In the icy, wind-swept village of New Berk, where tales of dragons drift like song in the long nights, we return to a world changed. The young Viking hero Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III – once awkward, inventive, and yearning for acceptance – now lives with his beloved dragon Toothless on quieter terms, yet the memory of their earlier adventures still echoes among his people. The film opens at a moment when children growing up in New Berk no longer look at dragons with wonder, but instead with distance or ignorance. Hiccup senses that a generation’s link with dragons, and the understanding that once defined his life, risks being forgotten.

Hiccup’s wife, the bold and steady Astrid Hofferson, stands by him when they recognise that their children – and the younger Vikings – see dragons mostly as myth or fear. Hiccup realises that the legacy of friendship between Vikings and dragons must be actively revived. In response, he plans a festive pageant for Snoggletog, the village’s winter celebration, designed to remind everyone of what dragons once meant to the people of New Berk: not just threats, but companions, teachers, and understanders of the sky. Yet the attempt to recapture the past proves more complicated than Hiccup anticipated.

Amid the preparations, Toothless returns unexpectedly, bringing with him the gentle reminder that the bond between dragon and human still endures even when unseen. Though older, Toothless remains wise and warm, and his arrival ignites hope and excitement. As the pageant unfolds, chaos breaks out: costumes catch fire, traditions are tested, and Hiccup finds himself falling off a cliff – only to be saved by Toothless. In that moment of rescue, the audience understands: dragons haven’t vanished because they were wicked, but because their story needed to be remembered. The Vikings’ hearts stir again with recognition.

The central theme of “homecoming” is therefore not just about dragons returning to New Berk, but about Hiccup and Astrid guiding their community to remember the old ways – the ways of trust, friendship, humility and awe before creatures unlike themselves. Hiccup realises that leadership means more than invention or victory: it means helping others remember what is valuable. The children’s reactions shift from indifference to wonder, and the adults begin to recognise the danger of forgetting. Dragons and Vikings alike rediscover one another in a delicate dance of rediscovery.

By the close of the story, the festival’s disaster transforms into something beautiful: a spectacle of dragons and people standing side by side, a promise renewed rather than simply fulfilled. Toothless flies away with his dragon family, and the Viking children watch in silence, newly respectful and curious. Hiccup and Astrid exchange a knowing glance: the work isn’t done, but the foundation has been laid. They realise that the voyage home is really a journey outward – outward into understanding, compassion, and shared destiny.

In the end, How to Train Your Dragon: Homecoming offers more than spectacle: it asks us to remember that bonds forged in trust cannot simply fade because time passes or traditions slacken. It reminds us that heroes like Hiccup are not defined solely by feats of daring, but by the wisdom to invite others into wonder. In a world where dragons once soared and now linger in memory, a homecoming is successful when new hearts feel the thrill of the sky once again. The story closes gently, not with a final farewell, but with a renewed beginning.