Movie: How to Train Your Dragon

Discussions around the live action remake of the originally animated movie trilogy How to Train Your Dragon have a common theme.

It’s entertaining and enjoyable but why make it?

Cynics may say it is to make money!  After all the animated How to Train Your Dragon franchise, inspired by Cressida Cowell’s best-selling books, has grossed more than $US1.6 billion at the global box-office.

But according to director Dean Deblois (who also directed the animated trilogy) there are other reasons.

“I decided to revisit How to Train Your Dragon because it presented a remarkable opportunity—not only to direct a live-action film, but to return to a world I’ve genuinely missed,” he explains.

“These characters and this universe have stayed with me, and now we can bring them back with such authenticity and conviction that, when audiences enter this world, they’ll never want to leave.

“We approached this adaptation with profound respect for what came before, while daring to imagine what could be. It’s a story that captures the magic of flying, the courage to question what we’re taught and the wonder of discovering something extraordinary within yourself. That’s what How to Train Your Dragon has always been about—and what this film delivers in a way audiences have never seen before.”

Fans of the original animated movie may notice a few tweaks in this new production but basically the storyline is the same albeit a little longer – the new movie runs for around 20 minutes longer than the original.

Life changes for everyone on the rugged isle of Berk, where Vikings and dragons have been bitter enemies for generations, when a young shy but clever and inventive lad named Hiccup (Mason Thames) befriends Toothless, a feared Night Fury Dragon.

Hiccup is the son of the chief of the Vikings chief Stoick (Gerard Butler) whose life ambition is to destroy all dragons.

Wanting to please his father, Hiccup invents a machine to slay dragons. However, on finding the dragon he injured, Hiccup discovers he can’t kill it. Instead, he helps it recover from its injuries. Naming it Toothless, the two form a bond and Hiccup discovers dragons aren’t the evil creatures they have been made out to be.

This belief is at odds with all those in the village, including his father, who already see the unpopular Hiccup as being weak and ineffectual. These thoughts especially apply to Hiccup’s peers – Astrid (Nico Parker), Ruffnuts (Bronwyn James), Tuffnuts (Harry Trevaldwyn) Fishlegs (Julian Dennison) and Snotlouts (Gabriel Howell).  About his only supporter is Gobber (Nick Frost) who understands Hiccup’s personality better than anyone.

Hiccup’s friendship with Toothless and the eventual relationship with the fierce Astrid become the keys to forging a new future for dragons and the Vikings although there are plenty of ‘hiccups’ along the way!

While the script’s tweaks spend more time establishing the background of the Vikings’ settlement on Berk and Astrid’s backstory, the greatest difference between the two versions is, of course, the emotions human actors can portray as opposed to animated characters. All the leads successfully bring their character’s thoughts and idiosyncrasies to life.

As a result, we have a greater understanding of Astrid’s story and appreciate more the complex relationship between Hiccup and his father.

Then, of course, there is the technology, including CGI, which wasn’t around when the original movie was made.

There are numerous spectacular action scenes featuring fighting and flying dragons.  Key scenes were shot with large-format IMAX cameras, amplifying the sense of scale. Watching the movie on an IMAX screen ensured those scenes were particularly impressive.

It’s these scenes together with the chance to see humans portray those characters fans of the franchise grew up with, that is likely to ensure How to Train Your Dragon is another box office hit whether or not there is a need for it.

How to Train Your Dragon opens in Australian cinemas on Thursday June 12.

*© 2025 Universal Studios