DreamWorks has nailed the live-action remake of How to Train Your Dragon. The film is a faithful reimagining that sets a new benchmark for animated-to-live-action remakes. Staying remarkably true to the original, it mirrors the animated classic almost shot-for-shot—with only slight narrative tweaks and subtle additions. Rather than feeling the need to reinvent the wheel, director and writer Dean DeBlois wisely leans into what made the original so beloved. He demonstrates a clear understanding of the source material (which he co-directed and co-wrote for the 2010 original) and the additional 18 minutes added to the live-action version and the very few changes made only make the film’s plot and characters stronger.
In the Viking village of Berk, fighting dragons is the way of life. But young Hiccup (Mason Thames) defies tradition by not killing and befriending an injured dragon he names Toothless. Hiccup discovers that dragons are not the enemies his people believe them to be, leading him to challenge everything his village, especially his father, stands for.
One example is an entire scene in the beginning. In the animated version, viewers don’t see Hiccup’s father, Stoick the Vast (voiced by Gerard Butler), and his Viking clan get attacked when they first try to find the dragon’s nest and fail miserably. However, the live-action reveals how they lost and what went wrong. It’s done only in a few minutes. Much longer and it would’ve stolen too much away from Toothless and Hiccup interacting. If it were shorter, it might’ve felt out of place and unnecessary.
In one of film’s strongest changes, Astrid (Nico Parker) apologizes specifically to Toothless after Hiccup and Toothless kidnap her. In the animated version, she simply apologizes in general, but the live action shows the beginning of the connection between her and the Night Fury. Here, DeBlois shows it as a true apology and not simply something she’s saying to get Toothless to calm down.
The other strongest change in dialogue is between Hiccup and Stoick (also Butler). Right as Hiccup hops onto Toothless to save the day, the heartfelt moment between him and his father receives extended and changed dialogue. It deepens the acceptance they both have for each other in a way where those who don’t know the ending are on the edge of their seats while those who do will simply smile.
There are other scenes either very slightly edited or removed alongside some character expansions and additions, but nothing ruins the remake. Everything changed and unchanged here delivers nothing less than a masterpiece.
Live action How to Train Your Dragon even delivers on the visual effects—especially the CGI. While everyone knows dragons don’t exist, Toothless looks so real to the point where viewers could question whether DeBlois actually found a Night Fury to portray him. There’s no question DreamWorks took its time to truly craft a quality film instead of using the animated franchise as a money grabber. It’s 2025, all films should have CGI this good.
But CGI is nothing without a stellar cast. Thames as Hiccup merits a round of applause for the casting department. He adds a layer of emotional depth to Hiccup while balancing the scrawny guy with wit and strength. Thames nails everything that Hiccup is and makes the character his own without changing who he is from the animated version.
Elsewhere, DeBlois has enhanced how much of a dragon fanboy Fishlegs (Julian Dennison) is, making him the standout side character. Fishlegs, part of Hiccup’s class in the Berk Dragon Training Academy, takes his knowledge and applies it to their test on how to slay dragons. Dennison feeds off this persona to deliver an accurate representation of the knowledge a ginormous fan would possess while having it naturally come out in every interaction. Dennison’s facial expressions sell his character as being dragon-obsessed and make Dennison incomparable.
From the characters and almost shot-for-shot scenes, to the realistic CGI and enhanced moments, How to Train Your Dragon is a can’t miss film. It’s the pinnacle of animated to live-action movies. And while the sequels weren’t as well received, let’s hope DreamWorks continues to remain faithful to the animated versions. With How to Train Your Dragon 2 confirmed to become a live-action remake as well, DreamWorks has a lot to live up to now.
