July 22nd: How to Train Your Dragon
How to Train Your Dragon
Released: 2025
Directed by: Dean DeBlois
Starring: Mason Thames, Gerard Butler, Nico Parker, Nick Frost
Disney has made a pattern of remaking their animated classic films into live-action/CGI blockbusters. I understand the reasoning on one level: it allows a new generation of filmgoers to experience these classic stories while, of course, making a boatload of money in the process. Some work very well, such as The Jungle Book, while others, like Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and Cinderella, are more hit and miss. Some, like Mulan and Pinocchio, are outright failures. Then there is The Lion King, which is such a shot-for-shot remake that it is virtually the same film. How to Train Your Dragon falls much closer to that category.
The original How to Train Your Dragon is a modern classic. As I prepared to watch this movie, I told others that I am physically unable to dislike Toothless. And that says more about the design and writing of the character than anything. So going into this, I already held the original in high regard which gives a remake like this both an advantage — I love the characters and the story — and a disadvantage — I love the original characters and original story.
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Right off the bat, the casting is excellent. Gerard Butler slips effortlessly back into the role of Stoick, while Mason Thames is a strong fit for Hiccup. The rest of the villagers are well cast, too. The dragons, however, are a bit more of a mixed bag. They look like more “realistic” versions of their animated counterparts, but in the process lose some of the charm that made the originals so endearing. The story remains virtually beat for beat the same, with only a handful of additions. New supporting characters help flesh out the village, and Snotlout is given a father whose expectations provide a clearer explanation for his arrogance and abrasive personality. Overall, the film succeeds as a new way to tell the same story.
Small Observations:
- John Powell returns to compose the score, reusing many of the original’s iconic themes, including “Test Drive,” while reworking them just enough to feel fresh. He even introduces a new song with lyrics — “You Are My Homeward” — that fits seamlessly alongside the rest of the score. It’s like Powell is covering his own music, and the result is every bit as moving as the original.
- Some people take issue with multiracial casting in fantasy films. I don’t. I think it makes fantasy worlds richer and more interesting. How to Train Your Dragon goes a step further by actually explaining how people of East Asian and African descent came to Berk, making the diversity feel like a natural part of the world’s history. If you’re creating a fantasy world, why not create one where people from different backgrounds are simply accepted as part of that world?
- One thing the live-action format changes is the sense of peril. When the Red Death emerges from the volcano, the destruction has real consequences, even showing several Vikings killed by a massive boulder. The original film largely avoided depicting human casualties, so the climax carries a heavier sense of danger.
- MCU actors: 1 plus one from Deadpool 2
Overall Rank: A
Not matching up with a classic is not the same as being a bad film. Few family films can compare with the original How to Train Your Dragon. Despite lacking some of the charm of its predecessor, this is still a fun and faithful retelling of a great story. Recommended.
