Real quick: Is it as good as the first one? No. Is it still at least pretty good? Yes.
What Works: The first one felt more like a contemporary classic, and altogether more coherent with really clean scenes that work no matter how many times you see them. This one is a bit more scattershot, and altogether less satisfying. However, there are still visuals that will astound you. I particularly loved the massive ice dragon or “King” dragon.
What Doesn’t: Note the first two sentences of “What Works.” There’s an overall lack of wonder that the first film had in spades (the dragon competitions, Hiccup flying for the first time, following the dragons to the lair), and the character of Hiccup’s mom doesn’t really add much. It makes the classic sequel mistake of making it all about the action, and very little about anything else.
What I Would Have Done Differently: Don’t get me wrong, I would still recommend this film, but I think other animated sequels (like Kung Fu Panda 2 or Toy Story 3) have done a much better job of capturing the spirit of their originals.
I liked this movie the first time and now I also like the second one. The visuals were terrific, just like you said………….