In 2010, “How to Train Your Dragon” was released, and this animated movie, based on the book by Cressida Cowell, was a hit. The story of Hiccup and Toothless connected with many people, and the film spawned several sequels and a television series. Now, in 2025, we get a live version of this movie, and it is fantastic! Having it be shot-for-shot is great for the fans of the original, but a few things have been added to make it a little fresh for all viewers.
How to Train Your Dragon (2025) tells us the story of Hiccup (Mason Thames), who lives in the isle of Berk. Hiccup lives in the shadow of his father, Stoick (Gerard Butler), and is not as tough as the other Vikings on the island. While the others are fighting dragons, he is working with Gobber (Nick Frost), the blacksmith, on getting the weapons ready for any attacks and dragon raids the clan goes on.
As with all live-action versions of movies, there is a thin line that many try not to cross. If the director sways too much from the original, the audience will complain. Now, if the director copies the original exactly as it is, the audience might still find a reason to complain. How to Train Your Dragon does enough to replicate the original, but also adds a few elements to give the story a little more heart. The relationship between Hiccup and Stoick has been difficult ever since Hiccup’s mom passed.
Stoick, as the chief of the isle, has a lineage to fight for and would want his son to be the next chief. Hiccup is not like the other Vikings, and this difference is the issue that causes Stoick to be more protective of Hiccup. The father-son relationship seems to be brought more to the forefront in this version than in the animated one. We also see the relationship between Snotlout (Gabriel Howell) and his father, Spitelout (Peter Serafinowicz), which is almost similar to that of Hiccup.
Dean DeBlois does a phenomenal job of transferring the images of the animated movie into live action. Some scenes appear to be paintings in the way they are framed. One moment that sticks out is when Stoick enters the dragon’s den. As he is standing at the entrance, he is framed by hues of orange and red. It looks magnificent! DeBlois, who directed the animated movie, gives us a glimpse of how great a live-action version of an animated movie can look if given the proper care and detail. You can tell he put everything he had to make this right.
Final Thoughts: How to Train Your Dragon is fantastic and magically captures what was done with the animated version in 2010. Although it is shot-for-shot, it keeps the feeling of the original with a few added storylines and stunning visuals. How to Train Your Dragon has to be seen on the big screen for the full effect. This is a great family movie for the summer!
Kid-Friendly: If your children have seen the original animated version, they will be ok with this one. While seeing the live version of the dragons may be scary, that scare will disappear after a few seconds. There is no profanity, but some images of dragons attacking might be scary for younger kids.
Violence: How to Train Your Dragon has scenes of dragons attacking a village, but the violence level is not too intense.
On the rugged isle of Berk, where Vikings and dragons have been bitter enemies for generations, Hiccup (Mason Thames; The Black Phone, For All Mankind) stands apart. The inventive yet overlooked son of Chief Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler, reprising his voice role from the animated franchise), Hiccup defies centuries of tradition when he befriends Toothless, a feared Night Fury dragon. Their unlikely bond reveals the true nature of dragons, challenging the very foundations of Viking society.