movie, and would follow after the events of the first movie. This is the first DreamWorks Animation series to air on Cartoon Network; DreamWorks Animation's previous television series, including The Penguins of Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness, and Monsters vs. Aliens, had aired on Nickelodeon.[8]

Although it was initially announced that the series would be called Dragons: The Series,[9] the Comic Con schedule announced in June 2012 revealed the new title to be Dragons: Riders of Berk.[15] The second season of the show was titled Dragons: Defenders of Berk.[16] At the end of May 2014, DreamWorks Animation announced that in spring 2015 the series would move to Netflix instead of premiering on Cartoon Network.[3]

Reception

Critical response

Dragons: Riders of Berk has received positive reviews. Brian Lowry of Variety reviewed the series: "The program is dazzling visually, and pretty effortlessly picks up where the narrative left off," although he noted the initial episodes' "lack of actual villains" and "not-particularly-stirring array of characters".[17] Mary McNamara of Los Angeles Times said that it "retains both the personality and production value of its progenitor. Dragons promise to be lively and entertaining, with great visuals of dragons swooping and soaring." She praised its look: "It looks pretty dang spectacular even by today's standards. It's so crisply drawn and fluid that a person of a certain age would be forgiven for wondering how on earth we survived with things like Scooby-Doo and The Perils of Penelope Pitstop."[18] According to Nielsen Media Research, episodes of the first season ranked on average #1 in their timeslot among boys 2-14.[19]

Accolades

Year Association Category Nominee Result
2012 Annie Awards[20][21] Best Animated Television Production For Children Episode: "How to Pick Your Dragon" Won
Character Animation in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production Shi Zimu Nominated
Teri Yam
Yan Jiazhuang
Character Design in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production Andy Bialk (for "Alvin and the Outcasts")
Directing in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production John Eng (for "Animal House") Won
Music in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production John Paesano (for "How to Pick Your Dragon")
Storyboarding in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production Doug Lovelace (for "Portrait of Hiccup as a Buff Man")
Writing in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production Mike Teverbaugh, Linda Teverbaugh (for "Animal House") Nominated
Editorial in an Animated Television Production Lynn Hobson (for "Animal House")
2013 Primetime Emmy Award[22] Outstanding Individual Achievement In Animation – Character Design Andy Bialk Won
Annie Awards[23] Animated Effects in an Animated Production David Jones Nominated
Directing in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production Elaine Bogan
Storyboarding in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production Douglas Lovelace
Editorial in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production Lynn Hobson
2015 Annie Awards[24] Outstanding Achievement, Editorial in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production Ernesto Matamoros Nominated
2016 Annie Awards Outstanding Achievement for Character Animation in a Television/Broadcast Production Chi-Ho Chan Won
Daytime Emmy Awards Outstanding Children’s Animated Program Art Brown, Douglas Sloan, Chad Hammes and Lawrence Jonas Nominated
Outstanding Writing in an Animated Program Art Brown, Douglas Sloan
Outstanding Sound Editing - Animation Otis Van Osten, Joshua Aaron Johnson, Roger Pallan and Jason Oliver Won
Saturn Awards Best New Media Television Series Dreamworks Dragons Pending

Video game

Screenshot from Dragons: Wild Skies

A 3D Unity-based in-browser game, titled Dragons: Wild Skies, was launched on August 27, 2012, on CartoonNetwork.com.[25] Players will go through a tutorial with Hiccup, and train a Deadly Nadder, before being able to free roam around the several islands in the Barbaric Archipelago, with dragons scattered around them. The player can choose to be a blonde/brunette male or female Viking, before setting off to explore the islands. To train a dragon, players must feed the dragons correct food before doing correct gestures to gain the dragon's trust. In the game, players do not die or otherwise fail. Players complete challenges to earn gold for buying tools to obtain food for training dragons. The overworld consists of six islands, each with a unique dragon to tame. The number of dragons and worlds to explore is set to expand over time, as the series introduces more and more places and dragons...[26]

Home media

A DVD collection of the first four episodes, titled Dragons: Riders of Berk, was released on November 20, 2012.[27] The first season of the series was released on DVD in two parts on July 23, 2013. Dragons: Riders of Berk: Part 1 contained episodes from 1 to 11,[28] and Dragons: Riders of Berk: Part 2, episodes from 12 to 20.[29] In December 2013, Walmart released an exclusive pack containing the Complete 1st Season in a special edition "Toothless" plastic package.[30] A DVD collection of the first 10 episodes of the second season, titled Dragons: Defenders of Berk: Part 1, was released on March 25, 2014.[31] The second part, titled Dragons: Defenders of Berk: Part 2, was later released on May 27, 2014.[32]

References

  1. "John Paesano to Score ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ TV Series". Film Music Reporter. May 12, 2012. Retrieved June 14, 2012.
  2. Ito, Robert (September 8, 2012). "'Dragons: Riders of Berk' spreads its wings on Cartoon Network". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 11, 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 "New Seasons of DreamWorks Dragons to Take Flight on Netflix in 2015". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved May 29, 2014.
  4. Icelandiceel (May 22, 2015). "Interview with Race to the Edge Executive Producers". Berk's Grapevine. Retrieved May 23, 2015.
  5. Anders, Charlie Jane (August 6, 2012). "This Week's TV: One of our favorite animated movies of all time gets a TV show!". io9. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "DreamWorks Dragons: Riders of Berk Brings High-Flying, Fire-Breathing Fun to Cartoon Network Tuesday, Sept. 4". DreamWorks Animation. August 8, 2012. Retrieved August 9, 2012.
  7. 1 2 "Cartoon Network Soars With Worldwide Broadcast Rights To DreamWorks Animation’s How To Train Your Dragon Television Series". Cartoon Network via Business Wire. October 12, 2010. Retrieved April 22, 2012.
  8. 1 2 Fischer, Russ (January 17, 2011). "‘How to Train Your Dragon’ Producer Offers Details on First Sequel and TV Series". Slash Film. Retrieved April 22, 2012.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Cartoon Network Celebrates 20th Anniversary with Ratings Growth and a New Generation of Content for a New Generation of Kids". Reuters. March 28, 2012. Retrieved April 22, 2012.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Carp, Jesse (July 12, 2012). "Dragons: Riders of Berk Comic-Con 2012 Live Blog". Cinema Blend. Retrieved July 12, 2012.
  11. JEFF B (July 12, 2012). "Dragons of Berk will retain most of the movie cast, Nolan North takes over for Gerard Butler & Chris Edgerly replaces Craig Ferguson.". Twitter. Retrieved July 13, 2012.
  12. del Carmen, Louie (February 3, 2013). "It's Dagur the Deranged, not Dagus". Twitter. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
  13. IcelandicEel (July 27, 2012). "A New Character: Trader Johann". Berk's Grapevine. Retrieved August 4, 2012.
  14. http://www.berksgrapevine.com/2016/01/interview-with-vfx-supervisor-david.html
  15. Goldberg, Lesley (June 13, 2012). "Comic-Con 2012: The Complete TV Lineu". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 29, 2014.
  16. Zahed, Ramin (August 27, 2013). "‘Defenders of Berk’ Flies Back to CN on Sept. 19". Animation Magazine. Retrieved December 29, 2014.
  17. Lowry, Brian (September 3, 2012). "DreamWorks Dragons: Riders of Berk". Variety. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
  18. McNamara, Mary (September 4, 2012). "Review: 'Dragons: Riders of Berk' is TV with big-screen quality". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
  19. "DreamWorks Dragons Second Season to Premiere on September 19". ComingSoon.net. August 27, 2013. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
  20. "Annie Award Nominations Unveiled". Deadline. December 3, 2012. Retrieved December 4, 2012.
  21. Beck, Jerry (February 2, 2013). "Annie Award Winners". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
  22. Weisman, Jon (August 14, 2013). "Emmy Wins Come Early for ‘Adventure Time,’ ‘Portlandia,’ ‘Simpsons’". Variety. Retrieved August 14, 2013.
  23. Amidi, Amid (December 2, 2013). "Complete List of 2013 Annie Award Nominations". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
  24. Amidi, Amid (December 1, 2014). "42nd Annie Award Nominations Announced: Complete List". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
  25. "WHAT’S UP: DRAGONS SOAR AND BEN 10 GOES BIG". Cartoon Network. August 27, 2012. Retrieved August 28, 2012.
  26. "NEW DRAGONS GAME IS ONE WILD RIDE!". Cartoon Network. August 23, 2012. Retrieved August 27, 2012.
  27. Nolan, Kyle (October 9, 2012). "DRAGONS: RIDERS OF BERK Flies Onto DVD November 20". NoReruns.net. Retrieved October 10, 2012.
  28. "Dragons: Riders of Berk Part 1". Fox Connect. Retrieved June 2, 2013.
  29. "Dragons: Riders of Berk Part 2". Fox Connect. Retrieved June 2, 2013.
  30. "Dragons: Riders Of Berk - The Complete First Season (Walmart Exclusive) (Widescreen): TV Shows". Walmart.com. December 17, 2013. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
  31. Truitt, Brian (February 3, 2014). "'Dragons: Defenders of Berk' debuts on DVD March 25". USA Today. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
  32. "'Dragons: Defenders of Berk - Part 2' is Available in May!". Fanlala. April 30, 2014. Retrieved May 3, 2014.

External links

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