Man oh man, did I miss out on skipping the first two. I’m a single father of four, and not long on energy, having raised my kids for the last ten years alone. The day we ordered the first How to Train Your Dragon on Amazon, I fell asleep in my favorite chair, worn out from a full day of cutting lawns. The reviews were great, but I tend to focus my attention on movies I pick for myself. The second movie arrived a few years later, and I skipped that one also. This decision was based on my self-imposed rule of watching series in sequence. It wasn’t as big of a hit, but got similar glowing reviews. Then came the Netflix series. I dismissed this as a childish yet common attempt to milk every single penny from a tiring franchise. Never watched an episode. James Cameron doesn’t demand you’ve seen the first movie to enjoy the sequel, but he only makes movies once in a generation and most filmmakers don’t follow his rules.

And then came the third one. On a school day when my two other boys were at a fine arts competition, I took my special needs son (he struggles at school and doesn’t do fine arts) to see this movie. Despite coming in blind, I was able to quickly pick up on what was happening, thanks to expository dialogue and an easy enough to follow plot. And I sneaked a question or two about the hero’s flaming sword and missing leg to my son. I’ve got to say that I’m thoroughly impressed with this film.

Kids movies are meant to entertain everyone but often lack emotional depth. Even the good folks at Pixar have their slips and falls in this department. While Dreamworks’ other flagship animated franchise; Shrek, wore out its welcome by its third and fourth movies, it maintained themes of family and friendship to its last breath. This third installment in a more cautious and mature franchise is a much stronger showing. You are drawn into the friendship between Hiccup (the hero) and Toothless (his dragon), and invited to heartbreak as the plot, not at all contrived but flowing naturally out of the believable rules of this world, draws them apart.

One lesson this movie does take from the Shrek movies is that fantasy villains, while evil, cruel, and vicious, can also have comedic moments. Villains in kids movies should be intimidating but not horrifying. This movie strikes a good balance in the villain’s role while satisfying a western audience’s emotional needs. F. Murray Abraham, a lifelong villainous player, is given the narrative room to make his turn as Grimmel more than just a paying gig and garners a couple laughs along the way.

I always roll my eyes whenever movie reviewers complain about one-note characters in children’s movies. To some extent, every piece of art in this medium has one-note characters. They aren’t meant to make you yearn for their backstory or see them develop as a character. They are meant as an entertaining aside from the main characters, who can often be a bummer with their seriousness. Look no further than the Coen brothers’ films for the most magnificent crop of one-note characters who don’t do much for the plot but grasp our attention for the brief time they are on screen. HTTYD3 has plenty of one-note characters whose super objectives are simple and repetitive but who make us laugh in spite of the pompous whinging of fellow reviewers. I will say again though, this movie does like so many animated films and explains the theme of the movie through dialogue instead of letting the viewer discern it on their own. It’s done in a tender, dare I say, tear-inducing flashback scene between Hiccup and his father, so one can forgive them for this. I choked up because I’ve loved deeply and realized that loss really is part of the deal.

Making this film more mature than its lesser counterparts is the ending. Clearly it is meant to wrap up this saga and not drain the franchise of narrative juju. Have to put respect on a filmmaker who does that with a major studio at their back. More often than not, meddling by executives demands openness for a sequel. Short of a reboot, I’d say this is it. Quite a ride. Now to rent the other two and fill in some of the blanks.