“These characters and this universe have stayed with me,” says Dean DeBlois, writer, director and producer of How To Train Your Dragon, “and now we can bring them back with such authenticity and conviction that, when audiences enter this world, they’ll never want to leave.”
Indeed, with one of animation’s most beloved trilogies behind it, How to Train Your Dragon is spreading its dragon wings once more — this time in live-action. Directed by the original trilogy’s mastermind Dean DeBlois, this reimagining brings the myth and magic of Berk into sharper focus, while retaining all the heart, humour and heroism that made the original soar. With a cast led by rising stars and returning icons, photorealistic dragons, and the kind of emotional storytelling that hits like a Viking axe to the chest, the live-action How To Train Your Dragon is not a remake—it’s a rebirth.
With such a legacy behind it, when DeBlois decided to return to Berk, it wasn’t a decision made lightly. The three-time Oscar® nominee spent over a decade building the animated trilogy into one of the most emotionally resonant fantasy sagas in cinema. But the chance to bring that world to life in a new form was irresistible. “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,” DeBlois reveals.
It helps that this return is built on more than nostalgia. The live-action film doesn’t just echo the past—it deepens it. For those who grew up watching Hiccup and Toothless defy tradition, the story now resonates with a more tangible gravity. “How to Train Your Dragon is about finding the courage to see beyond fear and convention,” DeBlois explains. “Hiccup’s journey shows us the power of questioning what we’re taught and embracing the possibility of something greater.”
Hiccup’s journey is now led by The Black Phone’s Mason Thames, whose portrayal of Hiccup adds lived-in emotion to the inventive Viking outsider. “Hiccup is such an ambitious kid,” Thames explains. “He looks at all the Vikings and thinks, ‘That’s who I want to be.’ But no matter how hard he tries, he’s not like them. Especially with his dad as the leader of the village, he feels like there’s so much to live up to. When he finally embraces what makes him different, that’s when his story truly comes alive.”
That transformation is powered by one of fantasy cinema’s great friendships: Hiccup and Toothless. The pair’s bond has always been the heart of the franchise, and in live-action, it’s more moving than ever. “The bond between Hiccup and Toothless is the soul of the story,” DeBlois nods. “Their connection is transformative—it’s what allows Hiccup to find his true strength and redefine what it means to be a Viking.”
To bring Toothless to life, the filmmakers leaned on cutting-edge visual effects and creature realism that had a goal of feeling like youngsters felt when seeing dinosaurs for the first time in Jurassic Park. “The animated dragons were stunning, but today’s technology lets us achieve photorealism with unparalleled detail,” producer Marc Platt explains. “Dean has always been a master of creating lifelike, emotionally resonant creatures, and this time he has the tools to fully realise his vision.”
“The key is grounding the dragons in familiar animal behaviors,” DeBlois adds. “By drawing inspiration from cats, dogs, horses and other animals, we’ve created creatures that feel authentic even though they’re fantasy creatures. Each dragon has a unique personality, and they live within a real, grounded world.”
That grounded world isn’t limited to creatures. From the wind-lashed cliffs of Berk to the roaring fires of its forges, the environments ground the fantasy in Viking grit. “Real environments add weight and believability,” producer Adam Siegel says. “When you see characters at the edge of a cliff, the stakes feel immediate because the world around them is tangible.”
Seeing Berk come to life arguably isn’t going to feel as profound as it does to Cressida Cowell, author of the How To Train Your Dragon book series. “Walking through the village of Berk or into the blacksmith’s forge was like stepping into a dream,” Cowell remembers. “The attention to detail—the wear on the tools, the weathered wood of the buildings—made everything feel alive. It was extraordinary.”
The human drama of How To Train Your Dragon is no less crucial—and for that, DeBlois turned to a cast that blends fresh talent with familiar faces. Nico Parker (The Last of Us) brings fierce intelligence to Astrid. “Astrid is brilliant—smart, quietly confident and completely self-assured,” Parker explains. “What I admire most about her is that although she’s incredibly focused and set in her ways, she’s also open to change.”
British genre legend Nick Frost, meanwhile, delivers both heart and hilarity as Gobber the Belch. “Gobber’s humor is his shield,” Frost says of his character. “In a society where any day could be your last, you either become numb to the danger or you find a way to embrace it. Gobber does both.”
And then, of course, there’s Gerard Butler. Returning from the animation as Stoick the Vast, Hiccup’s formidable father, Butler offers a sense of continuity that ties both versions of the story together. “I love this franchise so much—I’m deeply invested in it,” Butler says. “For most of my acting career, I’ve been part of this project, watching it grow from a seed into something truly beloved. It has captivated generations with its emotional complexity, beauty, inspiration, heartbreak and thrills. Being part of this journey has felt like belonging to a family, and I’ve always seen myself as a guardian of this story.”
For Butler, stepping into Stoick’s boots—this time in flesh, mud, and blood—was transformational. “In animation, my performance could only go so far,” he reflects. “But stepping into live-action has been completely different. Now, I’m physically in the scene, looking into Hiccup’s eyes, reacting in real time. There’s so much more complexity I can bring—so much is said in a glance, in silence, in simply listening.”
The result is a father-son dynamic that pulses with emotional depth. As Hiccup’s peaceful ideals clash with his people’s – and his father’s – traditional ways, a larger threat looms that forces dragons and Vikings to unite or fall. “In Cressida’s books, Vikings and dragons shared a complicated history—they’re both enemies and allies,” DeBlois says. “Our story focuses on the moment that relationship begins to shift. Hiccup becomes the first to break from his people’s traditions and see these creatures not as enemies, but as potential partners. It’s a leap of faith that transforms everything.”
That transformation is mirrored in the film’s global sensibility. “Dragon myths exist in cultures all over the world,” Siegel notes. “That gave us the chance to bring in influences from many traditions and make this world feel even more diverse and interconnected.”
For Cowell, the story’s essence remains deeply personal. “It’s funny to say, but How to Train Your Dragon is largely autobiographical,” Cowell reveals. Cowell spent her summers on a remote Scottish island where Viking myths and wild nature were her daily companions. “I couldn’t help but imagine dragons flying overhead or Viking ships appearing on the horizon,” she remembers.
It’s that sense of wonder—the belief that the fantastical can feel utterly real—that steers How to Train Your Dragon into its new chapter. “My hope is that audiences who loved these characters in animation will discover them all over again,” DeBlois says. “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.”
How to Train Your Dragon is out now in cinemas
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