(Cert PG; 102 mins)

Hollywood’s tendency to flog a dead horse has made us justifiably wary of sequels but there is no need to approach How To Train Your Dragon 2 with caution.

The second film from the Cressida Cowell books is a triumph that soars far beyond a lazy re-tread of the original. It is altogether darker, richer and more complex.

Five years after the events of the first film, the idealistic Hiccup (beautifully voiced by Jay Baruchel) and his trusty companion Toothless are in a village where Vikings and dragons live in perfect harmony.

It is too good to last and that’s when the Drago Bludvist (Djimon Hounsou) appears, recruiting for his dragon army and threatening all kinds of mayhem. Hiccup sets off to secure peace but his mission escalates into a reckoning with his past when he encounters his long lost mother Valka (Cate Blanchett).

The result is a thrilling, heartwarming, beautifully crafted animated epic that leaves you wanting more.