TRAILER: Hiccup and Toothless Soar Again 'How to Train Your Dragon 2'

My general dislike of DreamWorks Animation is no secret. I think the studio prefers to cash in on sequels instead of creating original movies, and relies too heavily on lazy pop culture references that won't stand the test of time. Try watching Shark Tale today. That entire movie is based on the premise "Will Smith is a fish." How will that work twenty years from now? Now ask that same question of any non-Cars Pixar movie. Or any classic Disney animated film. To become timeless you need to demand more of your work than just fart jokes and references to topical humor.

All of that said, I consider DreamWorks' How to Train Your Dragon to be an animated movie that outclasses Pixar offerings like Cars, Cars 2 and Brave. Sure, the movie has flashes of DreamWorksness, but the strength of the Hiccup and Toothless characters and the bond between them elevates the film beyond anything the studio has done since The Prince of Egypt.

With How to Train Your Dragon 2 on its way, I'm eager to see how DreamWorks continues the story. The majority of the first film's cast, including Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrara, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Jonah Hill, Kristen Wiig and TJ Miller are all back. Game of Thrones' Kit Harrington is playing a yet-to-be-revealed villain. As long as the people working on the movie are aiming to exceed the quality of the first movie and not just its box office gross, How to Train Your Dragon 2 should deliver.

The first trailer for the movie debuted on Friday. Head past the jump to check it out. How to Train Your Dragon 2 hits theaters on June 20, 2014.