> I really need to revisit both score and film, though previously my affinity for Dragon 2 steadily decreased each time I watched it. That said, remember thinking the score was great but not as good as the first. Apparently this is not the right opinion, though. Will probably give the HTTYD trilogy a re-watch in January and see how 2 stacks up now.

If I recall community posts and polls accurately, people were fairly evenly split on which of the three scores they liked the most.

I do think that the Dragon sequels perhaps only really suffer in that they have to add villains. The first one didn't really have one except maybe societal intolerance, and it came before pretty much ever Disney movie became 'the villain is MISUNDERSTANDING, guys!' so it was a little more novel then. Drago was underdeveloped (with that development saved for a sequel that never happened) and Grimmel covered similar thematic ground (even though the casting of F. Murray Abraham was an inspired choice).

Also, while HTTYD 2 probably still averages out to a great film, 'good dragons under the influence of bad people do bad things' is an all-time cringe-worthy line.