Universal Pictures is remaking the DreamWorks Animation beloved 2010 animated film, “How to Train Your Dragon” into a live-action adaptation.
The writer and director of the “How to Train Your Dragon” trilogy, Dean DeBlois is returning to direct the live-action film as a shot-for-shot remake based on the 2010 animated film, according to a November 19, Hollywood Reporter article.
“How to Train Your Dragon” is yet another favorite childhood animated film of mine that needs to remain untouched and is not necessarily to be remade.
As I grew up watching the films, I fell in love with every moment of them and they had me feeling all types of emotions.
With DeBlois taking the directorial role, there is excitement for fans to look forward to.
Like the original film, the live-action will follow the journey of awkward teen Viking Hiccup through his controversial views on dragons.
The animated films take place on an isolated island called the Isle of Berk where Vikings kill dragons for their culture.
The two species have a long-standing feud due to the dragons attacking the island’s villages.
However, Hiccup later befriends a dragon named Toothless and develops a perception that dragons and humans live together in harmony.
The role of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III is set to be played by Mason Thames, according to the same Hollywood Reporter article.
An official teaser trailer of the adaptation was released this past week on Tuesday, Nov. 19 for audiences to get a glimpse of how the animation will be translated to life, according to an November 19, NBC article.
The live-action is expected to be a huge role for Thames who is starring as the main role.
Thames as Hiccup is the perfect actor to play the part.
He’s not only a good actor for the role, but his physical features mirror that of his Hiccup counterpart.
Thames overall has a similar appearance to Hiccup from the hair and facial structure.
It’s even mind boggling how he sounds like the character, and it’s a thrill to see the best match of Hiccup to be featured.
It will be compelling to see Thames’ performance of the character Hiccup hit theaters.
I’m cheering for the young actor to have a breakout role and make a name for himself.
Besides Thames, Gerard Butler was featured in the short portion of the trailer.
Butler voiced Stoick the Vast, the father of Hiccup and chief of the Isle of Berk, and will reprise his role, according to a Vulture article.
Butler’s decision to return was shocking, but I also do not imagine anyone else capable of being cast as a live-action Stoick.
He did a phenomenal job voicing during his tenure working on the franchise, so his return feels like a pinch of nostalgia for audiences who grew up watching the original films.
DeBlois made the smart call to add Thames and have Butler back as both can carry the franchise to new heights in different ways.
Both of the actors also have well-done costume designs that match exactly to the animated characters.
For example, the fur coat and long green shirt Hiccup wore in the first film hasn’t been altered one bit.
The trailer gave me flashbacks to the first time I watched the animated version.
Besides Thames and Butler making appearances in the trailer, I was stunned to see how phenomenal the visual effects turned out.
The crashing waves of the ocean, the scenic landscape of the green, rocky hills and cloudy forests makes the world of “How to Train Your Dragon” vibrant.
The different aspects of the settings shown in the teaser so far resonate with the animated settings.
The main filming location of the upcoming adaptation took place in Northern Ireland, according to the Northern Ireland Screen site.
However, it also caught my eye how stunning and life-like the dragons are. The computer-generated imagery was gorgeous as it brought the magical designs of Toothless to real life.
To make Toothless' design more realistic, the computer generated images gave his appearance a rough, patchy look compared to his smooth, shiny look in the animation.
The lovable, giant dragon seems to be simultaneously friendly and creepy, seeing how realistic he turned out to look.
However, the teaser leaves fans such as myself questioning the need for an adaptation.
The touching scenes and wonderful characters made the films memorable, and I sense that the live-action may capture that strong emotional essence.
Time will keep on ticking and millions of anxious fans like me await the film release on June 13, 2025, according to a People article.
So far from the teaser, the film remains flawless, but even still I am setting the bar low on the first live-action version of a DreamWorks movie release.
Rating: 4/5
