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It’s been 15 years since DreamWorks released the animated adventure How to Train Your Dragon. After releasing a pair of follow-up films, the studio decided to follow in Disney’s footsteps—taking the beloved animated adventure and giving it the live-action treatment.
How to Train Your Dragon returns to Berk, a village built into the rocky seaside, where fearless Vikings face off against vicious dragons. The chief, Stoick (Gerard Butler), is known as the fiercest of warriors—but his son, Hiccup (Mason Thames), is weak and accident-prone and generally disappointing to his father. All Hiccup wants is to use his own inventions to fight dragons like his father—until he befriends an injured Night Fury dragon and discovers that dragons might not be the ruthless enemies that the people of Berk have made them out to be.
When he isn’t training to be a warrior with the other kids from the village, Hiccup is spending time with his dragon friend, Toothless—fixing his broken tail, learning more about him, and eventually creating a saddle that will allow him to fly on the dragon’s back. The story is identical to the animated original, following the growing friendship between the young Viking and the dragon, along with the growing tensions in the village.
Some live-action remakes try to change things up to make the new film new and fresh—only to end up angering fans. But this one takes the opposite stance by keeping everything exactly the same—only changing the way the story is presented. While some may question the point of making the same movie twice, faithful fans of the original will love being able to experience a beloved animated film in a new way. The sets are strikingly beautiful, and the CGI dragons are stunning. The casting, too, is perfect—from Mason Thames, who looks exactly like a human version of the animated character, to original voice actor Gerard Butler, who looks appropriately imposing as Stoick. And there’s just something about seeing it all come to life on a big screen (better yet: in an IMAX theater) that makes it all worthwhile.
This live-action remake may not add anything new to the original How to Train Your Dragon, but it manages to take the personality and charm of the animated film and present it in a whole new way. It’s a fun (and often breathtaking) new take on a lovable animated adventure.
You can take flight with Hiccup and Toothless when How to Train Your Dragon soars into theaters on June 13, 2025.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
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