REVIEW: “DreamWorks Dragons: The Nine Realms” – More Questions Than Answers. So Far

REVIEW: “DreamWorks Dragons: The Nine Realms” – More Questions Than Answers. So Far

December 22nd, 2021

W.R. Miller

When it comes to dragons, there’s no stopping DreamWorks Animation. Based on the best-selling How to Train Your Dragon novels by Cressida Cowell, the franchise has so far spawned three feature films with a combined box-office take of $1.6 billion worldwide, five short films, a “Snoggletog Log” video and a 118-episode TV series collectively titled DreamWorks Dragons. A streaming spinoff, DreamWorks Dragons: Rescue Riders, offers a separate continuity with talking dragons, which so far tallies 32 episodes and three specials. The franchise has also generated video games, an ice show, an arena show, several theme park attractions worldwide, and of course, a plethora of merchandise.

Now comes DreamWorks Dragons: The Nine Realms, which ties in with the original How to Train Your Dragon films, occurring 1300 years after the end of How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. In this series, the characters skew towards more toward the realistic, and away from the wacky Vikings of Berk.

If the design motif for both humans and dragons resemble the How to Train Your Dragon designs, it’s no accident. A DreamWorks spokesman says, “The show’s aim was to keep the unique design language of the franchise intact as it was modernized. It was important to the team to maintain the signature DreamWorks Dragons look for this series as well. Nico Marlet, who worked on all three features and Race to the Edge, consulted on dragon designs for the series.”

The scenario is this: A comet grazes the Earth, rupturing its surface with a trench over seven miles in depth. How this affects the rest of the planet has yet to be revealed. Likewise, the trench’s location is somewhere in the northern hemisphere; the specifics are not provided. Possibly Norway, possibly the island area where the dragons have their underground world. The mysterious RAKKE Corporation sponsors a research site at the trench called Project ICARIS—International Crevasse And Research Investigation Station—outfitted with the latest high-tech gadgetry, including camera-mounted and laser-firing drones. Whether the RAKKE execs have an ulterior motive is currently unknown.

So, who do we root for this time? Well, almost everyone. There are no megalomaniacs as there were in the earlier series. The conflicts come from establishing social relationships, dealing with hostile dragons, coping with earthquakes, and discovering the cause of those earthquakes, which DreamWorks prefers journalists not to disclose. Though, the motivation behind the cause remains a mystery and, without further information, makes no sense.

Further conflict comes from kids breaking the safety rules. Yes, some of the adults running the station have brought along their offspring. It’s a child endangerment issue due to the hazardous nature of the fissure. So why bring the kids? Probably because without them, you wouldn’t have a TV show. Supposedly, kid viewers can’t relate to older characters. And it’s a conceit the show promotes. The kids feel they can’t trust their parents—mostly scientists!—with their discovery of, and relationship with, the dragons. Never trust anyone over 30.

Our lead is Tom Kullersen (Jeremy Shada), whose mother Olivia (Julia Stiles) discovered the massive fissure. Tom is a lad with compassion for animals and a passion for reckless behavior. Of Norwegian descent, he has a Viking helmet with dragon insignia. Could it be he’s a descendant of Hiccup from the original series? Does Project Icaris have access to historical artifacts from Berk? Could Tom reconstruct the gadgets invented by Hiccup?

And what happened to Berk and its outposts, anyway? A DreamWorks representative will only reveal, “Artifacts from the Vikings of Berk do remain. But after the dragons returned to the Hidden World, stories about them have become the myths and legends that permeate cultures around the globe.”

Tom’s girl friend is Jun Wong (Ashley Liao), who have reunited from their elementary school days. Jun is more practical-minded. She’s like Boo-Boo Bear, as in, “The Ranger’s not going to like it, Yogi.” Her mom, May (Lauren Tom), runs the ICARIS facility. Her diminutive size, attitude and fashion sense recalls Edna Mode from The Incredibles.

Tom and Jun team with D’Angelo Baker (Marcus Scribner), a socially-awkward type yet is a bastian of responsibility; you want this guy on your side. He takes after his father, Philip (Keston John), the strict, by-the-book Security Chief, who has his hands full keeping the kids in line.

Showrunner and executive producer John Tellegen stresses the show’s diversity, and in continuing that commitment, we have Alexandra Gonzalez (Aimee Garcia), a shy Hispanic girl with two moms, one White, the other Black. Alexandra is also the requisite eccentric computer genius with the obligatory talent for hacking—though not as wacky as Ed from Cowboy Bebop.

As the series unfolds, Tom and his friends meet dragons they find in the crevasse. How do they “train” their dragons? By the “Androcles and the Lion” method. Pull the metaphorical thorn from their paw and they’ll bond with you for life. And luckily, each dragon seems to be a perfect match for their human friend.

Tom pairs with a Night Fury he names Thunder, who for some unknown reason is not the alpha male of the dragons. Jun teams with a two-headed dragon she names Wu and Wei, one head breathing fire and the other, ice. D’Angelo’s dragon has a spike snout; he’s called Plowhorn. Alexandra’s dragon is named Feathers, who has the power to turn invisible.

Viewers may find these modern kids more relatable than the goofy Vikings of Berk. More than that, Peacock wants the viewers to relate to the dragons as well, and to this end, they’ve posted a promotional video, Which Dragon Are You?:

Tom and his friends discover the dragons’ Hidden World—though whether it’s the same entrance accessed by Hiccup and Toothless, or a spur to it, remains a mystery. The kids agree that the adults are too irresponsible to know about the existence of the dragons. Whether they succeed in keeping the Hidden World a secret remains to be seen.

Another question beckons, and that’s to be found in the show’s title. What are the Nine Realms? In Norse cosmology, the Nine Realms are listed as follows:

• Asgard – Realm of the Aesir
• Alfheim – Realm of the Bright Elves
• Jotunheim – Realm of the Giants
• Midgard – Realm of the Humans
• Muspelheim/Muspell – A fire-giant or the forces of chaos or their realm
• Nidavellir – Realm of the Dwarves
• Niflheim – Realm of Ice and Mist possibly with lower realm of Niflhel
• Svartalfheim – Realm of the Black Elves
• Vanaheim – Realm of the Vanir

How does this relate to the dragons, or for that matter, to our human heroes? That has yet to be revealed. The significance of “The Nine Realms” suggests an epic saga in the making. Including the six so far, it has yet to be announced how many episodes—or even films—the overall story arc will encompass.

This is just the beginning.

DreamWorks Dragons: The Nine Realms premieres on the Peacock and Hulu streaming services on Thursday, December 23th, 2021.

Special thanks to DreamWorks Animation and Peacock.

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W.R. Miller

W.R. Miller - known informally as “Bob” – has written for Starlog, Comics Scene, Animation Magazine and Animation World Magazine. Bob has been involved in animation for two decades, as a writer, character animator, special effects animator, and storyboard artist - For more information about Bob, check his website: http://wrmilleronline.com/.

He has just completed Batman: The Animated Interviews, a five-volume work featuring the executives, producers, directors, writers, actors, designers, storyboard artists and composers involved with the making of Batman: The Animated Series and its spinoffs. BearManor Media is the publisher.