It’s well-known that the filmmaker, Dean DeBlois, who was behind the 2010 Oscar-nominated animated film ““, decided to use this movie as a chance to delve deeper into the mythology previously established in the animated trilogy.
According to DeBlois, who wrote the screenplay for the 2002 film “How to Train Your Dragon“, he discussed expanding the movie’s mythology in the live-action adaptation, which is based on Cressida Cowell’s books. “What areas can we focus on to make it more engaging, develop the mythos further, or flesh out the characters and their relationships?” DeBlois questioned.
“Something Magical Happens”
In a live-action film, DeBlois explained, “When you have real actors acting out a scene, something extraordinary occurs. You give them room for natural flow, pauses, and dialogue, and something magical happens. Unlike animation where you pick and choose the best parts from various takes and animate them based on individual interpretations, here it’s simply what the actors are giving in their entirety, encompassing every physical action they perform.
In a set with live actors, there’s a genuine emotion that surfaces which is seldom seen in animated films. As DeBlois explained, “It’s about ensuring all elements are ready so the actors can fully embody their characters and contribute to the scene, shaping it. This authenticity unfolds as a result,” he added.
Expect a More Well-Rounded Astrid
In addition, he mentioned that a live-action movie offers opportunities for deeper character exploration, like the character of Astrid. Originally portrayed by a voice actor in the 2010 animated film, Nico Parker now plays her role in the live-action version.
As a passionate cinephile, I’ve always felt that the pressure of time constraints impacted some aspects of our animated films. Now, given more freedom, we can delve deeper into the mythology behind how this tribe formed and explore the characters more profoundly. Particularly, we can give additional focus to characters like Astrid who, although compelling in the animations, could benefit from a deeper exploration of her backstory and her complex relationship with Hiccup. These aspects present themselves as exciting opportunities for further development.
How to Train Your Dragon Animated Trilogy
| Film | Worldwide Box Office Earnings | Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score | Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score |
| How to Train Your Dragon (2010) | $494.8 million | 99% | 91% |
| How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014) | $621 million | 92% | 90% |
| How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019) | $539.9 million | 90% | 87% |
DeBlois on Making Live-Action Dragons
The DreamWorks live-action film incorporated dragons with a greater sense of realism. As explained by DeBlois, “Tom Wilton and his team of puppeteers crafted these foam dragon heads and bodies according to specifications.” He further mentioned that the puppeteers controlled the dragons in the shots, which allowed the cameraman to frame for where the dragon would appear. This also provided the actors with something to interact with, as they weren’t just looking at a tennis ball.
As a film enthusiast, I was thoroughly impressed by the authenticity of that performance. When it came time for the VFX and animation teams at Framestore to work their magic, they seamlessly swapped out the foam dragon for more lifelike animations.
A “Hippo” Dragon?
In our creative process, we followed a similar design stage as we typically would for an animated production. Our aim was to achieve a level of realism in depicting muscles beneath varying skin textures with differing levels of shininess, while also gaining a deep understanding of the underlying skeletal structures. To accomplish this, we relied heavily on references from actual animals, just like we do for our animated films. This resulted in creatures such as the crocodile dragon, hippo dragon, walrus dragon, parrot dragon, and panther dragon, each displaying distinct animal characteristics, as pointed out by the creator.
The movie “How to Train Your Dragon,” featuring stars like Mason Thames, Nico Parker, and others including Murray McArthur and Bronwyn James, is set to premiere in theatres on June 13th. Meanwhile, the animated trilogy can be streamed online on Peacock.
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2025-06-01 03:11