With Disney churning out live-action remakes of all their animated classics, it was only a matter of time before other studios jumped into the proverbial pool. DreamWorks Animation gets the ball rolling with a remake of their beloved How To Train Your Dragon series, based on the books by Cressida Cowell.
Vikings from around the world have settled on the idyllic island of Berk. Life would be paradise, if not for all the dragons. Berk’s citizens are constantly plagued by the winged beasts who burn their homes and make off with their livestock. Many have died in the struggle against the dragons including the wife of Berk’s chief Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler). Much to Stoick’s consternation, his son Hiccup (Mason Thames) hasn’t lived up to the ideals of a viking warrior. Gangly and awkward, Hiccup dreams of killing a dragon and making his father proud. What he lacks in physical strength, he makes up for with ingenuity. After designing a bolo launching catapult, Hiccup manages to take down a Night Fury, considered the most elusive and dangerous of all dragons.
Hiccup finds he hasn’t the stomach to harm the dragon when it comes time to do the deed. Soon, our young protagonist names his new friend Toothless and discovers these fire breathing creatures are not the vicious monsters they had believed.
Dean DeBlois, who co-directed the original 2010 picture with Chris Sanders (helmer of the original Lilo & Stitch), returns to write and direct the live-action adaptation. Bill Pope (The Matrix, Spider-Man) steps in as cinematographer where the great Roger Deakins served as a consultant for the animated version. Both filmmakers attempt their best to recreate the look and feel of the predecessor, right down to recreating entire shots and sequences. Perhaps, the most important returnee is composer John Powell whose musical piece, “Test Drive,” once again adds to the wonder of flight and dragon riding.
The visual effects are incredible. It truly feels like the human characters are genuinely interacting with something real and tangible. They are the antithesis of the photorealistic animals from Disney’s remakes, who are unable to emote. The dragons here, especially Toothless with his big green eyes, are adorably expressive and will instantly bring to mind fond memories of beloved pets.
Gerard Butler is the only cast member to reprise his role from the original film. Kudos to the makeup and costume departments because he literally looks the same as his cartoon incarnation. Mason Thames, following his breakout performance in Black Phone, does well as the nebbish Hiccup while Nico Parker (who, coincidentally, starred in the live-action Dumbo) brings a fierceness to his rival turned love interest Astrid. Nick Frost steps into the role of Gobber the blacksmith and Stoick’s right-hand man. The very funny Julian Dennison plays Fishlegs, a young viking with a predilection for DnD-esque stats.
The live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon comes at an opportune time. The original was released in theaters fifteen years ago. Thus, there are kiddos who probably haven’t seen it and a generation just old enough to feel nostalgic about it. Never mind that the final entry of the animated trilogy, The Hidden World, only came out in 2019. Let’s not forget Universal has just opened their new theme park in Orlando with an entire land devoted to the franchise. The new Train Your Dragon is the perfect advertisement for Epic Universe’s Isle of Berk.
Video/Audio: 10
The video is presented in 1080p with an aspect ratio of 2.39:1. It should come as no surprise that the presentation for Train Your Dragon is spectacular. Picture quality is pretty much flawless with rich details, such as the scales and green eyes of Toothless, truly shining through.
The audio is presented in Dolby Atmos. Action scenes featuring dragons roaring and breathing fire with viking weapons clashing sound robust. However, the real star is the beautiful score by John Powell, which comes through as particularly robust.
Extras: 5
Love and Legacy: Making How to Train Your Dragon (45:44) is a detailed making-of documentary that covers the casting process, how the actors got along, location shoots, and slight differences between the original and live-action remake.
Building Berk (8:06) looks at filming in Iceland and constructing the various sets to create the isle of Berk.
Fit for a Viking (5:04) features interviews with the cast and crew as they discuss costuming and makeup.
Forbidden Friendship (6:38) and Test Drive (3:32) are featurettes that break down two of the film’s most iconic sequences. They compare the finished product with on-set footage and pre-viz animatics.
Rounding out the disc are a set of deleted scenes, a brief gag reel, and a commentary track with director Dean DeBlois. He talks a lot about his background in animation and lack of experience in live-action, along with location shooting, deviations from the original film and the source material.
Film Value: 7
It’s hard to judge How to Train Your Dragon as a standalone film when everything was done so wonderfully the first time around. DeBlois’s remake doesn’t offer anything new aside from telling the same story in a slightly different format. However, the acting, cinematography, and everything else about the 2025 version is done exceptionally well.
