Live-action remakes of popular animated films have devolved into soulless cash grabs over the last decade. This is mainly thanks to Disney‘s ouroboros-like strategy of recycling its iconic animated library to generate a guaranteed profit from nostalgia. Coming after this year’s Snow White and Lilo & Stitch remakes, it’s easy to initially disregard How to Train Your Dragon (2025) as an inevitable start to the next chapter of Hollywood’s creative bankruptcy. DreamWorks and Universal are finally jumping on this trend, meaning that more beloved animated franchises will soon be considered for a live-action reimagining. However, in revisiting his own animated masterpiece, filmmaker Dean DeBlois dares to ask: What if these remakes actually had a soul and purpose?
Discussing 2025’s How to Train Your Dragon online has already proven to be difficult. The original animated movie, which reunited directors Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders (The Wild Robot) after 2002’s Lilo & Stitch, debuted only 15 years ago. Passionate fans who are against this remake even existing primarily fall within the millennial to Gen Z age ranges. To be frank, their hatred and repugnance are probably fueled by the pure dread of seeing another treasured story from their childhoods mauled by corporate greed on the big screen. These fans have the right to feel that way, in all honesty. How can you blame them, given how utterly mediocre to offensively bad previous live-action remakes have been?
A Live-Action Remake with Heart and Epic Visual Spectacle
If you have already chosen not to see How to Train Your Dragon (2025) solely on principle, that’s perfectly fine. Whether it’s because you don’t want to support live-action remakes, you’re too personally biased to be swayed, or both, those reasons are all valid! However, those who give the film a chance will be pleasantly surprised. This might seem like a shocker, but it is, in fact, possible to bring a cherished animated classic to life in live-action with high respect and a beautiful cinematic scale. That first part is usually not a problem with these projects, as adhering too closely to the original movie for the sake of “honor” can equally be a remake’s salvation and downfall.
Saying that 2025’s How to Train Your Dragon greatly honors the original animated film isn’t that straightforward of a statement, considering that writer-director Dean DeBlois returned to adapt his own work in a different medium. DeBlois has spoken widely about his private regrets over the first movie’s rushed production, as well as his desire to expand the franchise’s lore and certain plotlines. In this regard, his updated script succeeds in further fleshing out the narrative. All of these new nuances in character and worldbuilding are integrated organically, as if they had been clear in DeBlois’ mind for years. But the real question is whether these additions are enough to warrant a remake when the plot is exactly the same.
The Timeless Story Remains the Same
Based on the famed children’s book series by Cressida Cowell, the story of How to Train Your Dragon is timeless; there’s no denying that. The young Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III (Mason Thames) finds himself overlooked by his father, Chief Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler), on the Isle of Berk. Vikings and dragons have been sworn enemies for generations here, but Hiccup doesn’t have it in him to kill one. When injuring a Night Fury, the deadliest and most elusive of all dragon breeds, by chance, he tries to make the ultimate name for himself. Instead of following in his dad’s footsteps as a fierce dragon killer, though, Hiccup forms an unlikely bond with the unusual-looking beast, naming him Toothless.
Through their newfound friendship, Hiccup and Toothless defy centuries of Viking tradition. Dragons and Vikings can coexist and thrive together, but it’s going to take a whole village for Hiccup to convince his stubborn father of this truth. With the help of the fearless Astrid Hofferson (Nico Parker) and the rest of their fellow students in dragon-fighting training — Fishlegs Ingerman (Julian Dennison), Ruffnut Thorston (Bronwyn James), Tuffnut Thorston (Harry Trevaldwyn), and Snotlout Jorgenson (Gabriel Howell) — Hiccup sets out shape a better for future for Berk as the first ever dragon rider. If it wasn’t already obvious, this is the exact same plot as the original film. This is where How to Train Your Dragon (2025) may lose viewers.
Changing Too Much Vs. Not Changing Enough
The most divisive aspect of live-action remakes is the extent to which they deviate from the original story. The recent Lilo & Stitch remake stirred controversy for altering (and removing) fan-favorite characters and changing the original’s heartwarming ending. Meanwhile, How to Train Your Dragon (2025) has already been scrutinized for not changing enough based on early reactions. Neither side of this spectrum is definitively correct. Live-action remakes should be encouraged to diverge more from the original in the service of adapting to a different storytelling medium. It’s simply that remakes, like Aladdin (2019), Mulan (2020), Peter Pan & Wendy (2023), and Lilo & Stitch, have made such bizarre or outright terrible adaptational decisions to the point of alienating audiences.
While the live-action How to Train Your Dragon remake plays it safe in terms of plotting, it makes a noble effort to offer alternative characterizations. This is where leads Mason Thames (The Black Phone) and Nico Parker (HBO’s The Last of Us) are allowed to shine and own the roles of Hiccup and Astrid. The two convey genuine teenage angst and bring a shared vulnerability that translates differently in live-action than it would in animation. In this version, Astrid holds more resentment towards Hiccup for having an easier life as the chief’s son. Despite his good intentions, Hiccup can’t see through his naivety, making his struggle to reach out not only to her but also to his father palpable.
“Gerard Butler Commands Every Scene with Ease”
By the time Hiccup and Astrid reach the highs of their enemies-to-lovers arc, the emotions feel just as genuine, but transpire differently. Similarly, Mason Thames and Gerard Butler (Den of Thieves, 300) bring their father-son dynamic to life with grace. Butler, who is reprising his role from the animated film, is having a total blast in full Viking armor. Unsurprisingly, Butler commands every scene with ease; his screen presence remains as magnetic as ever. His reprisal of Stoick justifies itself in his quieter moments with Thames’ Hiccup, though. The duo captures a special intimacy in their interactions, filled with charming humor and even tragic heartbreak. It’s a sweet and effective alternative to their relationship in the animated version.
Cornetto trilogy star Nick Frost also deserves a shout-out for providing Hiccup with a dependable, contrasting parental figure in Gobber without feeling like an imitation of Craig Ferguson‘s original hilarious performance. Truly, the main cast pouring their hearts out onto the screen is what pushes How to Train Your Dragon (2025) out of the shadow of the animated movie. The epic spectacle that Dean Deblois creates is the next necessary layer that was always going to be demanded from a live-action interpretation. Viewers would not be taken to the same emotional heights if this story wasn’t given a good enough reason to be retold. Luckily, Deblois ensures his narrative and visual scale complement each other hand in hand.
Dean DeBlois, Bill Pope, and John Powell are the Magic Trio
When he isn’t framing sequences from the original shot for shot, which is the most uncanny in the first act, Dean DeBlois makes a strong case for why How to Train Your Dragon works at the blockbuster level. DeBlois and prolific cinematographer Bill Pope ensure that every single dragon on screen carries a heavy weight and threatening physicality. Thankfully, the movie never translates like a bunch of actors reacting to tennis balls in front of blue screens. The environments feel rich and lived-in, creating a tactile world that invites further exploration. Toothless is an extremely impressive CGI creation as well; his dark scales, expressive eyes, and aged claws surpass the visual quality of all previous live-action remakes.
For all this praise, the sheer fact that How to Train Your Dragon (2025) steers too closely to the original plot will be the make-or-break factor for many moviegoers. That and the uncanniness that comes with seeing famous animated sequences translated into live-action without the same fluidity. Yet, this should not detract from the admirable efforts made by Dean Deblois and his cast and crew to revitalize this story for modern audiences. Getting by on the proven source material and John Powell‘s incredibly moving score (which he re-recorded with new flourishes for this film) would have been enough… for a lazy production. This is not that; it’s far from the cheap, emotionally manipulative remakes seen in recent years.
A Unique Opportunity has Presented Itself…
With fantastic leads and majestic visuals, the 2025 How to Train Your Dragon live-action remake just needed to break more loosely from the original’s mold to win over all its detractors. Nonetheless, it is a step in the right direction. Mason Thames and Nico Parker have carved out interpretations of Hiccup and Astrid that can respectfully stand alongside Jay Baruchel and America Ferrera‘s iconic versions. Since Dean Deblois is now moving on to remake 2014’s How to Train Your Dragon 2, a chance has presented itself to shock fans with some bold deviations. The mythology and cinematic grandeur of the How to Train Your Dragon franchise have proven worthy of the live-action format; it’s time to take some risks.
How to Train Your Dragon hits theaters on June 13!
Release Date: June 13, 2025.
Directed by Dean DeBlois.
Screenplay by Dean DeBlois.
Based on How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell.
Produced by Marc Platt & Adam Siegel.
Executive Producers: Dean DeBlois, Chris Sanders, David Cain, Michael A. Connolly, & Roy Lee.
Main Cast: Mason Thames, Nico Parker, Gerard Butler, Nick Frost, Gabriel Howell, Julian Dennison, Bronwyn James, Harry Trevaldwyn, Ruth Codd, Peter Serafinowicz, & Murray McArthur.
Cinematographer: Bill Pope.
Composer: John Powell.
Production Companies: DreamWorks Animation & Marc Platt Productions.
Distributor: Universal Pictures.
Runtime: 125 minutes.
Rated PG.
