The original dreamworks How to Train Your Dragon, released in 2010, captured the hearts of audiences worldwide as it traveled through an unexpected friendship of a young viking misfit Hiccup, and a fearsome yet gentle night fury, Toothless. The original 2010 film was a huge success earning 65 nominations including People’s Choice Awards, Saturn Awards and Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards. In total the film won 25 awards including Annie Awards, 3D Creative Art Awards, genesis awards securing its place as a modern animated classic.
The success of the film led to two more movie additions to create a trilogy and many popular television spin offs securing its place in the hearts of millions. Over the years How to Train Your Dragon has been beloved by many for its compelling characters, stunning animations and heartwarming story of friendship and acceptance
This past summer we were set to be blown away by the fresh reimagining of this movie in a live-action. Director Dean DeBlois, who helmed the original animated trilogy, returns to direct, and Gerard Butler, the voice actor of Stoic the vast, returns to play the live action character.
I was excited to see that Gerard Butler took on the role of Stoic but other casting choices sparked a mix of skepticism and excitement from me. Like many fans, I thought Mason Thames as Hiccup, fitting the role perfectly. However, Nico Parker as Astrid initially made me question their casting choices. I expected the live-action Astrid to closely resemble the animated character with the iconic blonde hair but despite my doubts, Nico Parker ultimately won over her role with her performance capturing Astrid’s strength and determination. Gabriel Howell who played Snotlout and Julian Dennison who played FIshlegs were excellent choices, in my opinion. but I was shocked to see that they did not cast twins to play the roles of Ruffnutt and Tufnutt, taking away from the original movie’s dynamic.
The live action How to Train Your Dragon soared to new heights as it became the fifth highest grossing movie of 2025. Released on June 13th 2025 the film earned $83.7 million domestically and $197.8 million worldwide during its opening weekend. As of now the movie’s performance has made $262.95 million in the domestic box office and $367.5 million internationally for a total of $630.4 million worldwide. As the movie finished its rotation in theaters it became available to rent or buy for on platforms like Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home. Once the movie is released by Universal Pictures it will be available to stream on Peacock.
I Loved the live action movie, especially when it stayed true to the original movie with keeping some of the original quotes from the animated movie, while also adding adjustments to scenes. At some moments in the movie I agreed with others who thought that the graphics and CGI were obvious and unrealistic but overall I really enjoyed the movie. Mixed reactions that the film received were reflected in the film’s Rotten Tomatoes score, which landed at a 76%, falling short of the original film at 99%. Despite this the film has earned a spot at 34 in IMDb’s top 50 movies of all time.
Overall the live-action How to Train Your Dragon has proven to be a success and a nostalgic journey for fans of the beloved franchise. The film successfully reimagines the magic of toothless and Hiccups’ friendship while honoring the legacy of the original animated trilogy. With its impressive box office performance and fan support for the film it has earned the rights to a live action adaptation of the second movie in the trilogy which is set to release on June 11th 2027.
