'How to Train Your Dragon 2' Doubles Down on 3D Flight

Many of the most successful 3D movies — "Avatar," "The Avengers," "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" — have one thing in common: heroes who fly. Whether its on the back of a winged beast or a broomstick, 3D is often most effective when it puts the viewer high up in the air and lets you gaze down into vertigo-inducing depths. And one movie that created that sensation of truly soaring was the original "How to Train Your Dragon."

Viking lad Hiccup and his faithful Night Fury dragon named Toothless return in the upcoming "How to Train Your Dragon 2," and according to director Dean DeBlois, the sequel uses 3D to an even greater effect. Set five years after the first installment, Hiccup (voiced again by Jay Baruchel) is in his late teens and no longer a novice dragon-rider. With his advanced flying skills — including a glider suit that lets him soar on his own — Hiccup is able to manuever faster and turn sharper than before. That means, the 3D gets to be even more immersive. DeBlois said, "We actually plan out sequences in the movie with 3D in mind. We use 3D to bring the audience closer to the experience."

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One other aspect of the experience that has changed since the first movie is the sheer number of screens around the country that are equipped for 3D. When the first movie came out in March 2010, there were only around 3,500 screens, and it had to compete against "Clash of the Titans" for space. Now, over 40% of theaters in the U.S. are 3D-equipped, and the percentage is even higher overseas. So you won't have any trouble finding a 3D showing if you want to fly with the dragons again.

"How to Train Your Dragon 2" soars into theaters on June 13.