Episodes on this DVD:
How to Start a Dragon Academy
Viking for Hire
Animal House
The Terrible Twos
This DVD came with 5 trading cards with the main dragons featured and included fun facts about them. Those were a big hit with my child who is crazy about dragons. You can, also, use the Dream Works APP on them where it "brings the dragon cards to life" which I have yet to do.
Bottom line: If your child is a How to Train Your Dragon Fan and/or you're looking for a little side gift for the holiday season then this is a winner (if you can get it for the $9.99 price).
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Dragons: Riders of Berk Part 1 picks up following the events of the feature film How to Train Your Dragon (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Dragon Double Pack) [Blu-ray] and the holiday special DreamWorks Dragons: Gift of the Night Fury / Book of Dragons Double Pack (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Online Video Game). Luckily many of the original voice cast from the feature film return to voice their characters in this Cartoon Network TV Series. The few voices that had to be recast are masterfully done to where they sound very much like their feature film counterparts. Beyond the voice acting, the stories & animation present in this 1st season are top-notch and are a great way to pass the time until the 2nd feature film due out in 2014. One touch I like is how Hiccup narrates the beginning & end of the episodes as he did in the original film.Part 1 consists of 2 discs with the 1st 11 episodes of season 1; each episode running approximately 22 1/2 minutes. Each disc features a "play all" function for the episodes. The dvd case comes with a slipcover and has two slips inside: one is a code for the Ultimate Battle Pack to be used in the online/mobile game School of Dragons (limited time offer); the other is a coupon good for $3 off on a new Defenders of Berk Action Dragon Toy (coupon valid from 7/30/13 to 1/31/14). The final 9 episodes of season 1 can be found on Dragons: Riders of Berk Part 2
I personally am very pleased with the video & audio presentation of the episodes. The audio is available only in English with Dolby Digital 5.1; subtitles are available in English, Spanish, and French. As with most, if not all, DreamWorks releases one of the special features is the World of DreamWorks Animation which features sneak peeks into other DreamWorks animation properties. Another Sneak Peeks section also includes some other animation theatrical trailers as well as a look at the Dragon toys for which the included coupon can be used. "Dragon Tracker Part 1" provides an overview of the 4 new types of dragons introduced in the included 11 episodes. "Evolution of Thunderdrum" is a behind the scenes look at the creation of one of these new dragons. The final bonus feature is a music video titled "Heavy Metal" Dragon Mash-Up.
The actual episodes on the 2 discs are as follows:
1) How to Start a Dragon Academy
2) Viking for Hire
3) Animal House
4) The Terrible Twos
5) In Dragons We Trust (part 1 of a 2 part episode)
6) Alvin and The Outcasts (part 2 of a 2 part episode)
7) How to Pick Your Dragon
8) Portrait of Hiccup as a Buff Man
9) Dragon Flower
10) Heather Report Part 1
11) Heather Report Part 2
Unfortunately for purchasers of the Dragons: Riders of Berk dvd premiere, the 4 episodes on that disc are repeated here; on the plus side that single disc release did include 5 exclusive dragon trading cards.
Regarding my rating of 4 stars, I based it mainly upon a semi-weak selection of bonus features. It would have been nice to see much more substantial behind the scenes features on the animation & voice talent behind this wonderful series along with possibly some deleted/abandoned scenes/story ideas and some episode commentaries. Offering the series in Blu-ray would have been good, too, as well as a single full season release vs 2 separate volumes.
The series, itself, I rate 5 stars and highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of the original film. And while it would have been great to have a single full season release, don't let that stop you from picking up this terrific series; the pricing is reasonable enough to allow for purchasing both volumes. Plus you'll want to get ready for the start of season 2: Defenders of Berk which begins in September. And if you haven't seen the original feature film yet, why not??? It's definitely recommended viewing and should be seen before beginning the TV series; trust me: you'll love it!
Best Deals for Dragons: Riders of Berk Volume 1, Ep. 1 "How to Start a Dragon
If you enjoyed the fist movie in this series, How To Train Your Dragon, or have been reading the book series by the same name, you will love this new addition to the mix. This DVD has some great episodes filled with both adventure and fun. I have to say that I was not even aware that they had made this into a series until I was able to review this DVD, and after seeing it, I wish I had knows, as the episodes were great(and so funny).You also have the opportunity to see and interact with some amazing new dragons that were not in the movie, which was a lot of fun as I am always impressed with the characteristics and personalities that the artists at Dreamworks have come up with, as they are all so unique which make watching this series and the original movie so much fun to watch.
Overall though this DVD is worth watching, as it adds much to the overall How To Train Your Dragon series, and I, for one, hope that they will continue this series in the future!
Honest reviews on Dragons: Riders of Berk Volume 1, Ep. 1 "How to Start a Dragon
My children loved the How to Train Your Dragon movie and they were so excited to see the legend would carry on with the new series, Dragons, Rider of Berk. Join Hiccup and Toothless through four all new adventures on the small screen. You'll see your old favorites, but you'll also get to meet some fun new characters, including new dragons. So far, the series has started out with a bang. I love how the show is loaded with excitement and adventure, but contains minimal violence so the series is appropriate for kids of all ages.My son has watched it at least five times in the week since it arrived.Episodes on this DVD include:
How to Start a Dragon Academy
Viking for Hire
Animal House
The Terrible Twos
The DVD set also comes with five cool trading cards that kids can collect and that work along with the free app that was mentioned above. All in all, a this DVD is an awesome deal and fun for the whole family.
***I received a copy of this film in exchange for a fair review. All opinions are my own. See more reviews on my blog, New Age Mama***
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Dragons: Riders of Berk Volume 1, Ep. 1 "How to Start a Dragon
This "exclusive DVD premiere" is a great preview of the television series Dragons: Riders of Berk. The series is based on the film "How to Train Your Dragon" and is set after the special "Gift of the Nightfury". This DVD contains 4 episodes from the television show as well as an in depth special about the live spectacular. The voices of Hiccup, Astrid, Fishlegs, and Tuffnut are the same actors from the movie, which to me made this even better. For the character's whose actors couldn't do the television series, I couldn't even tell the difference. I like that this series features all of the teens more and we also learn about new dragons, in preparation for the announced movies planned for 2013 and 2016.Because this is a premiere, it does not contain all of the episodes of the first season. They haven't all aired yet on tv, so I feel this is to test the waters. When the first season has aired, I would certainly consider buying it on DVD.
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