Give or take 101 Dalmatians and the 90s Jungle Book, Disney has been capitalizing on live-action remakes of their films since Alice in Wonderland made a billion dollars back in 2010. Just from an economic standpoint, it’s not hard to see why DreamWorks wouldn’t do the same with some of the films in their library. Fittingly, 2010’s How to Train Your Dragon is the first attempt to replicate similar business. Now, looking at the range in quality of these past remakes, which essentially amounts to “from decent to dire,” one should wonder if having this fantasy adventure helmed by one of its original writers/co-directors could make a difference. As it stands, while technically impressive, this live-action take feels as though it’s good without being quite “good.”
Just like the original, this film is set in the past on the rugged isle of Burk. Vikings and dragons have been enemies for generations. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III (Mason Thames) would love nothing more than to be a young warrior whom his dad, Stoick the Vast (a returning Gerard Butler), can approve of. And yet, Hiccup’s natural ambitions and smaller size make him stand apart. Things take a turn when, during a particular outing, Hiccup finds himself helping and befriending a feared Night Fury dragon, who he names Toothless. The bond that forms between the two reveals that these dragons may not be the villainous beasts the Vikings think they are, which means Hiccup will have a lot of explaining to do if anyone else is going to believe him.
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Here’s what’s going to happen: I’m going to lay out a lot of thoughts regarding why this movie almost feels like a cheat, and it’s going to join a large swath of reviews that speak to how well it replicates the original and weigh in on how much they mind that it doesn’t have anything new to offer. The movie is then going to open, receiving rapturous applause from the many crowds of people who intend to see the film. That process will repeat itself many times over, and the movie will go on to earn hundreds of millions of dollars (maybe even the elusive ‘b’ number if the world goes that crazy over it).
Now, the question is whether I should continue detailing my thoughts further. It’s not often that I feel it makes sense to be this self-aware about the review process, but given how critic-proof an event film like this is, what’s the harm? Surely, that must be what director Dean DeBlois feels as well. Having also directed the two animated sequels, which brought a certain level of finality to Hiccup and Toothless, revisiting the same story, themes, and ideas must have felt like a way to hold onto his admiration for this series without taking drastic action in a different direction.
Naturally, the usual justification (for those not just looking at the obvious $$$ on the table) comes down to seeing these films as a way to introduce a new generation to a different version, which could lead them back to exploring the original in due time. Now, in pointing out what I have already about the inevitability of this film’s popularity, it should also be clear that there’s nothing wrong with liking this movie. Especially this movie, because of how much care and craft seems to have gone into it. Sure, I can nitpick certain things regarding the production (most of the kids are not kids and do not look like kids either). Still, given that this is a near shot-for-shot remake of a rousing, lively, animated adventure that involves dragons, the film would have had to really drop the ball hard to not at least be effective in some regard.
So, the real question then becomes whether DeBlois was able to reveal something new when revisiting this property. The answer to that speaks to why I can’t say I like this film any more than other recent decent-at-best live-action remakes. I like some of the Disney remakes more than others because they at least dare to ask new questions or take a different perspective on specific plot points or character elements, allowing a more interesting angle to emerge. How to Train Your Dragon is so against doing anything that strays away from the original that I do not find it to be much better than the average set of Disney remakes, and that primarily comes down to just how strong the technical work is (enough to have me look past the relatively flat visuals when things aren’t dragon-related).
The key moments, subtextual value, and other significant themes remain present. How to Train Your Dragon knew well enough not to mess with any of what worked in the original film. That said, for all the strength a movie like this gains from feeling like one of the more heroic “coming out” parables I could think of, there are other sequences that honestly feel like I’m watching an artist trace over their own work. The entire scene of Hiccup meeting Toothless looks excellent, but what is the gain of making a slavish recreation of what we already saw in an animated film less than 20 years old? The action is, no doubt, impressive thanks to the camera work by DP extraordinaire Bill Pope. Still, there’s nothing new to take away from how the different beats play out.
Visual effects have certainly advanced far enough for this to feel impressive, given the accomplishment of blending realistic-enough-looking dragons with live-action people. However, what if I also didn’t truly believe in all the people? For all the effort coming in from the cast, it’s hard not to think about why a cartoon can make these personalities and designs register properly while the live-action alternative makes the wigs, bodysuits, and more stand out. It is a solid enough cast (though Thames is, frankly, just not enough of a dweeb for me to buy into this version of Hiccup as effectively), but locking into all of this as anything more than a really expensive version of people playing dress-up is bound to be something I’m burdened with accepting.
It’s all certainly not for lack of trying. I don’t need to see the scales in terms of how much of this came from potential monetary success and what was driven by artistic integrity. As it stands, there is a movie here that is designed to please audiences, and DeBlois did not phone it in. A lot of effort went into recreating something as best it could, and I’m sure many will happily go along with it. I was impressed by many of the technical feats achieved. Still, with no real effort made to explore new angles, it’s hard not to feel that this was a fairly toothless endeavor. Still, John Powell’s score remains quite rousing, so at least it didn’t feel too bad when taking flight.
How to Train Your Dragon opens in theaters and IMAX on June 13, 2025.
