‘How to Train Your Dragon’ Review: A Faithful, Soaring Adaptation That Knows Exactly Why We Fell in Love in 2010
The current wave of live-action remakes from legacy studios has often struggled to justify its existence. For every triumph, there’s a trail of hollow reimaginings. Animated classics have been turned into disappointing live-action films, often stripped of the heart that made them special. How to Train Your Dragon (2025), however, understands the brief.
Directed once again by Dean DeBlois, the visionary behind the original animated trilogy, this adaptation stays true to what made the original so beloved. Rather than trying something new, the film commits unapologetically to recapturing the magic of its predecessor.
The result? A faithful, full-hearted recreation that reminds you why it worked the first time — and the How to Train Your Dragon live-action trailer sets the tone perfectly.
How to Train Your Dragon (2025) Plot Summary – A Faithful Retelling
Set in the Viking village of Berk, the How to Train Your Dragon cast follows Hiccup (Mason Thames), a scrawny, sharp-minded teenager and the son of Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler), the tribe’s formidable chieftain. In a world where dragons are feared and hunted, Hiccup injures a rare Night Fury. But instead of killing him, he chooses to heal him. The dragon, whom he names Toothless, becomes more than a pet—he becomes a friend, a reflection of himself, and a soulmate.
What unfolds is a coming-of-age tale, a rebellion against inherited prejudice, and at its core, a love story between a boy and his dragon.
For those familiar with the 2010 film, the beats are near-identical, at times even shot-for-shot. Some may call it mimicry or accuse it of playing it safe, but doing so would miss the point. This How to Train Your Dragon review believes otherwise. In an era where remakes often dilute the very elements that made their predecessors beloved, HTTYD 2025 doesn’t reinvent the wheel—it protects it. The emotion, the humor, and the breathtaking flight scenes are recreated with care and reverence.
This isn’t just a remake. It’s a return. It is heartfelt, and it is very much deliberate.
Mason Thames & Gerard Butler Lead Strong How to Train Your Dragon Cast
Mason Thames carries the film with a quietly assured performance as Hiccup—awkward, underestimated, and full of wonder. Unlike the snappier animated version, this Hiccup is a little more subdued but no less endearing. His chemistry with Toothless, brought to life with astonishing VFX fidelity, gives the film its soul.
Having voiced him in the animated films, Gerard Butler now embodies Stoick in the flesh—a deeply satisfying, full-circle moment. There is a quiet tenderness to his scenes with Hiccup, especially as the chasm between father and son begins to close. One line, delivered with aching restraint, “You are many things, Hiccup. But a dragon killer is not one of them,” perfectly captures the shift from disappointment to understanding. It lands just as hard in live-action, if not more.
Visual Effects & John Powell’s Soaring How to Train Your Dragon Soundtrack
Cinematographer Greig Fraser (Dune, Rogue One) infuses the film with grandeur. The landscapes, shot in Iceland and Scotland, feel epic yet intimate, contrasting the harsh Viking terrains with Toothless’ graceful flights through the skies. The flight sequences are as breathtaking as they were in animation—only now, they feel more visceral, more wind-in-your-face real.
And when those iconic themes swell—Composed by John Powell, the How to Train Your Dragon soundtrack elevates every scene, the masterful score returns with new orchestral depth—it’s impossible not to feel your chest tighten. Few film scores in recent memory are this emotionally coded, this tightly woven into a narrative’s DNA.
How to Train Your Dragon 2025 Box Office Success & Critical Reception
Where other reboots have stumbled by forcing change, HTTYD 2025 stands proudly as a testament to the original’s enduring magic. The strategy paid off. How to Train Your Dragon 2025’s box office opened strong, with early projections estimating a $70M+ opening weekend in the US and solid international numbers. Positive word of mouth and nostalgic appeal have made it one of the most successful live-action adaptations in recent years.
Critics and fans alike have praised the film for what it is: a rare remake that just works.
Final Thoughts
This is genuine storytelling, beautifully retold. More importantly, it remembers what so many adaptations forget: the emotion is the story. How to Train Your Dragon live action delivers that emotion in full—the joy of flight, the ache of goodbye, the wonder of unlikely friendship.
It takes you back to 2010. It makes you feel like the same wide-eyed viewer you were when you first saw Hiccup stretch out his hand to Toothless.
How to Train Your Dragon (2025) director Dean DeBlois has pulled off something rare: a remake that feels both familiar and fresh, not because it changes the formula, but because it knows exactly when not to.
Quick Facts!
- Dean DeBlois Made Franchise History – Dean DeBlois is one of the very few filmmakers to direct all the animated original (HTTYD, 2010) and its live-action remake (HTTYD, 2025).
- Gerard Butler voiced Stoick the Vast in all three animated films and now plays him in live-action. It’s one of the rare instances where an actor transitions from voice to live-action for the same character.
- Toothless wasn’t purely CGI—on-set scenes used animatronic puppets built by Legacy Effects, combined with CG enhancements by Framestore.
- Filming took place in Iceland and Scotland – Authentic locations were used, including Iceland, Scotland, and the Faroe Islands, to recreate Berk’s Viking terrain.
- Box-office record for June live-action non‑superhero opener – It opened with $84.6M domestically, marking the biggest June opening for a non-superhero live-action remake since at least Toy Story 4.
Why Should You Watch It?
- It’s one of the few live-action remakes that doesn’t ruin the original.
- Visuals by Greig Fraser are cinematic, natural, and grand.
- Toothless is jaw-droppingly real—a perfect blend of creature design and VFX wizardry that makes you believe dragons exist.
- The emotional beats hit harder this time—especially between Hiccup and Stoick. It’s not just a reunion; it’s a reckoning.
- The score gives you literal chills—John Powell does it again.
- Themes of empathy, identity, and emotional intelligence feel even more resonant in today’s world.
- It’s a faithful retelling that doesn’t try to “fix” what wasn’t broken.
- For longtime fans, it’s a nostalgic return. For new ones, it’s an epic coming-of-age tale that feels timeless.
QUICK SCAN | Things to Know Before Watching
PROS
- Faithful to the original
- Stunning cinematography
- Powerful emotional core
- Excellent VFX for dragons
- Rich orchestral score
- Strong performances, esp. Thames & Butler
CONS
- Too similar to the 2010 version for some
- Lacks surprises for returning fans
- Pacing can feel slow in parts
- A slightly darker tone may not suit very young kids
- Side characters are less developed
- Some scenes feel like déjà vu (intentionally)
