Book of Dragons (2011)

Book of Dragons (not to be confused with the Dragon Manual) is a computer/traditionally animated short film based on the How to Train Your Dragon franchise. It was produced by DreamWorks Animation and directed by Steve Hickner. The short was released on November 15, 2011, on DVD and Blu-ray, along with Gift of the Night Fury, another short film based on the Dragons.

Plot


This film opens when Hiccup was doing a voice over about how life was before he trained a dragon in contrast with how they live their lives now. The narrative explains how their friends are now dragon trainers and how they learned more interesting knowledge about the world of dragons.

Hiccup, Astrid, and Fishlegs are sitting down (Gobber present) and take notes in the Dragon Manual when Toothless arrives at the table bringing to attention and incoming visitor. The story acts as though you are part of it. Gobber explains to you about the dragon manual and introduces different dragons and their classes. Hiccup, Astrid, and Fishlegs also narrate.

Bork the Bold was a viking with the first idea to classify dragon and he is Gobber's great-great-great grandfather. Bork the Bold was formerly known as Bork the Very Very Unfortunate hence the fact that everything he touched sprouted very very very bad luck. He could not find a suitable occupation on Berk, for he tried being a shepherd, a blacksmith, a farmer, and a fisherman, yet to be unsuccessful because of his deficient interactions with dragons.

Stoker Class
These dragons are known to be dangerous fire-breathers which include Terrible Terrors and Monstrous Nightmares. The image for Stoker class is a Monstrous Nightmare.

Bork was having a picnic and a Terrible Terror met up with him begging for chicken when a group of Terrors demanded for more. The dragons attacked and stole all the food from him. As Hiccup said you can distract a Terror by shining a light on the ground.

Bork and Miabella sat by a campfire and fried some corn on it when a Monstrous Nightmare was attracted by the scent. The dragon appeared before them, and Miabella viking warned Bork. He attacked the ferocious Nightmare with the frying pan spilling the food in the process. The Monstrous Nightmare disarmed Bork, ate the food and retreated. Bork took two pieces of corn and tried to use it as a weapon against the dragon, but failed when the dragon burned Bork by lighting himself on fire creating popcorn. Hiccup then said to befriend a Monstrous Nightmare is by giving it some respect and a gentle hand its snout.

Boulder Class
Boulder Class dragons are known to be tough, rock-eating dragons such as Gronkles and Whispering Deaths. The symbol for Boulder class is a Gronkle.

Gronckles, as mentioned by Fishlegs, is known to have 5 stages of maturity. First is the Egg, then the Tiny Tooth, the Short Wing, the Broad Wing, and finally the Titan Wing. Hiccup first said he won't do anything if you feed him some Dragon nip.

These dragons strike from underground as showed when Bork was on a date with the same unnamed, female viking when Whispering Deaths teared through the ground, launching the female viking in the air. As she landed safely, Bork took a large mallet and pounded the two dragons back into their hole, yet to fail again when one of the dragons came back up and burned him to ashes. The female viking then watered him to revive him once again. Fishlegs then say that if you brush it's teeth itll be your friend forever.

Fear Class
These dragons are sneaky and deadly at the same time. Hypothetically, the image for Fear class is a Hideous Zippleback.

Bork was chasing his trusted sheep, Willie, into a cave that was unexpectedly a Zippleback's lair. The dragon caught the attention of Bork and Bork pulled out a sword trying battling both heads. The Zippleback caused an explosion and defeated Bork. You may be able to befriend a Hideous Zippleback if you feed and play with both heads at once, keeping them occupied.

Bork was in a field raking leaves when a Snaptrapper attracted him through the smell of chocolate. The third head ate him and the entire dragon shed their scales, shed their claws, and grew them back, before spitting out Bork. He met again with a Snaptrapper when a storm came. Bork made a discovery that Snaptrappers love rain as the dragon played in the mud, spraying the mud all over Bork.

Sharp Class
Dragons that are known to possess razor sharp qualities and possess a generous dose of vainity. The image for Sharp class is a Deadly Nadder,but if you look at it closely it also looks like a Skrill.

A Deadly Nadder approached Bork as he held up a shield trying to protect himself from the fierce dragon. The Nadder looked at his/her reflection in the shield and favored it proving that these dragons have vanity. Then Astrid says that if you walk near a Deadly Nadder's sharp poison thorn tail and show that you're not a threat it will lower its thorns and let you touch its tail.

This dragon has massive razor sharp wings that could cut through a forest of trees like a guillotine. Bork was running from one of them and when he tried to hide behind a tree, it was sliced into pieces and he narrowly got away. However, its massive wing span makes it impossible for the Timberjack to scratch its back and if you scratch his itch, he'll be your friend forever.

Tidal Class
A class of dragons that live under underwater. A Scauldron is used as a symbol of the Tidal Class.

Bork was fishing in his boat and he had a big pile of fish, but Scauldrons kept eating his fish and accidentally took some bites out of his boat and he sank. Scauldrons swallow water and boil it in their cauldron like stomachs and can shoot it out at high velocity. A good way to befriend a Scauldron is to douse yourself with water and they'll lick it off because it reminds them of home.

When Bork was ice fishing, he came across a Thunderdrum nest with an egg and tried to open it, but it hatched and created a powerful explosion that sent him flying. Thunderdrums can glide through the water like a tornado and fire a powerful sonic blast.

Mystery Class
No one really knows what these dragons can do, and have very mysterious personalities. A Changewing appears to be the symbol of the Mystery Class.

This dragon has the ability to change skin color and blend with its environment, it takes a very keen eye to spot one, they also display mimicing behavior and whatever they see, they love to copy. Bork met one when he was building a fire and the Changewing was right there and when he saw him blow into the fire, he blew fire and torched him. They also have the ability to spit acid and hypnotise people.

While Bork was collecting dragon bones, the dragon was quietly grabbing them and then came out with a full armor of bone and it roared at him. They have ear spliting roars but can only do so with complete armor. Gobber says the best way to defeat them is to use force. As the teens tease him, Gobber admits that a good way to train them is to give him whatever he's looking for and he becomes like an oversized puppy dog, which they learned firsthand in Legend of the BoneKnapper Dragon.

Strike Class
These dragons are best known for their light type of body, pin-point accuracy, lightning speed, millimetric strategy, unstoppable attack, unbelievable endurance and extreme intelligence. A Night Fury is used as a symbol for this class. (Should be Toothless as its got a tail wing missing. Though, if it was before Hiccup befriended Toothless, then it is an error, as Berk has not seen a Night Fury before.)

They appear only in electrical storms and are able to shoot blasts of white fire, and if you get close to a Skrill, your hair with stand on ends. Bork met one while he was playing with Willie, and then the Skrill walked up next to them, and he caused their hair to stand up. They are tatics and accurates mainly but all of the advantages of Strike Class are powerful.

The so called 'unholy offspring of lightning and death', although Gobber comments that the book definitely needs some updating. Night Furies shoot bolts of purple fire, can fly faster than any other known dragon, and are invisible in the night. Hiccup explains that the way he trained Toothless was first to get his attention then he had to earn his trust.

Hiccup explains that thanks to Toothless, now vikings know what it's like to fly, and that he became his friend that gave him his purpose, but he has never seen another Night Fury. Gobber tells them that everything they know about dragons was because of Bork being very unfortunate, and he came up with the idea to write about them in a book, and soon 'Bork of Dragons' became Book of Dragons, and that it's a very big part of their culture. He also explains that other generations will learn about dragons from what they write in the book, Hiccup then comments that he should finish the Night Fury pages, and that there are still a lot to learn about them. Fishlegs gets excited and wants to know how fast Toothless can go, and then Hiccup says that he doesn't know his top speed, but then Toothless bounces around excitedly and Hiccup asks him if he wants to find out and then they both run off. Astrid follows them saying that the last one to the peak has to clean the stables, and Fishlegs follows because he wants to see, Gobber then comments on how he wished he was young, wild, and had most of his limbs, and then he turns to the viewer and tells them that they are ready to train their first batch of dragons, and the viewer turns to see a bunch of dragons and the story ends.

Voice Cast

 * Jay Baruchel as Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III
 * Craig Ferguson as Gobber the Belch
 * America Ferrera as Astrid Hofferson
 * Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Fishlegs Ingerman
 * Jonah Hill as Snotlout Jorgenson